Every Kid Needs a Kitten

I dig this picture for a number of reasons:

1. It was taken 10 pounds ago.
2. It was taken at my friend Carrie's house, who I dig and don't see enough.
3. My kids love furry animals but the only one they own is a hamster. Hamsters don't snuggle on your lap, you know.
4. I grew up with kitties and love them. My parents even bred Persians for a little while. I had them in my 20s also. Then came a day when we had 2 sons and our cats were too much to handle. One of the cats was peeing everywhere, and the kids were getting into the food and the litter and we had no great place for the catbox so our kitchen always stunk like pee. Now we have vowed we won't get a dog until our youngest child turns 3. I think Aron is going to try to get me pregnant before next October so he won't have to get a dog! I am determined otherwise, though :-)

Like Father, Like Son

Aron was growin' some facial hair recently, and he marked up Sam so Sam could be his Mini Me. Aren't they so cute?!

Disco Cheerleader Diva and Upward Cheer

Callie is quite the performer. Last weekend I was making dinner and she popped out from behind the wall looking like this and doing a little disco act. I was caught off-guard and started cracking up! Her afro is actually the skirt from her dance recital costume from summer. Then of course we have the cheerleader top going on. She's not in dance right now and instead we are doing Upward Cheer, which is a Christian organization, which means the uniforms won't be hoochie or Toddlers and Tiaras.

Sam Writes His First Thank You Notes

Dear Bill, Sue and Pat,

Thank you for the money for my birthday for my savings account. I am saving up for a pony! Can I keep it at your house? Thanks! Or I might buy a full-size firetruck, also to keep at your house. I can't wait until Turkey Day at your house. Let me know what to bring. I can make cereal, messes, poopie diapers, crackers and water. I love you guys a lot and missed you at my party. It sure was loud. I don't remember inviting so many crazy kids. Mom must have done it. Mothers! Words I can say: turtle, hippie, me, eat, Elmo, Coke, beer, train, firetruck and Pikachu. I love you. Samuel


Dear Nonnie and Poppy II,

Thank you for the money for my birthday for my savings account. I am saving up for a pony, a train and a firetruck. Can I keep one at your house? I am two now and can say turtle, hippie, Elmo, Coke, train and firetruck. I love to make messes so Mommy will blow her top -- it is so funny! I blow raspberries at my brothers and sisters when they mess with me and make me mad. I am a little naughty, but I am cute, so that helps :-) I love you guys! Samuel

Oops! Those Vines Weren't Pumpkins!

Yup, the "pumpkin vines" I blogged about a few weeks ago are ... you guessed it ... gourds. They are gourdgeous! They were going nuts ... corkscrewing themselves into the air conditioning unit, into the ground, into the short fence around our garden. Then one day bugs were all over them and a white powdery-looking substance and they started dying off. We'll have to dig into a few again this year and toss them in the garden like last year and see what happens. Soon you might be coming to McLoughlin's Pumpkin and Gourd Patch.

A Two-Layer Bus

I laughed so hard when we saw this bus and Joel said, "Look! A two-layer bus!" I wasn't laughing AT him ... it was just funny. Luckily we were stranded while waiting for traffic and I grabbed the camera really fast and snapped a pic for you faithful readers. And don't think I don't know what you are thinking: That I will soon be needing this double-decker vehicle to haul my family and friends around :-)

Boxes Are the Cheapest Toy

Samuel may only be 2 years old, but he already demonstrates that he likes to think INSIDE the box. Perhaps he will grow up to be more mainstream than his mother. And yes, those cute mocha legs belong to none other than Jordan, babysitter extraordinaire!

Happy Birthday to Samuel McLoughlin!

This little dude, my youngest, is 2 years old today. We'll probably go on a field trip to a fun nature center or children's garden-type of place and grab some ice cream.  Since he's too little to care and we're low on funds, we'll probably just eat dinner at home. Then tomorrow is his birthday party at our house! Cake and ice cream will flow freely all over the house, and he will be surrounded by those who love him.

He just got his first haircut this week and he looks ornier than ever (pix to come). He is a crazy little sweet pea who is independent and fierce and still nurses and sleeps next to his mom and dad.

We love you, Sam!

Crap, I accidentally didn't post-date this, so it's showing up early. Sorry about that! His birthday is Friday the 7th!

The Things We Do for Our Kids to Have Fun

Come on over to Homeschooling Mommybot today to see what I've signed up to do ... all for the kids, darn them.

No Backyard Henkeeping for Overland Park, KS ... YET!

This is Miss Eva helping her dad make breakfast. Eggs to be exact. We are hoping someday we can walk under our deck, say hello to our hens, and grab a few eggs from them for breakfast (supplementing with grocery store eggs, of course, since hens only lay about an egg a day and we would need 7 eggs per day at least!).

If you get a chance, head over to Facebook and LIKE the page Overland Park Needs Hens. Even if you don't live in my neck of the woods, you can still show your support. My main argument is that hardly anyone is going to go out and get a hen if it is ever approved. Overland Park's argument is that we are a nice city and that hens don't belong here. Yet hens are kept in LA, San Diego, Houston, Minneapolis and many other major cities who are way ahead of us.

Hey, hens are way less gross than cats and dogs. They may be dumb, but they give eggs! And they won't jump your neighbor's fence and poop in their yard. And they won't poop in your neighbor's sandbox. And they won't poop in yards when you take them for a walk on their little hen leash. Can you tell I'm obsessed with poop from animals being where it should not be?

Can you keep hens in YOUR city? Would you?

Don't Become One of "Them"

I've realized something this last week.

I realized that I can pack up my family and move away, but that there will always be haters around. There will always be jealous people, bitter people, anti-Catholics, people who don't like big families and assume you are stupid about birth control, people who think homeschoolers are lazy and don't really teach their kids at all.

There will always be people who judge you and who are never on the mark.

