Words That Bang Around In My Head...

and fight to get out. I am in a writing mood, not bloggish type of writing honestly, but story and poem and just stuff kind of writing.

 Its been building up for several days, the thought of writing each of my children a letter or even letters to be opened on a certain special days has been tugging at me as well. 

Stories for the younger ones, poems for the older girls. An account of my first and only hunting trip with my dad for Bubba. He needs to know that grandpa took me hunting but didnt have the heart to kill anything in front of me so he kept me chattering about anything and everything to scare all the animals away, and then we went home and shot at coffee cans. I was 12 then, same age he is now. 

There are days I want all of them to have letters for, graduations, wedding days, the birth of children and other things as well. I dont know why this is pressing so hard at me but Im going to do it. Maybe they will each end up with a stack of crazy ramblings and memories from their mother and roll their eyes thinking Im sappy and ridiculous but I feel this is something I need to do. 

I have no idea how to wrap this post up so I think I will just leave it with this little quote.

God gave us memories that we might have roses in December.
JM Barrie

Warning: Teens live here!

This should be a sign hanging on our front door: 

That's still probably not a significant enough warning for those unknowing, unsuspecting, teen free souls who come into our home. Maybe I should get more specific and use one like this instead:

There needs to be a universal symbol however when you are entering the home of a teen, especially a teen girl. That way you know you are on thin ice and that anything you say is liable to be taken sideways, turned around and inserted backwards, to not resemble anything you said or were trying to say at all. 

Something seems to happen in our brains around age 12 or so, call it hormones, puberty, asserting independence, hell, call it the exit of all common sense if you'd like, the point remains the same. It's somewhere along this time with each and every flock member so far where they have decided that running their mouths, back talking, and even going so far as to basically tell a parent to shut up has occurred  Yes, this is all a part of growing up and learning how to and how NOT to respond to matters in the real world, but at what point does it go past that and turn into a lack of respect? 

I've heard its all in how they are raised, kids are given to much freedom, not enough freedom, they aren't taught manners or what respect is, they are given to much, they aren't made to do chores or don't know what it is to work for something, and almost always someone, somewhere, pulls the discipline card. If you had (insert speakers favorite discipline here) when they were younger you wouldn't have this problem now. More often than not that comment has been said by someone whose children are either still young or doesn't even have children yet. I always want to say "Yeah, because I spent the first 11 years teaching them it was ok to argue with me!"

Fact of the matter is however, for the most part the entire flock is very well behaved. Yes, they do have their moments where they could make a preacher cuss, but on the whole, we rarely go more than a couple of days without someone praising the actions of at least one of them. People have stopped me in the middle of the grocery store to compliment me on their manners, good behavior & willingness to help not only me but those around us as well. I don't know how many times I've been asked how do I manage keeping the flock under control, I almost always respond with "They are good kids!", and I make sure they hear that. Because they are, each and every one of them is a good kid. Right down to the one who is going thru his "big & bad" phase, and they need to know & hear us say that they are good kids. Each and every one of them would drop what they are doing to help someone in need, I've seen them do it repeatedly. In the end that's one of the most important things we can instill in our children, there is the respect, the glimmer of hope our world needs. 

Yes, tempers were lost this morning, and a talk is in order for this afternoon. The prescribed discipline will still stand as flat out disrespect and disobedience are not now, nor has it ever been, a welcome addition to the household. It isn't about shutting a child up, squashing who they are, robbing them of themselves or their independence, rather it's about teaching them to do it constructively, respectfully and smart. So that once they enter the real world they understand that doing things the right way is much more rewarding. So yes, a certain teen and I will be discussing how we each could have handled ourselves better this morning because this is not only a learning process for them, but every day provides a parent with the opportunity to learn and grow as well.

Easter or Frat Party?

Wow, as I'm looking around the house this morning I'm seriously wondering how I let this happen. We are usually pretty good at cleaning up before bed time rolls around, but I guess we were just too into the family fun yesterday and last night. It looks like a frat party (minus the keg and beer bottles)! The house is trashed! It seriously looks like there was a wild party going on here lol. I would share a pic but because of my OCD'ness thats just NOT going to happen! lol

So I guess I know what Im going to be doing after while, besides laundry that is. In all honesty, the flock had a great weekend, Sissy, Mimi, and Dede celebrated here on Saturday and then off they went to their dad's to celebrate there on Sunday. Bubba, Brudderbear and the Princess woke up here to little toys and chocolate for the boys and a big zebra, onesies and suckers for our allergic spoiled princess. Along comes Dede back home in the afternoon and a spirited game of whack 'em with Bubba at grandmas next door. What is whack 'em you ask? You know those giant pool noodles? Not the skinny oes, but the fat ones? Yeah, I think you get the picture. That afforded us a pair of broken glasses and a little girl with a headache from being without said glasses but from what I could see from our back door into grandmas yard, Dede gave as good as she got. I think Bubba forgot that even tho shes small for her age shes quick and cunning.

Guess I better go start cleaning the mess up, anyone have a backhoe and a dumpster I can borrow?

