Happy Birthday to My Sweet Husband Aron!

Today my husband turns 45!!! He will be cruising around in the red convertible Camaro I rented for him last weekend. Actually, he'll be driving to work in it and parking it. Then he has a meeting to go to and will be parking it. Then he'll run home to say hi to us and will park the Camaro. Then back to work he goes. Don't feel sorry for him, though ... he got to cruise around all weekend in it.

Tonight I'll make him manicotti for dinner with a salad and some bread. The kids will help me make him a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting and real strawberries on it, served with vanilla bean ice cream. Jordan's coming over to hang with the kids so we can run out in the Camaro for some coffee for an hour.

I wish him a happy birthday! This is the 16th birthday I've celebrated with him. He is kind and amazing and great with the kids and puts up with me and that says a lot! I also love that he is not materialistic and that if he got $30,000 handed to him tomorrow he would not buy his own SS Camaro, but he would put that money away for the kids for braces and college and weddings. I love you, babe!

Sam Makes a New Fashion Statement: Preppy Peace

Okay, if this picture looks familiar to you, it's because I just posted it yesterday as part of Aron's Take Your Kids to Work Day ... haha! Now I'm posting it so you might notice the finer nuances of Sam's wardrobe. When the kids wear fatigues and tie-dye, we call that look War and Peace. When Sam wore tie-dye and preppy plaid shorts (bought by Jordan!), we call that Preppy Peace. I am the master of fashion, let me just tell you. Yes me, who would wear black shirts with jeans or shorts every single day. I keep saying I don't dress great because I need to lose weight and get the money to be able to afford vintage Chanel, but who am I kidding ... that's too much work! Thankfully, Callie has some fashion sense. Hopefully I can share some of those pics on here soon!

Oklahoma Earthquake Felt in Kansas City ... Freaky!

Around 11 p.m. last night I felt someone shaking my bed. I figured Eva was just shaking her leg or something, but it was too fast and shaking the bed too much. It felt like a dog was laying at the end of the bed scratching, only we don’t have a dog. Had our friend the possum gotten inside and under our bed and was shaking the bed?

Then Jordan, who was staying the night and sleeping in Joel’s bed, came in mildly flipping out and asking if we’d felt that. She said she thought someone was shaking her bed.

Then the other kids came in flipping out. Callie had been in her own bed and the boys were on the floor for a slumber party. Aron didn’t feel it much because he was sitting on his buns reading.

I didn’t know what was going on. Why was the water in the fish bowl moving? Was in a dinosaur stomping in our neighborhood? The apocalypse? When cars drive by with their bass boomin’, our house shakes, but not really the beds. Besides, that’s a slower rhythm usually.

Aron brought reason and said it was an earthquake. I remembered how Kansas is somehow near a fault line. This is going to be a great homeschool lesson for next week, showing the kids fault lines and talking about tectonic plates. Turns out the earthquake was in Oklahoma and it was felt all the way up to Wisconsin. Freaky!

How do they stand it in California? I don't think our structures in the Midwest are built to withstand earthquakes, just tornados (haha).

Downy Unstopables ... I Think My Nose Fell Off

Okay, my first problem with this product is that I think it needs two P's to be spelled correctly. But after using my free sample, I think it needs like 27 P's because the scent is too freaking strong to be something a human came up with.

My sample said to use the ENTIRE PACKET in one load of laundry. I knew my nose would probably fall off my face if I did that, so I just put in like 1/4 of the packet in a FULL load of laundry. After washing and drying my load, the scent was pretty strong on all my clothes. It hurt my poor wittle sinuses, like my new Glade Plug-In system I paid a buttload of money for.

Maybe I have a sensitive nose, but I can always tell when I'm around someone who has used the ENTIRE packet of their Unstopables. Actually, I can smell them from a mile away.

I don't get why we have to overpower things to make them smell "good." How about drying your clothes on the line outside for a FRESH scent? Okay, not always possible in the winter. But then you can dry them on the line in  your basement for that nice, musty scent.

I'm just sayin': if you have a strong nose, use this product in full strength. But be aware that you are killing the brain cells of everyone around you. It's on your conscience.