No, moving won't help. Getting mad or getting even won't help. Do you know what helps?

The thought that I won't be one of "them". So to avoid becoming one of those sad, lonely, judgmental people, I pray for them. I try to have a sense of humor about situations that are bad. I try to understand why someone would do something so horrific to another human being, and then I stop trying to understand and just hand my problem to God.

I continue my life. I love on my kids, I educate them. I love on my husband. I cook and clean and write and hang out with my friends and see my family. I laugh and smile and joke not because I minimize things that are happening, but because I just want to be happy and I want my family to be happy. I don't want to be a bitter, mean person.

It's hard at first to not become one of "them" ... but with practice, you can do it. Your actions can influence your thoughts.

BOGO Michael Literal Funny

Yesterday we went to the Parkside Coffeehouse at Cedar Ridge Church in Lenexa for some drinks before hitting the cool park with the lake. The coffee guy gave me a buy one get one free deal, and I took it!

Later Michael asked what deal I got. I said, "Buy one get one."

He says, "Don't you mean buy one, get one FREE? Because when you buy one, you most always GET one, right?"

Foiled again by Michael. That one keeps me on my toes for sure!

Have a great Thursday, and Happy Birthday to my sweet niece Gabrielle! We'll be at Bible Study then the local farmstead for some animal and history fun with our homeschool group. What are your plans for the day?

Why are Hershey's Kisses aerated? Like my yard?

Can someone please explain Hershey’s new aerated Kisses to me? Are we not just paying the same amount to have air whipped into our chocolate, saving money for Hershey’s? I expected them to be like 3 Musketeers inside, but there are just air pockets. It's like when my husband uses the aerator on our yard to keep the grass healthy. Do they have a mini aerator that they run over chocolate to make tiny holes in it?

AMBER Alert for Unborn Children

There was a piece the other day in our local Catholic newspaper, The Leaven, by Ron Kelsey that really grabbed my attention. It was called, "AMBER Alert for Unborn Children." Mr. Kelsey thinks we shouldn't make a distinction between our born and unborn children. He contends that we (society) "rationalize the following evil acts:

• killing our children by chemical and surgical abortion
• manufacturing them via IVF or cloning
• conducting research on them via embryonic stem-cell research
• manipulating them via prenatal genetic screening to eliminate those who are considered undesirable"

Wow, that's a lot to think about.

Guest Post: Helping Your Kid Sleep!

Help Your Child Travel to Dreamsland Faster: Tips for Obtaining the Recommended Hours of Sleep

It's well known that sleep is extremely crucial in ensuring that your child performs well in school—experts suggest that sleep deprivation can heavily influence your child's concentration and retention levels, two abilities that are needed to take notes and past tests. Of course how many hours of sleep your child needs each night will vary upon his or her age. But for some ball park figures, the recommended hours of sleep for each age bracket goes as follows: 3 to 5 years old—11 to 13 hours; 5 to 12 years old— 9 to 11 hours; and adolescents—8.5 to 9 hours. But sometimes trying to get your child to get those recommended hours of sleep is a huge battle. That said, to learn some different ways you get your child to fall asleep faster and get the proper shut eye that he or she needs to function in school (no matter what age) read the tips listed below.

Make a "Sleep" Routine. First and foremost it's important that your child creates a sleep routine—something that he or she does to prepare to go to sleep each night. This can include anything from washing his or her face, hopping in the shower, brushing his or her teeth and then jumping in his or her pajamas 20 minutes before their typical scheduled bedtime for example. The trick is that they need to do everything in the same particular order every night. Eventually your body will become conditioned with the schedule and will send signals to the brain that it's "time for bed" once the routine is in action. This will in-turn will help your child fall asleep faster. * Extra tip: if a shower is included in the sleep routine, make sure that a cold/cool shower is omitted. Cold showers actually make our bodies go into a "cold shock." This agitates our central nervous system, which ultimately gives your child the results you don't want—a new found jolt of energy. Instead, suggest your child takes warm/hot showers. The steam will help relax your child's muscles enabling them to fall asleep more soundly.

Avoid Feeding Your Child Heavy Meals Near Bedtime. According to experts, heavy meals will only disrupt your child's digestive system and make them terribly uncomfortable and unable to fall asleep. A "light" snack that is high in tryptophan (a natural sleep inducing agent) may just so the trick though. Some of these types of snacks include a tall glass of milk, bananas and nuts.

No Stimulants an Hour Before Bed Time. This not only includes consuming caffeinated beverages such as tea and soda or avoiding mild form of exercise that can invigorate the body and mind, but it also includes watching television, playing video games, checking Facebook or even texting —studies show that doing these kind of activities, especially those that radiate bright lights (television and computer screens) will simply just reactive the brain and make it extremely hard to fall asleep. So make sure that your child doesn't do these things within 4 to 6 hours of the time he or she is supposed to fall asleep.

Make Sure Your Child is Dressed in Comfortable Sleepwear. Your child may have a hard time falling asleep simply because they are wearing the wrong type of attire to sleep. He or she shouldn't be wearing something that they've outgrown and is tight and constricting or something that it going to make him or her too warm or too cold throughout the night.

Avoid Naps. If your child is on the younger side then a nap may very well be necessary. However, if you have an adolescent or teen try not to let them nap after school. If he or she has to at least make sure he or she only takes a power nap (which is typically 30 minutes to an hour). It may not seem like a very long time but that’s all the body really needs for a temporary re-charge and this should also enable your child to get to bed at an appropriate time.

Encourage Your Child to Study. Last but not least, if your child still cannot fall asleep after following all of the tips listed above then turn to this last option—tell your child to study. Trust when we say that for most children, cracking open a boring textbook is the fastest way for him or her to visit Dreamsland. Your child's eyes should get heavy within a few pages—and if they don't at least they've managed to squeeze in some extra studying.

