WE MADE IT THROUGH SPRING BREAK!

How my children look ONLY on a picture day.How they look in real life.

Ladies, (and any gentlemen that actually read my blog) give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done. You made it through Spring Break, at home, in the April snow, with most, if not all your sanity in check. I will raise my wine glass and toast you all tonight.

And for those of you who are interested, I am happy to report that I did not have to give any hydrogen peroxide cocktails this time while dog sitting . (However, I am concerned that the dog and I are now as close as college roomates and seem to be on the same cycle.)

Best Quotes from our Trip

"Your belly is HUGE." (Said by Jeff to his sister Amy who was 9 months pregnant.)

"You are the only man that could ever get away with saying that to me." (Brothers get special priveleges I guess.)

"Wow, you should be a priest." (Said by Paige to Uncle Doug after a very lengthy and wordy prayer.)

"I think I would rather be a pastor." (After all, he does have five kids & one wife.)

"I never knew I would sleep with so many people after I was married." (Said by me this morning after 2/3 of my children came in and out of my bed all night last night.)

And Baby Makes Five!

We are back from Minnesota. Highlights included: the Minneapolis Children's Museum, the train station water park that every fifteen minutes sprayed water everywhere, spending time with Doug, Amy, and cousins, and being there for the birth of their fifth child, Daniel John. After playing all day at the water park, ordering pizza, walking to icecream, and playing cards - Amy went into labor at 5 a.m. at the hotel. It was about an hour drive to the hospital where they were to deliver and Doug was racing to make it there in time. Daniel John arrived a couple hours later at a whopping 9 lbs. 9 oz. and looks a lot like "big brother" Ben. (Who is not quite two yet.) It was once again a fun & eventful time shared with their family and we feel so blessed we could help out as they had their last (?) baby.

Balmy Minnesota

We are heading out today to the Spring Break vacation hot spot - Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our stay will include a hotel with an indoor water park, trip to IKEA, the Mall of America, and last but not least, visiting the Moorhead family and our kid's beloved cousins. Hope everyone has a safe and relaxing vacation. The bonus to traveling north: no sunscreen to pack. =) (Try to behave while I'm gone fellow bloggers.)

Why Didn't I Think of That?

Add another invention to the growing list of things that I should have thought of: Crocs Gidgets. (The little "thingies" that stick in the holes of the ever so popular Croc shoes.) I just heard a story this weekend that one family began this by watching their child mindlessly stick things in her crocs. Fast forward to them selling their invention for a cool $20 million for plastic ... for "thingies" ... for embellishments on a very ugly shoe. It begs the question: Why didn't I think of that?

Here is my list of things that I would invent if I had the time ... oh yeah ... and money.

• Disposable nursing pads that are the actual shape of a bra. Not perfect circles that make you look like you are sporting coasters under your shirt.
• A drive through store that provides the essentials: milk, eggs, etc. No more lugging all the kids in for one item. Sure I would charge more than Meijers, but people pay for convenience baby.
• And I'm still trying to figure out a way to have someone toss into my car (while I'm driving mind you) all the things I forget at home: diaper bag, videos to return, clothes to exchange, etc. I always seem to drive past something and then remember that I needed to go there.

That's it for now. But it's still early in the day. I'm sure I could come up with a few more.

This post is entitled,

"I Will Never Know

What's It Like To ..."

• own a cat. (Thank you God for allergies.)
• not force a dog to drink hydrogen peroxide in order to puke up tampons. (Umm... twice.)
• wear a size 2. (Or a 4, or realistically, a size 6.)
• be an only child or have a brother.
• worry about money. (Thanks honey for doing it enough for both of us.)
• hate to camp. (There's nothing like the smell of smoke in your hair, a killer tan, a good book, and nothing to do.)
• run a marathon. (15.6 miles last year was & will be my max.)
• scrapbook/do Creative Memories.
• wake up before my husband on a Saturday morning.
• water ski on just one ski. (Is that called slaloming?)
• NOT pop a zit if it looks ready to pop.

Tell me, what will you never know what it's like to ...

Happy 3rd Birthday Zachary!

WE'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY!

It's Spring and time for ...

Caramel Frappuccino's from Starbucks.

Surveying the lawn and damage from moles.

(Shouldn't they freeze like everything else does in winter?)