Hanging on the Freezer Door is Not a Sport

I'm over here at The Parent du Jour today answering questions about parenting. I guess I once tweeted that hanging on the freezer door is not a sport. Here are some other things that are NOT sports but that could easily be:

1. Jumping on the bed.
2. Jumping from couch cushion to couch cushion.
3. Trapping siblings in bedrooms.
4. Extreme ziplining.
5. Throwing sand in a sibling's eyes.
6. Extreme scooter-riding.
7. Ignoring your neighbor.
8. Trick or treating.
9. Christmas shopping.
10. Add your own here.

I think my blog post title is a great title for my first parenting book.

Support a Friend With a Baby in the NICU

DANGIT! A friend at church just became a grandma again. The thing is her new twin grandbabies weigh like 4 pounds combined. That's 2 months in the NICU for them. I hate that. They'll be fine ... they're breathing on their own and all that ... miraculous! ... but I still hate the NICU thing for lots of reasons. It just takes me back to a sad time. Anyway, I write for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggies is that I write articles to try to help other people. If you get a chance, check out my piece 12 Ways to Support a Friend with a Baby in the NICU over at North Texas Kids. I don't get paid per page view or anything like that; I just want to get the word out about how stressful the situation is because I didn't realize it until it happened to me. I encourage my friend to get a Care Calendar going for her daughter-in-law to start getting meals and help ASAP! We're praying for you, babies, and all NICU babies everywhere.

How to Pick a Pumpkin ... Or Birth One (and Monday Night Football)

My dad showed me this. Happy Halloween, everybody! I don't care if it's SNOWING ... we're trick or treating no matter what! What are YOUR plans? I heard there's some big Monday Night Football Game on ... will you stay home and watch it or go out with your kids? Dilemmas!

Egg Babies

Man, we're so poor my kids have to play with EGGS for fun. They draw faces on them and take care of them. They are egg babies. And sometimes they get dropped. Oopsie!

Choosing a Song for Your Wedding

I want a wedding re-do.

Well, not the wedding part, but the reception.

It was too crazy to enjoy, and I certainly didn't enjoy my new husband very much because I was too busy socializing with all the people who brought presents. When I go to a reception these days I encourage the bride to just say hi to my family and move the heck on to enjoying herself. I'm just there to party anyway. I want her to really be in the moment and have fun with her man and her family and her wedding party.

Things were so crazy leading up to our wedding that when it came time to choose OUR dance song, we were stumped and just chose whatever came to our mind, which was the Phil Collins version of Groovy Kind of Love.

I'm thinking we should renew our vows when we hit 15 years just for fun (but that's in two years, so it will have to be a cheap affair!). Aron McLoughlin, our new first dance song I will choose (and pretend that it is 1998 again and we aren't sleeping together) is the song by the Beach Boys that is Wouldn't It Be Nice? Here are the lyrics, which are perfect for what we were going through then, and they make me tear up because things have been just so great since then (with ups and downs of course; I'm not going to sit here and lie to you, for gosh sake!):

Wouldn't it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong

You know its gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through

Happy times together we've been spending
I wish that every kiss was neverending
Wouldn't it be nice

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
We could be married
And then we'd be happy

Wouldn't it be nice

You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Wouldn't it be nice

Good night my baby
Sleep tight my baby

Do You Celebrate Halloween?

Who doesn't love a baby in a good Halloween jammie? By the way, do you celebrate Halloween? We absolutely do, but we try not to do it in a scary way.  I wrote an article called Halloween Hecklers for New Jersey Family and caught some crap from an atheist and a Catholic about my flippant Halloween attitude. Read it and see what YOU think. I welcome your comments back here at The Kerrie Show.

Bacteria at McDonald's? Say It Ain't So!

A friend of mine from Loo-zee-anna who I have known since the ripe age of 14 sent me this link and I love love LOVE it! It's about a mom who is also a college instructor who has been banned from a bunch of Mickey D's in Arizona because she is telling the truth about how NASTY those places are! Banned! I smell a conspiracy theory along the lines of JFK's assassination!

Here's the deal: If you Google "McDonald's Playland Sock Policy", my recent blog entry on the topic comes up first in the search ratings. You gotta check this post out before you comment, please! Anyway, I was so mad that we were harrassed for not wearing socks at Mickey D's on a June day because the place is so disgusting anyway, what is the point? I mean, are my kids' feet going to make the place worse? Do I love to do dishes? No freaking way!