Author Bio:

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at online colleges about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

Aldi's Strawberry Banana Smoothie

If you don't have an Aldi in your town, I am so sorry. It is the best little discount grocery store in the land, friends! They have so many different things crammed into a small store, and you can get in and out quickly. They have name brand foods and their own brand of stuff, and most of it is lovely.

Today the heavens opened up and I saw 5 pounds dropping off my body in the coming weeks. I saw a strawberry banana smoothie, just like the ones Naked and Odwalla make and charge $2.50-$3.69 for .... that's for 12 or 16 ounces, friends.

My new best smoothie friend is 32 whopping ounces for $2.89. I bought two and am going back for more. One serving packs 100% of your Vitamin C for the day, but if you're on a diet I could see you drinking all 4 servings, which only ends up being near 500 healthy calories.

I was considering a Costco membership (splitting with a pal and we'd each pay $50) for the Nakeds and Odwallas alone, but forget that! For this price, I can share (a tiny bit, anyway) with the kids!

"Stay-at-Home" Moms

I've been a "stay-at-home" mom for over 10 years, and I have to say I haven't been home much. I like to be on the go, and I drag the kids with me. The result is 4 out of my 5 kids like to be on the go also.

I've been enjoying the last week with no swimming pool to go to. I miss the warm weather and the pool, but it's nice to be homebodies for a change. I've gotten some things done that I've wanted to for a long time, like make common sense chore cards for my 3 oldest kids and work on a routine for me (like wake up, make coffee, eat something so I can take my vitamins, brush my teeth, shower). I'm also working on routines for the kids (wake up, make bed, eat, brush teeth, draw or hang out while Mommy reads to you, etc.).

I have to admit I sometimes would avoid the house and would come back from an activity even more stressed out ... I still do this! I feel guilty if I'm not taking my kids to a park or a nature center or on a playdate all the time. That is ridiculous, and it stresses me out! They don't need to be entertained every second of every day, and as homeschoolers they are socialized TOO MUCH!

Mostly I need to be working on all of us doing our chores so the house looks "decent" most of the time (this involves lots of purging!), so we can leave the house at a moment's notice if the mood strikes us or if an opportunity comes us.

I also need to be working more on my relationship with each of my kids because I want them to be good people (you know, hard-working, kind, trustworthy, not lazy, helpful to their spouse, and on and on!).

This fall well be on the go with Bible study every week (which involves a class for each of the kids), religious education class, altar server training for Joel, gymnastics, Upward Cheer for Callie, and maybe a little dance class for Eva if we can find the money. Oh, and don't forget Scouts! And weekly Mass. And playdates and grandparent visits and field trips alone and with groups.

A few lazy days spent at home will be so good for us each week. We've had time this week to play games, to read to each other, to go to the park with just us instead of with a group of other kids, hang out with Grandma Mac and more.

Staying at home more will be good for this mom ... and for her kids (and husband!!!).

Smoke Breaks ... Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

As if living on a busy corner didn't stink enough, now it turns out that the employees of the school across the street have a new place to take their smoke break:

On the sidewalk across from my freaking house.

Seriously?

I was wondering what this chick was doing getting into her car in the school parking lot and then walking over by some bushes by a fence of a house on the sidewalk of a busy street and standing there smoking every day. Then I saw a guy doing the same thing and heading back to the school.

REALLY?

I do so miss the 1960s ... take your dang smoke break in the dang breakroom like a dang normal person.

Oh, right. Then the second-hand smoke would kill all the kids. Not the asbestos or the BOREDOM. The smoke.

Don't get me wrong here. I feel for the smoker. My parents both smoked. Aron used to smoke. I have been known to smoke a few back in my younger days. If I didn't feel like a walking piece of crap after smoking a cig, I would probably be a smoker now, but I can feel my lungs blackening and I have no energy. I see smokers I know huffing through mowing the lawn and laying around all lazy while I jog after my kids with no problem and I know I am healthier.

Still ... we all have a crutch to cope with our stress. If your is a cig, go for it. I will probably go have a chat with the smokers as the year goes on. I'll ask them how they feel about having to go off school grounds to smoke. I mean, why can't they smoke outside the back door of school? Are they, like a bad influence if kids see them smoking? I mean, certainly, none of the PARENTS of the kids who go to school there would do something so heinous as SMOKE?! Or cuss (oops, that's me!)?!

Kids in the Hall

Here's what it takes to get a great shot of my kids (plus Alex):

Someone has to steal our air compressor from our garage.

Then we have to call a cop so we can file a police report just in case other stuff is stolen in our neighborhood, since there's a pushy roofing company coming around and you just never know.

The cop is like 10 feet tall and super sweet and it's 10 p.m. and the kids all hover in the hall to stare at the cop, and that's how this shot was taken.

*Sorry for the lame-o post and the blatant cute shot of my kids, but what do you want from me? It's kinda like back-to-homeschool week for us, and I am focusing more on teaching my kids how to love to learn than to make them do textbooks and workbooks and let me just tell you this unschooling thing (don't tell my husband; oops, I forget he gets these posts by email) is a lot harder than buying a pre-packaged curriculum. I'll also be busy this week working on writing an articly-essay about thinking about unschooling and swimming in the unschooling pond.

Miss Me?

I'm posting less these days. So if you miss seeing me today, come on over to Homeschooling Mommybot, where I posted yesterday about our first days of homeschooling this week. We're having a great time, and it's why I'm not around the blogosphere as much. Miss you all!

Male Hairdressers

Anyone heard of Chaz Dean? Yeah, my son has potential to be him someday. He likes to do hair. Most especially he likes to CUT hair. His sisters' hair. But lately he can be counted on to be my go-to guy for something like putting a quick ponytail in Eva's hair before church. You can see his mastery of the pigtail on my own hair, above. And, below, he put Eva's hair in a braid and brushes Sam's hair after a bath.

