I am thankful it is FINALLY FRIDAY!

~dusting off my Supermom Cape and straightening myself up a bit~

Sorry about my rough day yesterday. Superdad got one of the computers running for me. He said the router died. I am sure I could talk the kids into putting it into a shoebox and burying it in the backyard. We could make it a mini tombstone to say "Our Dear Friend, who lets us connect to the outside world".

The roofers are finished thankfully! I seriously thought I was going to go postal if I heard anymore hammering. Not to mention the 3 year old that laughs in the face of authority which happens to be MY face.

I am having trouble making a decision. My oldest is 14, a freshman in high school. Tonight is homecoming. Even a dance that lasts until midnight. I am thinking "YEAH RIGHT" to that one. I know that homecoming if more for Seniors and such. Naming the King and Queen... Since hormonal teen is just a freshman, is it really necessary for her to be at a dance UNSUPERVISED with all those upper class men? Hmmmmm???? Tell me your opinion.

B2 has chess club today. He is prepping for a chess tournament at another school. I never learned how to play chess. I am impressed that he has been playing it for I guess half his life. I want to make me a tee shirt that says,
"My son beats your son at chess". HA HA Okay, better not.

I have Ollie and Mads entertaining each other at the moment so I can type this up real quick. I was up until 1 am working on Kid Friendly Asheville posts. It is starting to take off and I am getting great emails of things people would like me to post. So, last night I typed it all up and scheduled it to post when it needed to post. I am handy like that. :)

I am playing some nice relaxing music....The Girl From Ipanema.

Okay, Mads heard me type out her name and now she wants me. I am always in demand!!!

Have a great Friday and send me a comment on your weekend plans.

Today I am making changes.

I can no longer be all, DO ALL, get it done Mommy.

It is too much and driving me back into a depression. I am going to sit down and write things that need to be done and delegate them out. You know like UNLOAD THE DISHWASHER every time they are clean, CLEAN UP YOUR OWN ROOM, PICK UP after yourself (IE: YOUR clothes, YOUR stuff and anything else that is YOURS and not where it belongs, dust and other various chores. My kids used to very helpful when I had a chore chart for them. Now when I ask H to help her excuse is always homework. B2 will help but WHINE while doing it. Lil O is my biggest helper EXCEPT when it comes to picking up her OWN toys. She will set the table and even try to dust but you ask her to pick up her OWN toys and she ignores you. Superdad helps but mostly when he is asked.I know he works a job M-F BUT I can honestly say my job is more physical hand on wear you down work.

For moms it's about "how much can I multitask?'.

Well, no more!!

Usually in the morning I do a run through of all the rooms. Pick up and tidy the bed type thing. Now B2 is good at doing this himself before school. He makes the bed and such all by his 10 year old self. That's my boy-scout!

Now hormonal teen is another story. OMG, chaos is what I call her room. SO this morning I walked out my bedroom door and looked to the right to see hers and you know what I do??

SHUT THE DOOR AND WALKED AWAY!!!!!

Change is hard but it had to be done. IT had to be done for me. That's life and now I am going to live mine a bit more for me instead of be a slave to housework.

PS. No one ever has to pick up after me. :)

I overheard this conversation....

I was in the floor yesterday after I had served everyone dinner. Mads wanted to be fed first before I could enjoy my Chicken Parmesan. It always works that way. I was extremely tired so I cuddled up with her on a blanket, drifting in and out of consciousness. Only to hear this at one point. Since I wasn't able to write it down word for word while it was being said I am going to paraphrase it the best I can.

H- I think Batman is HOT!

Superdad- Christian Bale?

H- No, the cartoon Batman. Don't you think he's hot?

Superdad- Well, no. It's a cartoon.

H- The boys at school think Cinderella is hot. We were talking about it the other day. Don't you think like Ariel is hot?

Superdad- No, it's a cartoon.

So the question I have to ask, "When my 10 year old son starts to spend too much time in the shower, do I have to hide the Disney Princess movies? Can we all say "EWEEEEEEEEEEE" together?

Give Me A Break

I have a humorous story to tell you.

Phone rings "Is Matt there?"

Me "You have the wrong number."

Hang up.

Phone rings again.