It feels like Spring has finally sprung here in Michigan. I always thought fall was my favorite season but since it is followed by winter and this winter was painfully long, cold, and snowy, I think I may have a new favorite! Here are a few things my kids have said lately for you to enjoy and ponder over the weekend.

"Stupid head. Stupid head. Stupid head." (Said by Zach, who took three years to really start talking and is now trying to catch up by learning some choice insults.)

"My pachina is cold." (Said by Paige & Zoey after getting out of the shower and yes, they mean vagina. Their father thought it was time they learned the correct terminology. I thought "bottom" was just fine!)

Check this Out!

Please go to http://www.minimemom.blogspot.com and click play to see my van. Also, while you are there check out her amazing baby gear. I've never met Minimemom (in fact, I just recently found out her first name isn't Mini, Me, or Mom) but I enjoy her blog and she has the cutest handmade baby stuff. Enjoy.

What happens when ...

you let your three old BOY play outside with a full container of bubbles?

He pours every last drop of it out on the driveway. (Duh. I shoulda known better.)

Medals, Rings, & Birthdays

Zach & cousin Ross celebrating their March birthdays.

Thanks to my sister Julie for once again making the great-tasting and great-looking cake. Check out the oreo road, play trucks, and picture of Bob-the-Builder with a face that looks curiously like Zach.

Paige took home a medal for her yellow submarine that made it into the top 16 racers. (46 Pinewood derby cars competed this year and Jeff deserves a pat on his daddy back.)

The new ring. It was hard to take a pic of it. It is antique looking, white gold, with one round diamond in the middle surrounded by a circle of diamonds and small diamonds on the band. I love it and feel like I just got engaged again!

Ahhh ... Smell That?

After reading about smells at Steph's blog http://teslaa.typepad.com, I started thinking about all the strange smells I enjoy and some that I will miss when all my "babies" are no longer babies.

Here they are:

* A dog's paws. They remind you of something ... Fritos, Doritos?

* An indoor swimming pool. Chlorine = clean.

* Gasoline. I remember trying to open some of the windows to the van as my dad filled up our full sized van that was detailed with duct tape. (So, not kidding. Remember: He is a Christian school teacher.)

*Babies feet. When our kids were under a year, my husband and I would actually call the other parent over for a smell if it was a particularly ripe day.

* The smell of Zach's room after he just wakes up from a nap. Is it his paci breath? Is it his sweet, little boy sweat? I don't know but I know I'll miss it.

* Popcorn. Anytime, anywhere it is popped, I have an instant craving for it.

Enjoy today and don't forget to stop and smell ...

I'm Listening

Do you ever have moments in your spiritual walk when everything you read, study, or hear from the pulpit all coincides? While studying Acts in Community Bible Study I read this in the commentary:

"The prescence of the Holy Spirit in our lives does not automatically ensure our experiencing His power, guidance, teaching, and comfort. God does not fill a vessel that is already full. First we empty ourselves by giving our own self-centered plans to God, and then we ask Him to fill, control, and use us."

Later the study asks you to read Romans 12:1,2 and prayerfully list the ways in which your lifestyle would need to change if you took Paul's appeal (offering your body as a living sacrifice) seriously.

And then our pastor said yesterday from the pulpit that he knew of a man who every night as he prayed would ask, "How did I do at overcoming myself today?"

I have a full life ... I have a big personality ... I have a huge need for the Holy Spirit to fill me up. Am I asking & listening?

SAHM Rule!

Stay-At-Home Mom Question of the day: How can a mess that only took my children five minutes to make, take me over an hour to clean up?

Changing it Up

I'm thinking I would like to grow my hair out like Connie Britton's. What do you think? (Don't be distracted by her chest in this picture ... concentrate on just her hair.) The longest I have ever had my hair is just past my shoulders. Can I commit to growing out my hair? (I know, deep thoughts today on this dreary day.)

Big Boy Haircut

Just thought I would share Zach's first "scissors haircut". We recently stopped buzzing his hair and we really knew it was past time for a haircut when Grandpa Guikema asked us at Sunday coffee if Zach's barber had died. Good one Dad! (Insert courtesy laugh here.) Enjoy your new and improved grandson.

"Say cheese" is always a crap shoot at this age!

Who you calling tacky?