One of my best haircuts was given by a guy. Sure, he was probably gay, as most male hairdressers are, right? Not that there's anything wrong with that. Not that my son will be gay. But if he is, by God, I will still love him just the same. Sorry to go all political and social and crazy on you there, but that is where I stand as a mother and as a human being.

Starbuck's VIA Iced

I don't know what took me until AUGUST to start drinking iced instead of hot coffees, but there ya go. Sometimes I'm slow to catch on, but when I do, I do it bigtime.

A friend brought me some Starbuck's VIA ready brew iced, and I'm sipping it through a straw as I write. Too much caffeine might certainly contribute to the crazy way I write sometimes. Anyway ... I have the caramel kind ... it's already sugared and I just add milk, ice and some chocolate syrup and it makes over 2 cups. I'm getting the calcium I desperately need, but I'm also packing on some poundage (my dad calls it tonage).

What was my point?

Oh, just that it's a good way to stay away from the Starbuck's drive-through and save a little money. And it's yummy. And Starbuck's rocks. Hard. And no, they don't give me stuff to write about them. That would only happen in a perfect world.

Happy Sunday of Labor Day Weekend

Hope you are all enjoying a nice weekend. Our plans got changed when all our local pools shut down due to a waterborne virus. If you are a homeschooler, or even if you just like extra educational information, products and funnies or just like to peer into the life of a homeschooler or are a homeschool wannabe, come on over to Homeschooling Mommybot sometime!

 I have a lot of great stuff coming up ... things I use in my homeschooling, field trip photos, etc. Posting will be less frequent everywhere for me soon, since our official homeschool year starts the day after Labor Day. Then we will be hitting the unit studies, Pokemon Club, playdates, park dates, field trips, fishing trips, campouts, cheerleading, gymnastics, Scouts, sleepovers, reading, etc.

Please pray for me as I try to start a routine ... AGAIN! I'm thinking of doing certain things on certain days of the week and making a chart for the kids so they know what to do each morning ... with pictures of things like a toothbrush so the little ones know to brush their teeth after breakfast.

Do you have any big plans in September?

Playing With Pokemon Cards

Sorry to put a shameless Amazon link on tons of posts lately, but when I write a blog post, the Amazon search box is right next to the posting window, so I like to search for fun stuff from time to time and share it with you.

This post is about a cool mom I met recently at a homeschool group meeting thing. My 10-year-old just discovered his Pokemon cards ... again. He now knows how to play. He was trading with the son of this cool mom I met, and her kid kept coming over to ask her if such-and-such was a good trade, and SHE KNEW HER STUFF! I was impressed.

I used to be that kind of mom. She has 5 kids like me and they are about the same ages as mine. She homeschools. I have no excuse not to learn how to play Pokemon with my son. I guess I gave up on playing games because when I try to play, say, Candyland with Callie, the little ones climb all over and eventually disrupt the board and I end up throwing the whole thing across the room.

I think I can play Pokemon cards while Sam sleeps on me for naps, though, like I used to play Old Maid with Callie while Sam slept on me. I'll have to put on a Dora episode for Eva to keep her occupied, but what's 1/2 an hour of educational TV in the grand scheme of playing with my older son and giving him some one-on-one time he deserves?

Update since I wrote this: The mom also has her own deck holder and SLEEVES for her cards. Dang! I played a short game with Joel and it was fun, but it was hard to keep Sam occupied while we did it. We played on the deck, and while outside Sam likes to pick our tomatoes ("ball!") and throw them.

Poke Sticks and Poke Chops: Important Conversations

Here is a deep conversation between 3-year-old Eva and me. I wish I could just freeze the kids at the ages they are now!

Eva: "Look, Mommy, I got a poke stick."

Me:"Cool! Is that like a poke chop?"

Eva, thinking: "Yes, it's just like a poke chop."

Folks, "school" will be starting at my house again soon ... the day after Labor Day to be exact. So you'll be seeing me around here half as much, and I may just be posting quickie things and using some guest bloggers I think you'll enjoy. Most likely it will be a lot of homeschooling and household stuff, since I'm deep in that world right now. Any writing stuff I'm dealing with (ebook cookbook, Boobie Trapped Mommy memoir, etc.) will be over at http://getpublishedparentingmags.com.

Have a great weekend, and thanks for coming by!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Cathy!

When is her bday? Find a picture to post!

You are a consistently kind and thoughtful person, and funny to boot! I'll never forget hanging around listening to you and my mom talking for hours on end when I was a kid. You scared the hell out of me when you told my mom your childbirth story, and it's a wonder I have any kids of my own!!!! You covered my eyes during the nudie parts of Caddyshack (FYI: I have my own boobies, ya know. Well, I guess I didn't back then!). You are one of the best cooks I know and always have food on hand, which makes me love you all the more. You didn't bat an eye when one of my toddler kids (who was it again?) dropped a dump on your pool deck, and you never freaked out when they had tantrums. I could go on and on about you.

When you and my uncle got divorced, I was devastated and thought I would not see you anymore. And in fact I didn't see you for a long time, in large part because I went my own stupid way for a few years in my late teens and early 20s. Then one day in 1995, God brought us back together. I was at a restaurant downtown where I had never been and haven't been back to since. I had a fight with a girlfriend there and I told her to just leave me there. I was walking around the front of the restaurant trying to figure out who to call in the middle of the day to come and get me when YOU popped out of the office! YOU drove me home, and after that we stayed in touch and you and my mom got back in touch. I am thrilled to have you (and your amazing sons) in my life.

Thank you for the generous gift for my birthday so I could buy a laptop and pursue my writing dream. Now you go out and do the same because I know you have a book in you!

Kim Kardashian's $2 Million Ring

Wow, Kim Kardashian's man must REEEEEEAAAALLLLLY love her to give her a $2 million ring! The picture above is my hand next to a picture of hers. Like Kim, I have been married before. Let's see if Kim can make her second marriage last as long as mine has (almost 13 years; 16 years together).