HELLO!

Is Matt there?

Me "You have the wrong number."

Girl on Phone (AKA-GOP) "I meant to ask for B2."

He's not here. Be back on Sunday.

GOP "Tell him it's OVER."

I think you have the wrong B2. Who are you looking for?

GOP B2

Yep, that's my son. Who is this?

GOP Sarah.

She said it like I should know who she was.

GOP I am B2's GIRLFRIEND!

I am laughing at this point. I made a statement about not knowing he had a girlfriend.

GOP Could you tell him it's over??

I was giggling getting ready to ask her another question BUT she hung up on me.

I was hung up on by a 10 year old girl. WTF?? Bummer!!

Who wants to break the news to my 10 year old son that it is OVER?!?!

Back To School HUH?

Today I am sad. My adorable darling baby H started HIGH SCHOOL TODAY!!! ~~sobbing~~

What worries me the most is the older BOYS. You know the UPPER CLASS MAN. They are going to see my baby and drool.

Does this mean our phone will never stop ringing??? Wonder if it's too late to put her in an all girls school? KIDDING!!!

Anyway....

H is feeling much better. Yesterday I even let her leave the house. I took them school shopping at the mall. It was fun! They all got some neat things. Even if my husband may think I spent too much money. I won't have to buy B2 any clothes for the next year or so. Except a jacket and another pair of shoes later on. lol With H it is different. You have to have a huge assortment of clothes. Especially since you are in high school. DUH!!!! Honestly, after Monday, what H wanted H was able to get. She deserves it.

It looks like fall here. I noticed it yesterday when we were out. Coming down the road we live on just screamed FALL!!!! I like it! Fall is one of my favorite times.

I miss my kids. School just starts too soon! It seems like they just got out for summer break. They both were excited. H was nervous and B2 couldn't wait to see his friends. Lil O misses them too. This morning she got up and went to wake them up like she has been doing. And they were gone. :( I told her we'd go pick them up a little bit later.

Anyone else watching the Olympics? The opening ceremony was the most amazing thing and I really don't think anyone can top it ever! You agree?

Okay. Must get up. I am actually going to get up and do a few things.

**I added a new label to my blog. "Fluffers" Since I have been busy I scheduled a bunch of things to post lately ahead of time. I am sure you can tell which ones they are. I thought it only fair to given them their own label. Fluffers suits them, since it prepares you for my regular blogging. ha ha

Hi my name is Michelle and I don't know what birth control is.

Hello there. We just got back in from a quick weekend getaway. We took the four kids + 1 niece to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was definitely an adventure.

Saturday we went to Discovery Place. The plan was for HB, H and B2 to watch the new Batman movie in the IMAX and I would take Lil O, Baby M and my niece to the museum to look around and enjoy. I love a museum. Good idea I thought. Well, I was wrong. THANK GOD they had this HUGE play area for them to play in. It was like walking into Toys R Us with every toy you can imagine to play with. Even a water part. The bad thing is that the play area is right when you ENTER the museum. I wonder how many children actually make it to the museum after entering the play area???? I doubt many.

In fact I had to pick Lil O up and carry her out to SEE the museum. UGH, she kept running off and crying for the play area. It was very frustrating!!!!!!! I ended up taking them back to the play area so they would HUSH. We sat there for an hour then I dragged them out for lunch. Then took them back to play for another hour. By this time the movie was over and we met up with everyone else. I get all annoyed again trying to remember details to type them up. ha ha



All in all the Discovery Place was a really exciting place to visit. I would recommend it to everyone. It is the only place you can see two rats play basketball I bet. I know what the catch is though. Both rats look exactly the same so you really don't know which rat belongs to your team and both rats can shoot at either goal. Pretty sneaky of them. Sadly, the kids didn't catch on to their trickery. ha ha



The title of my blog is based on how MANY looks I got over the weekend with 5 kids tagging along behind me. A 14 year old, 10 year old, 7 year old, 3 year old and a 3 month old. I had told a few friends that I was going to claim all 5 of them and say I was pregnant with twins. But, I was just tooo freaking tired to care. I felt like saying, "What haven't you seen kids before?". Anyway...