Last night I was invited to an Academy Award party where the required dress code was either tacky formal wear or accessorized pajamas. First step to tacky, calling my mom. :) My mom is a beautiful and fashionable woman but she also loves a splash of color and very large jewelry. (Check out the white grape earrings that I borrowed from her.) So, after trying on five dresses she wore to all of our weddings (one that was so small in the waist I couldn't even button it) I headed home with two beauties. The one I really wanted to wear used to be grey (I think) and had turned a lovely shade of lilac but it had a large stain on the hemline. After getting the o.k. from my mom to try and get it out, I armed myself with Spray-N-Wash and gently rubbed at the stain. After just a few strokes, I had a hole in the dress and the stain wasn't budging. (Sorry Mom if you are reading this and hearing this for the first time.) So now I'm in a pickle; no dress and no respectable p.j.'s to wear out in public. Until I remembered a dress that I bought at Goodwill and wore to a murder mystery party several years ago. Hello 1970's - welcome back. Thanks Mom for being such a good sport and letting me try on all your dresses. The best quote from the day, "Mom's waist is smaller than mine but my boobs are bigger." Enough said ... or too much said? :)

Brace Yourself

There are good shows on television that actually show teenagers choosing not to have sex. I just watched 'Friday Night Lights' on http://www.nbc.com The fifteen year old daughter of the football coach tells her boyfriend she thinks it's time to have sex and then the rest of the episode features "the talk" with her mom, the mom and dad talking about it, and the teenagers deciding it was not right the time. Refreshing, heart-warming, and real. While they may not have the same Christian perspective on pre-marital sex as I do, it was moral, responsible, and definitely worth the watch. Friday Night Lights just made me a new fan.

Recently I was talking with a friend (who has kids the same ages as mine) and we were talking about when & how to have the "sex talk". What are you planning on saying to your kids?

So Sad

Alright, I admit I occassionally check People.com. How do you go from the Mickey Mouse Club to a bald, single-mother, rehab bound, former pop singer? Is it just me, or do any of you moms feel badly for her & her kids? I think she should move to Grand Rapids and out of L.A.!

Which One?

Looking for opinions on these two antique rings. Which one do you like better? And would you buy a ring online?

Big Uh-Oh

While traveling to IKEA (aka: the promised land) with my good friend Stephanie, we had quite a few adventures. The first involved her husband's truck which did one slight hiccup while we were driving and chatting & to which Steph calmly responded to by saying, "Oh, we are running out of gas." We proceeded to do what any girl in this situation would do: start giggling like mad. As we coasted through the exit and blasted through a stop sign we managed to somehow steer the car that was no longer running next to the gas pumps to fill up. Crisis number one avoided.

Back on the road, we went to grab some lunch before heading to IKEA (previously mentioned promised land.) We were sitting there eating our Jimmy John's sub and I was telling a story of how my bathroom sink seems to "eat" a lot of my jewelry & while I tell this story, I look down and see my diamond wedding ring minus the diamond. There on my finger sits a gold ring with six prongs sticking up, completely and totally naked. I proceeded to do what any girl in this situation would do: start giggling like mad. I don't know if it was the shock, strange appearance of my ring, or my anticipation of shopping at IKEA that made me laugh but I must admit I did LOL. Crisis number two: yet to be resolved.

Crisis number three: Once finally getting inside the store, I had to use the bathroom. My exact quote, "I'm at the promised land and now I have to go poopy." I'm happy to say this crisis was resolved rather quickly.

The rest of the story ...

New photo courtesy of my kindergarten daughter Zoey.

(Thanks Zoey, I like this one better.)

Turns out the valentine package was from their grandpa. Looks like Jeff is off the hook ... for today anyway. As soon as I typed that he walked in the door and handed me these beautiful yellow roses - my favorite colored rose. (I feel like this is a play-by-play report!)

What a Tease

This post is dedicated to all women everywhere who have great husbands who are no longer romantic. (Yeah, that should cover just about everyone!) As I watched a florist's van approach my house, I was intrigued, surprised, and excited. This lovely ensemble came from Kennedy's and was supposed to be delivered next door but since they weren't home, I was the lucky recepient ... until she comes home. Maybe I should just pretend it's for me if only for this afternoon since my husband said this to me yesterday, "I think I am going to keep Valentine's Day simple this year." As opposed to all the other years he has lavished me with romantic gifts? :) He honestly couldn't say that with a straight face! I am looking forward to a remodeled kitchen since his love language is "acts of service" & definitely not "gift giving". Love you babe. Happy Valentine's Day!