 I'm not trying to be a jerk, but WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING wearing something like that around? I would be afraid some random person would cut my finger off to get that ring. So I ask you (and I think I already know the answer): does a bigger, better ring equal a bigger, longer, better marriage?

I think not. I love my ring. I took forever to find it. I think it's interesting that it has 5 stones and I have 5 kids. I wonder if that means something! My ring cost under $2 million. In fact, it cost under $2,000. I didn't want something that was obnoxiously big or too expensive for my man. I wanted something pretty that nobody would hopefully steal that was COMFORTABLE.

Dang, I wish you could upload a picture on the Comments section of the blog. Maybe put your wedding ring on your own blog or Facebook pic me ... I'd love to see your wedding ring and hear the story behind it.

CouponChief.com

I know many of you who read my blog are trying to save money like I am. The economy is doing strange things, and we are all cutting corners where we can. That's what I love about CouponChief.com, a really cool site that you have to check out. Do a search by company or by category and you are bound to find something you're looking for to help you save money on online purchases of products and services.

I have actually used CouponChief.com before and just didn't realize it. I searched for coupons for nursing bras at Bravado Designs and found one on CouponChief.com for 20% off. When you're talking about a $50 bra, 20% is nice to save.

They also have a "Pays-2-Share" program where you upload coupons to your own site, and every time someone uses a coupon you've uploaded, you get 2% of the sales, which is not a lot, but it is better than a poke in the eye with a stick and I'm sure it adds up. I plan to sign up and try it, so watch for coupons and codes in some of my blog posts that I feel are relevant to you.

Their web site is easy to navigate, and I can't wait to do some Christmas shopping using coupons from CouponChief.com! Head over there and check out their stores ... there are thousands! See you there :-)

McDonald's Playland Sock Policy (Overland Park, Kansas)

I think I’ll call posts like the following (Mommy)Kerrie Behaving Badly. Something happened to me when I became a mom: I turned into a fierce Mama Bear. I used to be the meek only child who was bullied on the way home from school. Then I married an abusive guy (NOT my current husband!!!). Now it’s like I’m on a campaign to eradicate bunches of b.s. in the world where kids are concerned. Simply put: a lot of adults annoy me. So here’s my latest story in a long line of stories:

So I took 5 kids plus Jordan to McDonald’s Playland the end of June so I could try to load Microsoft Office 2010 onto my sweet new laptop. Since I didn’t have Internet access at home, I had to go to the good ole Mickey D’s. Jordan and I dropped some serious cash on food to keep the kids happy and off they went to play.

Soon a snotty little girl started telling Michael that he had to leave because he had no socks on. She was quoting her mom and pointing to the sign that said you had to wear socks to play in the PlayLand. I didn’t think much about it since half the kids in there had no socks on. If it’s not life-threatening (i.e., blood or fire), an issue often falls off my radar screen. Such is the life of a mom of many.

After a few more minutes a female employee came in to tell me the kids need to wear socks. I asked her specifically why, since it’s June and it’s hot and who really carries socks around for 5 little kids in the middle of summer anyway except for those anal, uptight, Type A moms we don’t want to know? She said it’s a Health Department issue and they could be shut down. I told her that’s not true. What is it about kid feet that is any grosser than kid hands? And have you taken a look at the nasty McD’s floor lately? Any socks worn there would have to be burned afterward.

I told her I wanted to see the Health Department decree she was talking about so she went to get … a manager. He was a treat and reminded me of Dwight from Atlanta Housewives. He said we could buy socks and I said I was not going to buy his socks when I just spend a small fortune on their food. Let’s just say I put up a fight because that’s what I do. I didn’t want to buy socks and I didn’t want to make the kids stop playing. I was stuck, and so I was mad and acted like a jerk mother and might have cussed at the guy a little and might have said some not nice things to the guy in front of my kids after he followed tiny Sam around and said in his face, "Would you like some socks, little boy?"

Look, I get that a policy is a policy. I’m just saying it’s stupid. I’m also saying that a lot of policies are stupid and should be challenged. No breastfeeding in certain restaurants, anyone?!

If I had any sort of attention span, I’d have to consider law school because I’ll throw down verbally with just about anyone these days.

SOOOO ... I was a little ashamed of myself and hadn't posted this yet, but Friday my friend called me to tell me that our McDonald's in Overland Park, KS (87th and Farley) pulled this on some moms again. An employee named Sarah got after all the moms in the Playland about the socks. Then she got a manager (haven't verified if it was the same manager treat I got). The moms did not leave (they were having a Foot-In), so the MANAGER CALLED THE POLICE. The police came and KICKED OUT THE MOMS AND KIDS!!!

So I ask of you, people, do your kids wear socks in McDonald's Playlands? Do you carry them just in case (I sure do, even in summer now)? Or do you wait for somebody to hop your case and then either leave or buy them for $1 at McD's? Orrrrr ... are you all compliant about wearing the socks and make sure to teach your kids to obey all policies? I am really dying to debate this one!

Anti-Television People; TV is BAD!!!

I was reading this book by a homeschooling mom of 9. The book has a lot of good tips and I'll "review" it later, but one thing that annoyed me is that she sets this standard of hardly any TV watching in her house. My husband would gladly give our TV away in a second (although what, my love, would you watch the Netflix movies on besids my laptop?).

Anyway, the mom said something about unwinding OTHER ways, like by reading or playing a game or ... I don't remember what else. I want to defend television by saying that sometimes it is the BEST way to unwind for some people. Think about it. There is no interaction or thinking usually. You just watch something mindless and you get to RELAX YOUR BRAIN.

Lady, I don't WANT my brain "on" all the time. If I'm sick or overwhelmed or find myself suddenly alone in my house (rare!), I like to have the TV on to just chill.