Charlotte was HOT!!! HOT!!! HOT!!!
We headed to the Marriott to check in and swim in the pool. Ahhh, sitting by the pool. Watching the kids play. While I surfed the Internet on my Blackberry. We pretty much stayed there until bedtime. Minus HB and H going to get Thai takeout and ordering room service for a few things. I really love staying at Marriott's. Down pillows and comforters. Ahh, just like home. Enough about them because this isn't a commercial.

Sunday morning after a nice breakfast at the hotel we head to Carowinds. I'd like to shout out a THANK YOU to all the lovely ladies at the restaurant. They took wonderful care of us. I had to correct them too about the 5 kids with me.



This is my niece standing on the North Carolina/South Carolina line. I have always thought that a neat fact about the park. Of course, we headed to the left side which led us to a Nickelodeon Themed area. EVERYTHING ON NICK WAS ON THIS SIDE. We even saw god-parents walking around!!!!!! I thought Wanda and Cosmo were cute! Lil O wouldn't even get near them. She has this thing with people dressed in costumes. I don't think she will like Halloween either. I could be wrong though. I doubt it. It's just a hunch.

The kids enjoyed all the rides. They weren't bothered by the hot sweaty weather. They didn't even notice all the people walking around in bathing suits that shouldn't be. ~innocent smile~



That's me and Lil O on the carousel. Don't we look cute? She is doing the wave!!! Practicing for when she is in a parade and will use it. Smile. Wave. Smile. Wave. Lil O loves a carousel! We rode it twice. I hate to admit but I love to ride them as much as she does!



I was impressed that she got on the swings!!!!!! You could hear her squeal in delight over the music!!! That's my girl!!!



H and Lil O with Jimmy! Ha Ha!!!



ALL the kids loved this coaster!



The look on their faces explains it ALL!!!! AWESOME!!! To enjoy something soooo much!



H and B2 were such good sports. They helped out with the two smaller girls so much!! Which meant they had to ride rides they really wouldn't be caught dead on! See how happy they are in the boats? HA HA! I think they want to disappear! Thanks you two! Cause my fat butt wouldn't fit in the boat!



I see a pilots license in the furture. Maybe she will become an astronaut! COOLNESS!!



Awww. They are with Velma posing for a picture. It was called the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion I believe. This was the only ride Lil O cried on because it scared her! Riding the above coaster didn't but seeing monsters did. :(



Yes, they have a LOST KIDS place! I didn't have to go here ONCE during our stay! I was surprised by this! I thought for sure I would lose at least one child.



Baby M was perfect the whole time. See how she is chilling with her foot propped up? She was able to ride one ride. You ready to hear which one? She road the train for a DORA ADVENTURE!!! We caught stars and ran off Swiper!!!



She got her first taste of water!!!! I wanted to make sure she stayed hydrated since it was so freaking hot there!

At one point we saw Goth kids walking around. I thought that interesting. I find it hard to imagine one of them saying, "Hey guys, lets go to Carowinds today!". Don't you?

I want to warn you if you are planning a trip to Carowinds and this will be your first visit! There is one ride in particular. Upon entering you will see a sign that reads, "YOU WILL GET WET". Let me just say that B2 and Niece H were soaked even before they rode the ride!!!! Water would just dump on people as they wait in line!!!!!

See how happy they look!!!!

After:

**I am proud to say that NO ONE got sunburned!!!!!!! I think I deserve a medal for this one. Going to an amusement park in August with 5 kids and no one got burned!!!!! They were greased down several times. Wore hats and sunglasses!

After 5+ hours I was sooooo over Carowinds. The heat! The crowds! People wearing bathing suits that shouldn't be! I was dripping with sweat!!!! I was tired! I was thirsty! I was ready to come home!

Everyone had a great time and that made me happy. I hate that I missed the new Batman movie at the IMAX. I'll have to watch it when it comes to the APC. I also hated that I missed the Museum. One day I can go without kids. Hmmm. Would I look odd walking around a kids museum without kids?? Who cares? Not me! I was just glad to get the hell out of Charlotte and back to my house and MY BED! With only my 4 kids! :)

Which way is up again?

Actual conversation at Sears waiting for our appointment.

Me and my MIL were talking face to face.