I caught so much crap over that post from friends, family members and total strangers alike. As if all there is to being a GOOD MOM is making sure your kids wear socks at McDonald's. Don't get me started, people. I'll whoop butt in a Good Mom Contest any day of the week, and you know it.

ANYWAY ... I can see if my kids had open sores on their feet that I didn't want to get infected with disease, that would be one reason to wear socks ANYWHERE. But I love the comment in the link about how McD's has to just APPEAR clean and not really BE clean. So do they clean it with bleach or not? Could it be worse than a daycare or a school? And won't we track bacteria home on our socks and shoes and crap anyway? Does it really matter that much if we wear socks?

Ask the backwoods population. You know, the hillbillies, the trailer trash. Ask ME! I kid you not, my kids are the healthiest I know and we live like total farm folk in the 'burbs.

FYI, McD's: everybody knows how gross your place is! You don't need to ban this chick for telling it like it is. Be on the lookout for a blog post from me saying that I am also banned from Kansas City McD's for being a general pain in the ass!

How Much Does the Tooth Fairy Pay at Your House?

In my house the Tooth Fairy brings a solid buck for each tooth lost. Do you think the Tooth Fairy ventures anywhere near the Duggar house? I think she (or he, I guess) would go into debt. What does the Tooth Fairy bring to your kids?

We Like to Pick Up Glass and Trash and We Like Firetrucks

Don't freak out, but yes, we are all wearing shoes in this picture. It's because we are by a stream picking up glass and trash. I kid you not, we probably picked up 8 pounds of glass. I always have plastic trash bags with me so we like to leave areas better than how we found them. It's the Scouts in us, I suppose. I woulda been a good Boy Scout (no, not Girl Scout).

This same day we got to see a fire truck launch out of the firehouse and Sam was THRILLED! This is Sam and Da checking out the firetruck. Most boys are obsessed with firetrucks, I know, but Sam is SUPER obsessed with ambulances and firetrucks. I say it's because he was almost born in an ambulance and because both firetruck and ambulance came to our house when I was in uber labor with him. Kids remember stuff, I tell ya.

Should a Teen Have a Brand New Car?

I love when people try new things. One of my best friends and godmom to my daughter Eva is trying her hand at writing. I have to say she ain't half bad. She's starting out online, but you know I'm trying to drag her into the regional parenting markets with me! Anyway, check her piece out about her first car when she was a teen ... it was a beater and it was far from NEW.

Do you think teens should EVER have a new car? Does a bear poop in a catbox? Leave her a comment on her essay ... she'd love to hear from you. This might start a debate because I know a few people who got a new car upon graduating high school. Mind you, these were responsible kids and I don't recall them wrecking said car, so I suppose there are cases where a new car might be alright to reward a great only child! Otherwise, you set a precedent of getting a new car for all your kids just because they graduate, and all your kids might not take such great care of a new car!

Do They Still Sell Syrup of Ipecac?

We spent the weekend SICK! I started feeling gross Friday night and picked up a couple of fun movies for the kids at RedBox. I love how you can put them on hold after scouting out which location has what you want. The kids watched The Zookeeper and then I watched Barbie Princess Charm School with them. I'm sorry, but I love the Barbie movies. Not all of them, but Charm School and Fashion Fairytale.

I spent all Friday night puking but Aron had ... other problems. He could not puke. I looked for syrup of ipecac at the store but couldn't find any. We used to have some, back when it was recommended you have some if you had a kid and said kid swallowed poison. Then I heard they de-recommended it. Hubs needed some.

Do you ever pray to God to give your kids' sickness to you? I did that. Callie still got sick a few times, and Eva once. Everyone else was fine. Aron and I were a mess. I HATE being sick ... it changes fun plans and the house quickly turns into a pigsty!

Wondering what made us sick? Best we can figure is a dinner I made, except Joel and Michael didn't get sick at all and they ate plenty of it. It was boxed cheesy potatoes with some frozen chicken I had crock-potted a few weeks earlier. I had split the chicken in half, and we ate the first part without incident. Then I immediately froze the rest. Not sure how we got sick off of that, but I'm cool with blaming it on my cooking. My grandma once got her whole family sick on a Boston creme pie, so I am in good company!

Strategically Placed Scrambled Eggs

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!