Do we watch too much TV at my house? Sure. But I have to say a good half of it is PBS educational stuff that's on while Sam is nursing and sleeping on me. It's our "quiet time." What's the difference between them watching that and other homeschoolers sticking their kid in front of a Bob Jones University DVD for hours while they "do school"?????

When the TV is on, they are occupied and quiet. A cousin of Aron's once called it the TV-sitter. I admire you if you have no television, but I can't do it. We only have one TV and are certainly not fanatics, but it is nice every once in a while to zone out, no?

How to Grow Pumpkins in Your Backyard

When Aron and I were first dating and he was traveling, he got me a sweet children's book called "The Pumpkin Blanket."

Last year Joel tossed some pumpkin seeds and gunk into our garden as composting, then this year Aron located what looked like some pumpkin vines. He transplanted them to the end of the garden so they wouldn't kill our tomatoes, beans, carrots and beets, and they are TAKING OVER the garden, climbing OUT OF the garden and resting on our air conditioner.

I can't wait to see how many actual good pumpkins we get out of this "crop." I wonder if my kids will cover them with blankets if they get cold come October. Anyone for pumpkin pie? I'll mail you a piece!

School Supply List Stupidity, A Shout Out to All Teachers, BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY

Okay, so I know someone who is putting her kid in school this year who would rather homeschool, but her man is anti. So she was discussing a couple of issues with me, and after talking to her about these things I realize that the school system in general is better off WITHOUT me as a school mom because I am so argumentative and logical about stuff that the SYSTEM would drive me insane. My skin is too thin on issues of general waste and stupidity! Here are a couple of her issues. Add your own to the Comments section!

1. Her son's class needs like 16 plastic folders because "they get beaten up each quarter" and they want to have a fresh set each quarter. This is kindergarten, folks. We are starting them out learning that plastic folders can just be tossed like it's no big deal. Office Depot has a sale right now that has PAPER pocket folders for ONE PENNY each. There is a limit of 10, but who says you can't send each member of your family in separately to buy them? When they get beaten up, you RECYCLE THEM. Novel idea for a school, I suppose.
2. Hand sanitizer is on all the school supply lists these days, as well. My friend says she isn't buying that because she doesn't want her kids using it. When do they use it, I wonder? After using the bathroom, you wash your hands. I get needing baby wipes for easy cleanup, but are we going to Purell the kids upon entering class every day and when returning from recess or what? Haven't these educators read about how we are killing too much bacteria with these sanitizers and are getting sicker in the process? We are bringing upon the opposite effect of what we want to happen.
3. I am sympathetic to teachers, believe me. I understand that they are often at the mercy of the principal, or the school board or other administrators who are so out of touch and clueless that is laughable. So teachers, I love ya, and I feel for ya. You are doing what you are told. You don't always want to teach this way. This isn't what you had in mind when you were in college. You might even want a less anal-retentive and repetitive way of running your classroom, but you are stuck. You need this job and you love teaching kids. And let's not forget how hard it is to teach 25 kids of roughly the same age who all learn in a different manner and at a different pace. It's a wonder any of us get out knowing anything.
4. School starts TODAY in my 'hood. With THREE WEEKS LEFT at the pools. Why can't we let the kids have like 2 extra weeks of summer? Why can't summer be a full June, July and August anymore? The first few months of school are mostly review anyway! Can't we find a way to combine the pool and learning, like paint ABCs and math facts on the bottom of the pool? Those who don't go swimming could do a few worksheets to refresh their memory before school started again in SEPTEMBER.

I'm just saying!

Hermit Crabs are the Perfect Pet!

Our daughtersitter Jordan got Joel 2 hermit crabs for his birthday in June, and they are such a cool homeschool pet! One is Herman and the other is Ashley. They can be lazy or quite active. They don't really pinch, but crawl around on you. They can be fast! They can also cost a lot of cabbage (money, for those of you who don't watch Rescue Me).

You need a fiberglass cage with a top, a special lamp, dishes, stuff for them to climb on, bigger shells for them to grow into, guages and water bottle with sprayer and special saltwater and special food and special sand and special mulchy stuff.

Sorry this looks cloudy ... Joel had just sprayed the inside to make it tropical-ish.

The bulbs for the lamp break if you bump them into anything. The thing is, they get very hot and you have to take the top off the cage often to water them to keep the humidity levels up. So my kids were busting a $7 bulb like once a week until my husband said, "Let's just use 75-watt bulbs from the hardware store." He's a financial genius because those are like $1.50 for 4 bulbs and they work like a charm. Likewise, you can make your own saltwater for the little guys. Check on Freecycle.org for a free cage, also.

For basic crab care, I love this site because the writer calls the crab home a CRABITAT. Love it!

Mom's Life Video

Aron just sent me the companion for the Dad's Life video I posted recently. It rocks! Check it out!

First Aid Sprays for Kids: Dermoplast is the Winner!!!

I just assumed all first aid sprays were good for kids. I mean, why would it sting and not help a cut to feel better instantly. It started when I was using Bactine on cuts. I could've just rinsed the cut or scrape off, but I sprayed it with Bactine, thinking it would feel better. But the kids said, "It stings!" I'm like, "It can't sting, it's Bactine ... it makes it feel better!"

Then I fell on my face at the pool and used the Bactine on myself and OUCHIE WA WA! So forget that. We'll be using that only on the adults who can handle the pain a little better.

A while back I got this CVS brand first aid spray, which is a knock-off of some other major brand. It was wicked expensive, but cheaper than Dermoplast, so I got it. I used it on the kids a few times and they screamed their heads off when I did. I'm like, "But it's supposed to clean the cut AND be a pain reliever. WTH?"

Then I tried it on myself. FREAKING OUCH! Forget that.

THEN I got smart. I whipped out my 2-year-old can of Dermoplast. It's what I've always been given after I've had a baby for my hoo-ha area, and it has NEVER stung a bit. So I tried it on my pool cut and it DID NOT STING!