Saturday Centus: Deviled Eggs

Once again Saturday has rolled around, and that means it's time for the Saturday Centus blog challenge from Jenny Matlocks blog. This weeks challenge is a photo prompt and we are to write 100 words in rhyming form using this picture.

If youd like to give this a try (its a LOT of fun) or read more blog entries you can check them out HERE. Now on to my entry.

Little fingers creeping over so slowly,

Across the counter they inch towards the plate.

Blue eyes watching moms face so closely,

If she was caught, who knew her fate.

Almost to the plate, and mom cracks a smile,

Hands her a deviled egg and places a finger to her lips.

As parents we have to play along once in awhile,

Indulging little ones and not always with denial.

A smile and a hug, and away she will run,

All to soon she will be grown, moved, gone.

Relax and love, have some fun,

And cherish every stroke made with crayon.

Me Late? Never... Well Almost Never

The flock likes to claim that they can count on one hand with fingers left over, how many times they remember me being late. They are probably right, I have this thing about not only being on time, but being early. It could probably classify as OCD if you want to get technical. If Im on time for something I feel like Im running late, and if Im late even by a minute or two it affects my whole day, leaving me feeling rushed even when Im not. It is nothing for me to be 15 to 20 minutes early for things.

One thing I am almost never on time for is tv shows. I cant remember the last time I started watching a show when it first came out. My favorite shows were all watched by accident when my regular schedule was changed for some reason. I started watching House in the 4th season, Charmed in the 6th season, Supernatural just last week actually and its in the 8th season. See Im normally a creature of routine, I constantly watch the same old shows over and over again. Nick at Nite and TV Land are some of my best friends. So if youve started watching this great new show, dont worry, I'll catch up with you in a few years.

Meet the Lambs...

7 kids, all ours whether we conceived them or not, fall into the category of our children. Most days you would think it was more like a house full of roaring hungry lions than cute fluffy sheep. R and I were married just shy of 5 years ago. It was just me and my 3 girls, who for all blogging purposes will from now on be called, Sissy, Mimi, and Dede. R had his 2 boys, henceforth known as Bubba and Brudder Bear. Along with his 2 boys he often had his ex step daughter with him as well, let's call her Nikki. (All the aforementioned little lambs picked out there own names, so I say A+ for each of their participation skills) We made an instant connection, we hit it off as well as the kids and did lots of things together as a family before we WERE a family.

We made an interesting site going places like the zoo. People often stopped to stare at our group which stair stepped so perfectly it was ridiculous. Many even made comments to which R and I just smiled and chuckled over later. 

So anyway, off to meet the lambs... 

First we have Sissy who is now 16 with a diagnosis of ADHD. She chose two years ago to go live with her father. It was a rough move on the other members of this household, like so many things a teenager does, there was a better way to handle it. She lives roughly 3 miles down the road and we get to see her every other weekend and the typical divorce holiday schedule. She was my first baby and to my dying day she will always be my baby. I hope and pray that one day our relationship will again be as strong as it once was.

Second we have Nikki who is now 15 and has a diagnosis of Bi-Polar and ADHD. Nikki led a rough life with her mother and ended up moving in with us for awhile. Our area lacked the proper resources to give Nikki the proper help that she needed so she ended up settling in with a member of her biological family in a greater metropolitan area. The resources available to her are outstanding. 

Third we have Mimi who is almost 13. Every other weekend she goes to her dads house where Sissy now lives. The rest of the time she is the oldest little lamb in the house. She takes her job as the oldest quite seriously, sometimes TOO seriously. Mimi is the type to stand up for the under dog, if someone is in need of a friend, she is the first to step up. She is a loyal and a sensitive soul.

Next we have Bubba who is 12 and has a diagnosis of ADHD. He is a little powerhouse, who flies thru his day at lightning speed. He talks as fast as he moves, getting in 4 times the words as the average person lol. He's a typical brother, likes to pick on his siblings but look out if someone wrongs one of them. As quick and scattered as he is, he has proven more than once that he can be counted on during an emergency.

Then we have Brudder Bear who is 10 and has multiple diagnosis including, Aspergers & ADHD. There has never been a sweeter, more loving and compassionate child than Brudder Bear. He almost always has a smile and a ready hug for whoever he thinks might need one. 

Next we have Dede, an 8 year old whirling dervish of blonde hair and big blue eyes. Dede has been diagnosed with ADHD. She has been my sick baby from day one, if there is something going around you can bet shes going to catch it... twice. She is also our child with no volume control, hard to believe that when she was born her cry was so quiet you had to be next to her to hear it. Guess shes making up for lost time lol.

Finally we have the princess. At just over a year old it's probably safe to say she's the spoiled princess as everyone dotes on her. Certain members of the lamb population have to be watched for endless spoiling. We don't want a rotten princess after all. Her current hobby is climbing, I don't think there is a person or object in the house she hasn't tried to climb. She has even managed to escape the confines of the crib with some well placed blankets.

So there you have it, our little flock of lambs and probably the longest blog post I will ever make without pictures lol.