B2 interrupts me like ALWAYS.

I say, "Can't you see I'm talking on the phone?"

Ummmmm, but I wasn't. I guess you can tell when he always bothers me.

A Blog About Nothing

I haven't been able to type out a deep thought provoking blog in awhile. Call it lack of sleep. Lack of time. Or maybe the baby has sucked all my brain cells from my body. You choose.

We are enjoying the summer. Kids have been doing this and that. I have been keeping them busy by helping in the kitchen, the pool, Chuck E Cheese, Fun Depot, Pigeon Forge and the movies. It's hard to keep B2 from playing his PSP or Xbox 360 all day. That and the computer. If you have any ideas for a 10 year old boy, please drop me a line. He will be going to camp for a few days at the end of this month. That will do him good.

H just cares about the phone and checking her myspace. ~note to self, check her page when you finish typing up this blog~ She has been a big help with Baby Moon Pie and Lil O. I appreciate that very much. She too will go to GA camp at the end of the month.

Lil O is into helping so much in the kitchen. She has been for a long time. Tomorrow we are making another cake. She wanted strawberry with chocolate icing. YUMMY!!! She is still acting out due to Moon Pie getting the attention. ~hanging head~ She still has her paci at bedtime and nap time. Ewwwee, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger as they say. Her doctor said she was sure we wouldn't be sending her to Kindergarten with it. That makes me feel better! LOL

Baby M is growing like a weed. Her hair is growing. She is getting rolls she is so chubby. LOVE IT!!!!! She is a wonderful baby. Happy all the time and such a joy! She likes to roll around on the floor. Play in the bathtub. Look in a mirror and be in her wrap! When she jabbers it sounds like she is saying "mama". It's cute to hear. I know she isn't calling for me but that doesn't matter.

That sums my four kids up. Me and my HB just finished watching Season 1 of Mad Men. Two thumbs way UP!!! Love it!!! Season 2 starts in a few weeks on AMC. I am looking forward to that. I am working on plans to get all of us to the NC Zoo (we went last year and had a wonderful time) and whisking my husband to Charleston for some relaxation. He needs it almost as much as I do.

I hope that everyone has a lovely weekend and ~insert your favorite thing to do here~.
I am going to start folding those 4 loads of laundry in my bedroom. :)

Moon Pie turned 12 weeks old this week. Isn't she a beauty??

The Yearly Trip to Tourist Town.

HOWDY!!! I'm baaaaack! From the mountains of TN. I go to Pigeon Forge, TN every year with my family. My mamaw and great aunt like to shop and hang out by the pool watching the kids play. Plus go out to eat. We always have a great time and I feel blessed to enjoy this time with them every year. We pop popcorn and stay up late talking. It is really nice.



We headed down a day early this year because we were taking the kids to Dollywood. I haven't been there in 12 years so it was all new to me!!! It was loads of fun. Lots of great rides, shows and food. Everyone had a great time. My favorite part of the trip was seeing the Kratt Brothers LIVE!!! Before Gordon came around I had a huge crush on one of the brothers. The one in the blue shirt in fact. He is such a cutie!!!!!!! They are in Dollywood doing their show all summer! ~Lil O calls them the Crack Brothers!!~ HA HA!!!



~swoon, to have an animal adventure with him~

Okay, back to the trip! In Dollywood we rode the rides, watched a few shows, took a train ride, had great food and shopped! I even met a friendly bear. Looks like he is trying to give me a wet willy.



BTW, do people never see a woman wearing her baby in a wrap??? You won't believe all the odd strange looks that Baby M and I got! DUHHH, people!! Yes, it is a baby in there. Yes, she can breath! No, she isn't being squeezed to death. Yes, she loves it! She has been in the wrap since she was 7 days old. To her she feels like she was never born. All snuggled up next to mommy. No, IT'S NOT A TUMOR!!! Sorry, I couldn't resist! ha ha



Lil O loved riding her first coaster!!!!! She rode the Veggie Tales coaster and LOVED IT!!!

Then we took a train ride on Klondike Katie!




While the boys went to ride a coaster, us girls watched a show.