You can tell something has pain reliever in it if you accidentally get some on your finger and your finger goes in your mouth and your tongue goes numb. I like to provide a service to my readers, as you know. You're welcome for that little tidbit.

The moral of the story is: spend the extra money on the Dermoplast if it's for your kids or for your hoo-ha. Or if you have a poor toddler who wasn't circumcized properly (as two of mine were not), and he gets a red, infected-ish penis every few months. Thankfully they learn how to clean their own and grow out of THAT problem, poor guys.

Flat Stanley Curriculum

Check out this link for a cool Flat Stanley curriculum lesson plan. If you homeschool or your kid didn't get to experience Flat Stanley around 2nd grade, check it out. It's something you can do even if you don't homeschool ... you get to make a Stanley and then mail him to someone, who will mail him somewhere else or back to you, will take him places and take pictures of him to email to you or print out for you. You can make a scrapbook or a blog about Flat Stanley. It's a neat unit study! Enjoy!

Lego Teardrop Shape: Can It Be Done?!

Yep, it can be done! Check out this link for other cool shapes you can make with LEGOs. By the way, don't you love when your kids snap a picture that's great except for that you look like an all-out goober in the background? Ah, the sacrifices we make for our kids!

Legos in the Shape of a Circle: Can It Be Done?!

"Lemonade Stand Learning" ... get the kids outside!

Check out my article "Lemonade Stand Learning" in the July/August issue of On the Coast Magazine in Florida. Just scroll down and click on the magazine to view the digital edition. My article might make you want to send the kids outside for an end-of-summer, before back-to-school lemonade stand! Maybe the kids can make money for their own school supplies! Nah, that would be akin to child abuse these days, so you didn't hear it from me!

Idiot-Sized Daisy Sour Cream

This post goes out to my cousin Kyle. Once we were on a family vacation, and we were having tacos. It was someone's job to bring sour cream. That person brought a huge container, because we were feeding like 25 people. My cousin Kyle, just a teenager at the time, goes, "Who brought the idiot-sized sour cream?!?!" Well, folks, you guessed right if you said that the people who brought the sour cream were .... (drum roll, please) ... OUR GRANDPARENTS. We have never stopped giving him crap over that one!

Field Trip: Kemper Outdoor Education Museum and Poppy/Nana's

So this is what it looks like when I bring all my little charges to my dad and stepmom's on any given day during the summer. They are fed wonderful things like hot dogs and sodie pop.

Today we were celebrating my dad's birthday, and I think he peed his pants when he got his Sonic gift card from us. He loves to hit the Sonic like it's a crack pipe.

After those festivities, we headed to Fleming Park (?) in Blue Springs to feed the elk. Nana bought them each their own full bag of carrots on the way.

This is Nana and Poppy outside our next stop, the Kemper Outdoor Education Center.

Look at the top of this photo to see my dad's creation called the Samburger, just for Mr. Sam, for dinner. We had a great day with the grandparents and look forward to many more to come.

QuikTrip Squart and Squat ... Bring Them Back!

Do you remember the QuikTrip Squart? And it's baby counterpart (I do so love a baby counterpart), the Squat? Yes, the Squart and Squat were what SOME kids brought their Jack-n-Coke to high school in. Not me, of course. Oh, no. Never. Anyway (picture me whistling and looking up), oh, how I loved those things in high school, back in 1988. I lost track of my own over the years, but have always pined for them.

So I'm in my dad's garage last week and what do I see just ROTTING in a box on a shelf? Oh, the horror. I see THIS (I had to take a picture of it because I could not find an image of one anywhere on the internet):

So of course I had to mention how much I miss my own Squart, and later my dad surprised me by bestowing his 1988 vintage, classic, antique Squart upon me. I love it well and drink from it daily.

Okay, so ONE TIME did I bring a naughty beverage to school in my Squat. One time.

My Name is Kerrie, and I am a Mascara Addict

This begins the first meeting of MLA ... Mascara Lovers Anonymous. While it is true we just want to be beautiful and bat our long eyelashes at our men (well, I only have ONE man, for the record), we have come to know that our mascara stash has become unmanageable. This is a photo of my stash.

If you love learning about beauty products, you're going to love my Kerrie's Favorite Beauty Products post here!

Now, please let me explain and give you the brands so you know what to rush out and buy, fellow mascara addicts. 

Callie's First Dance Recital

Can it be true that my first-born girl is already in her first dance recital? She's been asking to take dance lessons since she could speak, and we finally signed her up in January. She loves it and never gripes about going. Her first recital was in June, and it was really cool. The class younger than her gave us a good laugh: a bunch of 4-and 5-year-olds trying to get dance steps right while watching EACH OTHER for the right moves (blond leading the blond, anyone?). The bottom picture is of Eva and Callie together. I got them both roses. While I'm no stage mom and was a little freaked out by all the estrogen in the changing room that night, I will do anything for my kids. When we can get the cash together, I'm signing up Eva because she's been begging to go also. Four kids in activities gets costly and time-consuming, no? Thankfully we get lots of kicking-around time during the day. What activities do your kids love?

"The Dad Life" Video

You have to see this video. Whether it's you, your husband, your dad, your uncle, your neighbor or whatever, we all know a guy like this who lives The Dad Life. For me it's my husband, and he loves this video and sings it to me all the time, especially the part about "dozens of dollars ... it goes straight to my daughters and my wife." Turn it up and enjoy!

Field Trip: Crown Center Rainforest Adventure

This was not my favorite exhibit Crown Center has ever done because it was mostly tailored to older kids (ya know, learning and all that versus climbing and doing). There were some things to climb and crawl on for the little ones, but it didn't hold the interest of too many that I could see. Finally we just settled down at the coloring table for a while.

The kids posed for a picture in the gorilla nest!