Love It & Hate It

Love spaghetti dinner ... hate spaghetti dinner. Love Build-A-Bear ... hate all those darn outfits.

Love the sunshine coming in today ... hate that it shows just how dirty my house really is.

Love my jeans after about 3-4 wears ... hate them straight out of the laundry. (Excuse me as I pop the top button a minute.)

Love my husband ... hate it when he kisses all the kids on his way out the door and forgets to kiss me. Today I actually yelled, "hey, kiss the one that carried them all." Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Love school days ... hate snow days! :)

Love my kids ... hate the mess they leave behind in every single room they enter. (Enough procrastinating - I am off to clean. Have a great weekend everybody!)

Books We Are Reading

Paige got this book from her school library. A LOL book for kids and adults. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin.

Best entry in the diary: June 15 - "My older sister thinks she's so pretty. I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end".

I just picked these three books up from the library. I am giddy with anticipation.

Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Forever in Blue - The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (I was just browsing the express books bookcase and scored this one. Brand new and the first three were a fun read that made me feel like I was back in high school.)

It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's SUPERMOMMY!

Since I so often share my embarrassing mommy stories, I thought I would share a real-life super-mommy moment I had yesterday. My husband had to work from 8-5 and so, the kids and I had to ride out the Blizzard of '07 on our own (lame name given by the G.R. Press, not me.) We made homemade Valentine cards for their teachers and I made homemade barbeque beef sandwiches using two different recipes and whatever ingredients I could find in the house. (Turned out pretty yummy.) After I popped it in the oven to cook for a couple of hours, I went out and shoveled the entire driveway. He came home to hot meal (a rarity) and a clean driveway. Supermommmmmmy!

Answering Why?

We asked ourselves many times while dog sitting, why is Puck so skittish? In order to answer that question, you have to go back to his early days as a puppy. The story goes something like this ... One day while he was outside he was picked up by an owl, carried over the Thornapple River, and about an hour later someone called the owners to say that they just saw their dog fall from a tree. I guess I would be skittish too.

Why won't I be going back to Chuck E. Cheese's anytime soon? My purse got stolen on Monday night. I cancelled all the credit cards that night and panicked about what personal information I had left in there (ie. my social security card - if yours in in your purse or wallet - take it out immediately. By the way, great tip I just heard. Lay all the cards in your wallet face down on a photo copier and scan the contents. That way you will know what is hiding in your wallet. If you do both sides, you will also have the 1-800 numbers to call and cancel then too.) Wednesday afternoon I got a call from a woman who said that her daughter-in-law found my purse and since she doesn't speak any English she volunteered to call me. I was so grateful and exclaimed, "where did she find it?" The answer, "hmmm ... I don't know." Interesting, very interesting. (Somehow my purse made it from the mall area to Division Ave. with all it's contents intact, including my new razor cell phone. I lost a grand total of $4 bucks.) Thank you Lord.

Daddy's Girls

I have the best Dad. I know that many of you probably think your dad is the best and maybe, that is what God intended for every little girl to think. My dad is still fun-loving after raising five daughters and watching our family grow to 14 grandchildren (with one more on the way this summer.) So, when he called to initiate a sledding outing I wasn't surprised that he would be joining us on the hill. What happened while sledding however, is what was surprising. We went to a steep and short hill in Caledonia at Lakeside Park and there were two signs posted that read: Steep Hill, Sled at Your Own Risk. Note to All: Signs are posted for a reason. We had to sled down with our kids so we could put our feet (& sometimes are hands out too) to slow us down when we got to the bottom of the hill. When the rest of the family joined us, my dad tried out a couple of sleds and made it successfully down the hill. The next time he went down ... he was flying. As he approached the bank of the creek (did I forget to mention this was at the bottom & it was filled with cold, running water?) he tried to bail out at the last second and could not get out of his sled. The grandkids watched in amazement as Grandpa took a face first fall into the creek and staggered out with mud and water dripping from his face and his clothes soaked. We ran to see if he was o.k. and when he came up with a grin, we DIED LAUGHING. My husband and brother-in-law could actually see the splash from the top of the hill. You would have thought he would have packed up his sled and taken his soggy self home, but then you don't know my dad! He stayed out there and kept on sledding ... did I mention I have the best Dad? :)