A very Veggie Show. :)



After our day at Dollywood we were ready to head back to our room and hit the pool. Nap or eat, whatever. This is where we met up with my mamaw and great aunt!



O by the pool.



B2 coming down the slide.



Baby M laughing.



H said she was reading but behind those glasses it was hard to tell if she was just checking out the boys.



Big Brother helping Lil O down the slide.



This would be me and Baby M. No I am not breastfeeding. BUT IF I WAS!! Please stop staring at me!!! I don't stare at you when you bring out a bottle and feed your baby now do I??? It's like you haven't seen a woman breastfeeding before. Get real!



This is me again with my superhero! My mamaw!!!

We had a blast as you can tell!!! Maybe we should head back again before the kids go to school!!!!

Guess what came out of his mouth?

~My 10 year old came home and the first thing he said to me.~

"You've lost some fat!!!" With a big look of amazement!!!!!!!!!

Why thank you B2, why yes I have.

When you "think" you are having a bad day...

Just remember what it is like to be in the 4th grade.
This morning while putting B2's things away I saw a folded up piece of paper that revealed this great message. Shh, don't tell him I took a picture and posted it here.



Isn't that just awesome?!?!?! It really makes me smile when I come across things like this.

Four Days

I see in the far future for Shakira. After she has her hip replacement surgery she will be singing a new song "Hips Don't Hurt". Or advertising for a new arthritis medication.

I say this because the past month I have been having a really hard time with my left hip, Piriformis muscle and sciatica nerve pain. Due to an old injury and having my doctor tell me I had bursitis in that hip. Soooooo, the point is one night I was making the usual bathroom run and I was trying to stand up. My HB asked "Are you OK?". I made some comment about my hip. And of course he said something witty about Shakira and "Hips Don't Lie". I guess it was one of those stories where you had to be there. Which would be odd, all of you in my bedroom while I was trying to get out of the bed and walk to the bathroom.

I am ready to walk out the door to have the weekly weigh in. Then I thought about hitting Target for my weekly trip. I'll be jonsing soon when I won't be able to go by there for a visit. It's pretty bad I long to hold onto that cart and waddle around the store wasting time to have something to do after a doctors appointment. At least I am not going to BELKS cruising the CLINIQUE counter honey. Then I am sure the total would be WAY over the Target bill. Unfortunately I am all stocked on my Clinique. I can always look forward to their summer special I am sure.

Lil O is walking around telling me how her belly hurts and the baby is kicking. I know SHE will be glad next week when that baby is out of HER tummy. It is adorable to see and hear her "act" like me. Do I really sound that bad? What's even better is watching her copy me getting out of the bed. Wonder if she is going to breastfeed her new baby as well?

H is being the typical 13 year old girl. Homework and watching music videos. Oh and the occasional phone call. I am having some issues with her and her hair. She will work on it at night. Curling or straightening it. Whatever is in style for the next day you know. Then in the morning she will wake up and FIX it again because of course she has slept on it. This morning I hear HB telling her that she has been in the bathroom for 30 minutes. ha ha Then I have to VACUUM the hair balls out of the bathroom every morning when she is finished and wipe the hairspray ICK off everything. I guess if that is my only complaint/problem then life really isn't that bad. :)

B2 brought up the movies AGAIN yesterday while I had them folding the clothes I had washed. I really thought we had that taken care of. I guess he didn't get what NO meant the other day so I had to rip out, stomp on his heart again by saying, "NO you cannot go to the movies.". Then of course it broke my heart seeing tears roll down his face. IT JUST ISN'T FAIR!! I know he wanted to go be with the girl he totally adores and watch a movie. But ummm, no. His birthday is coming up so maybe she will go to his party! Then that will make him happy.

Okay I must go weigh in.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

5 DAYS UNTIL A BABY! One. Two. Three. Four. Five!!!!!

I can tell the anxiety has set in. Weird dreams and sleepless nights. I remember about a week before I had Lil O I sat up many a nights watching the old Iron Chef watching them cook all that icky fish. Those cute Japanese men. I will say, I have been making myself stay in bed instead of getting up and jumping on the computer or turn the TV on. ~Weird dream last night involved me kissing an old flame and then being confused. Shaking head.~

The only man I enjoy kissing and want to is my