We end every warm-day trip to Crown Center with a tromp through the fountains (right after our stop at Sheridan's Frozen Custard)! Aron and Sam loved getting wet on such a hot day. Too much slipping and falling and kissing boo-boos for me, though. It can be funny, and sure I laugh, but I don't like it when kids fall on their butts on wet concrete.

McLoughlin Family Christmas Letter in July Written by Samuel!

It’s hard to cram the events of a year into one letter in December, and I think that’s why a lot of people don’t even attempt it. Since retail stores are having Christmas in July sales, I think it’s time to write a Christmas Letter in July. This one is written from the perspective of our own Samta Claus, Samuel Scott McLoughlin, aged to perfection at a mere 21 months.

What’s going on, family, friends, coworkers (fellow mess-making babies) and neighbors?

I’m gonna start this letter talking about my idol, my Da. As I write this he’s lying on the couch scratching his belly and reading Cook’s Illustrated magazine. He might switch it out later for a Woodworker's Journal. He likes to cook us yummy meals when he has time. He still works as an engineer and is a Scout leader. He built us a new swingset and fills our sambox (sandbox) with sand on a regular basis. He’s a good Da.

Ma got a laptop after she turned 40 and danged if she isn’t on it all the time writing down every move we kids make. She says it’s her 6^th child and she puts a little blanket on it when we watch DVDs on it so we don’t get crumbs on the keyboard. I think I saw her nursing it one time, and I got mad because I still own those boobs. For fun and challenge, she gets her writing in more magazines every month, and still scrapbooks sometimes. She’s found a rockin’ local homeschool group on Facebook and is making friends. Here's a picture of her driving in her rental Mustang convertible that Da got her for her birthday weekend:

Dole (Joel) just finished a week of half-day gymnastics camp. He’s a swimming guru who goes off the high dive all the time. He and Da did a whole week of Cub Scout camp in June and enjoy shooting off their homemade water rocket. He turned 10 in June and got 2 hermit crabs from Jordan to put next to his hamster Daisy.

Bubby (Michael) did gymnastics camp with Joel. Otherwise I see him sitting at the dining room table a lot building new Lego creations. I like to climb up and mess up his Legos when he’s playing somewhere else in the house. He recently learned how to make cool shapes out of Legos, and loves his Betta fish Henry. In the spring he was in a Lego Robotics competition and rocked!

LaLa (Callie) can swim like a pro and was so pretty at her dance recital in June. She is headed for Broadway for sure. She sleeps in her own bedroom and makes it messy a lot, which takes some of the heat offa me. Da calls her Princess, which she digs.

E.P. (Eva Peeva) is off the glump-glump bottle and would sit around watching Barbie and Dora and Princess movies all day long if Ma would let her. She is a sweet pea most of the time, but sometimes she likes to mess with me just because can. She and I are in a daily Naughty Competition, and we like to make art on the walls.

As for me, well, I just kinda go around making messes all day. My proudest accomplishment to date is getting into the pantry (why don’t they lock it up?) DAILY and dumping out some sort of cereal or oatmeal or noodles or beans. I like to help Ma vacuum, so I have to help make messes, right?! Oh, and I also like music a lot.

My kinda sister and ex-neighbor AliAl (Alex) has been spending the night a lot and lately is over every day while her mom works, and I LOVE it because she is so sweet to me and likes to change my diaper and play with me. She’ll be in 4^th grade in about a month. We like to have picnics.

Jor (Jordan) will be 14 in September and is getting tall and very pretty. She is also smart and funny and kind, so Ma tells her to wait a long time before choosing a boyfriend. Jordan is also my kinda sister and watches us when Ma goes to the dentist or the library or to the clubs (just kidding; making sure you’re paying attention). Jor’s gonna get something called an Escalade and drive us kids around someday. She buys me onesies sometimes because she's my sugar mama.

As a family, we like to go to the swimming pool. We went blueberry picking in June. We went to Crown Center a couple of times for kid exhibits, Sheridan’s and fountain-playing. We go to nature centers and visit Poppy, Nana, Tutu and Dave. Grandma Mac comes over every other week to clean our kitchen and play with us. Ma had a big 40^th birthday party courtesy of Da, and LaLa, Bubby and Dole also had parties this year so far. Mine is in October and I will be 2!!!

Gotta go … time to go put some peanut butter in my hair! Write us soon!

Deanna Rose Farmstead in Kansas City

Another reason I like blogging is that when my husband leaves town (for work, not because he's simply had enough of us), he can still check in and see what's going on around here. Although I'm not usually posting up-to-the-minute breaking news posts, he can still see photos from our past exploits. Lately we don't spend much time going over digital photos taken every day like we used to when we first got the camera back in 2006.

So recently we went to Deanna Rose Farmstead in Kansas City just for fun. It was a pretty day, and apparently the rest of the city had the same plan as we did because it was cuh-razee there!

Okay, so here is Callie doing something I am totally opposed to: bottle-feeding an animal just so it will be kept tame for the kids to handle. I want them to show nursing animals at Deanna Rose, too! I'm such a big baby; I could never work on a farm because I'd be trying to milk a dairy cow while it's baby nursed on it at the same time. It would be like tandem milking. I couldn't stomach weaning an animal from its mom.

Thanks, Joel, for taking this picture of the rest of us.

My sweet babies at the waterfall at what used to be the entrance. Do you know how hard it was to get them all to face the same way?!

Little Sam is not afraid of anything, least of all a little goatie. I'm not sure what's up with Callie here ... crying because she wants a turn or yawning?

I love getting out of the house with my kids. Why have kids if you're going to sit around on your butt all day at home? I'm reading a book called The Idle Parent and the author suggests rarely going anyplace and just playing with your kids at home. That's cool, and we do that ... I let them have a lot of playtime together and I play with them, too, but getting out into the world is nice, too. We just normally try to pick days when most other kids are in school (another reason why I lightly homeschool in the summer is so we can get out and have some fun in the fall!).