Confessions of a Stay-At-Home Mom

• I will eat sour gummy bears until my stomach hurts. (Or Sour Patch Kids until my tongue does.)
• I bruised my tailbone yesterday while trying to be "cool" with my neice by going over a jump while sledding. My tail bone this morning is a painful reminder that I am no longer cool.
• When Zach recently fell down while running into the library the first thing I said was, "Oh great, now you got your pants dirty." What I meant by that of course, was, "Are you o.k. buddy?" (By the way, this is a sure sign that you have been a mom for awhile.)
• I become consumed and engrossed in any book that I read. Just finished two this week and have two others from the library that are begging me to open them up. (Best Quotes from 'Traveling Mercies' by Anne Lamott: "On my last day, I won't be drinking Diet coke. If I am, shoot me." The best two prayers she knows are, "Help me, help me, help me" and "Thank you, thank you, thank you.")
• And finally, and most embarrassingly, when I run on the treadmill and need a burst of energy I will punch my fists in front of me and will sing the beginning of the Rocky theme song out loud! ( I wish I was kidding about this one.)

Home Improving ... Again?!

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery." With that quote in mind, we copied our good friends Mark & Steph's office paint color for our bedroom. I usually pride myself on being decisive when picking out paint colors and I always love it instantly when it is up on the wall. This time however, I just couldn't decide what to do and wanted to go with something neutral so I could change my IKEA bedspread anytime I wanted but my husband actually told me I was getting "boring". Me boring? Those are fighting words ... :) We put up our new Bombay bed, (Originally $500 knocked down to $90 because it was missing the side rails) bought a sweet box spring and mattress at Costco, new mattress pad, new sheets, (450 thread count - yes, we are royalty), and had one great night of sleep.

Dog update - limping this morning, to the vet this afternoon, diagnosed with a strained knee (thank God nothing broken or ACL tear) and was prescribed an anti-inflammatory. Oh my, this dog is a lot of work!

Professional Dog Sitters?

Yes, dear blogging world, we have agreed to dog sit yet another dog. (We are trying so hard to be "dog people". We used to be... we want to be... I don't think we are.) This little toy dog is Paige's piano teacher's dog and since she is on vacation in Spain we agreed to watch this little dog named "Puck". He is a bit on the skittish side, refuses to go potty unless we walk him forever, and has had a couple of accidents in the house. If you have the "best" or "easiest" dog in the world ... think again ... they go a little nutty while away from home. (Or maybe just at our house?)

The Game of Life

The Game of Life is a new addition to our family game collection and we play it just about every week now. Each person of the family plays it in his or her own unique way. Let me break it down for you:

• Jeff - Still contemplating whether or not going to college will indeed get him more money, he sometimes goes and sometimes does not. He is always somewhat disgruntled with his salary and is very bitter if any of us has a higher salary. Game imitating real life? :)
• Laurie - Wants to be the rock star or professional athlete because it sounds like more fun. The only one who buys insurance for her car (not imitating real life) and somehow ends up with all the kids. The first time we played I had six children (they didn't all fit in my car) and then I landed on 'Pay for College' for every one of your kids. Don't I have any dumb kids?
• Paige - Has won every game we have ever played. Always ends up a millionaire. Laughs and giggles at daddy who is sulking because she makes more money than him.
• Zoey - She lasts about 1/4 of the way through the game & then abandons her car, money, home, etc. and flops around on our laps for the rest of the game. (She is usually asking for a snack between "floppings".)
• Zach - enjoys messing up everyone's bank.

Play a game with your family ... you'll learn so much about each other.

It Must be the Name Sara(h)

If you like Sara Groves or Sarah Mc Lachlan, (and come on, who doesn't?) check out this Sarah. Sarah Kelly is a Christian artist that really rocks. I just rediscovered her c.d.'Take Me Away' and there are so many great songs on it. In my opinion, the best song is 'Life Is'. Here are some of the lyrics:

i just want to thank you for finding me

and how could i forget you and all you've done for me

i gave you a stone and you gave me a heart

now i'm yours

i gave you a tear

you gave me a song

and now i know what life is

i asked you for silver

and you gave me gold

and now i know what life is

Isn't it amazing when we cry out to God and when we are just hoping for silver, he surprises us and gives us gold. Without sharing names, this makes me think of someone getting a new house that fits their family perfectly, a child that was hoped for and prayed for now forever home, a new marriage that brings so much joy, and a little boy who every time he smiles, I see gold. Rock on ladies, rock on.