Hey everyone.

Sorry I did not get to leave a message for you all on Wednesday. We were in the process of preparing to leave for my mom's house for Thanksgiving and realized one of the twins had pink eye.

So we called the doctor's office, and they sent in a prescription.

Then we realized the Princess had gotten ahold of a pair of the boys' glasses.

Mangled the frames.

So we ran those to the eye doctor in town, who bravely attempted to repair them, but alas, could not.

We'll be picking up the new glasses sometime next week.

We had to stop for gas, and then drove to Wal-Mart for the prescription. Where we waited and waited for an eternity (30 minutes) to get the eye drops.

Got to Mom's house, and got ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Had the family over for dinner yesterday. It was great, as always.

Came home late and put everyone to bed, me included. I was exhausted.

Got up this morning, hopped in the shower, and got out to the sound of one of the twins crying. He was throwing up in the other bathroom.

We were supposed to be getting ready to go to Hubby's family Thanksgiving. So after a quick call to Hubby's folks, we decided that I would stay home with the sick child, and Hubby would take the other two kids to his parents' house.

So I don't get to enjoy another Thanksgiving dinner, and I'm trying to keep the sick kid still because he wants to be up and around.

I know he needs to stay home and rest, but I was looking forward to visiting with family.

Oh, well. I'm sure I'll manage. Twin B and I will hang out, watch movies, and rest. Tough times, but someone has to do it.

Hope your Thanksgiving was good, and the rest of your weekend it fantastic.

Later.

Good morning, all.

It is a very foggy Monday for us. Got the kids off to school this morning, and Hubby off to work, and now the Princess and I are hanging at the house.

I've got a laundry room full to the ceiling (not really, but it's close), and I need to get on it. Which I don't really want to do.

I'm getting excited about the end of the book drawing near, and I want to finish it in the next couple of days. Of course, with the Princess fighting for my undivided attention, we'll see how it goes.

Thanksgiving is coming up, and I'm super excited about hanging with family and eating lots of yummy food.

We also had Hubby's older brother and nephews visiting for the weekend, which was great. The boys love hanging with their cousins, Her Majesty ruled the world and everyone in it, Hubby and his bro got to have their favorite political discussions, and I got to hide from everyone.

It was wonderful.

So that's about it for us. I'll check in Wednesday before we take off to Mom's house.

Later.

A Publishing Rant

Hello, all.

Happy Friday to you.

Today's post is more of a rant than a post, and it also has to do with the small, intimate world of publishing.

I am working on a book right now. It's a Christian romance targeted for Steeple Hill, which is the inspirational imprint of the Harlequin romance line (in a nut shell).

I only have three more chapters to go, and the first draft will be finished. Then the excruciating task of rewriting begins. I know several authors who LOVE this phase of writing (winking at Carla), but I'm not one of them. I want to get it down right the first time, or as close to the best I can do on the first try. Other authors like to get the "bones" down first, and then build from there, add layers and depth, etc.

But I digress.

A few days ago, the huge conglomerate of Harlequin Enterprises (or whatever their official corporate name is) announced that they will be starting two new lines: Carina Press and Harlequin Horizons.

Carina Press will be a digital publisher only. No print books. The story will be available for purchase and can be downloaded to e-readers, computers, iPhones, etc.

Harlequin Horizons (although I've 'heard' they are going to change the name of the line) will be a subsidy publisher. From what I have gathered, this means the author pays to have the book printed, and then they are in charge of selling the book themselves. Now, based on how many books the author is able to sell, the publisher will be keeping track, and MIGHT be interested in contracting that author for future books under a traditional line (the publisher pays you for your work, and not the other way around).

There are self-publishers out there who do this very thing all the time. And there's nothing wrong with it. If someone has a specific type of book for a niche market, say "Rare Birds of Western Oklahoma", and you're a part of a national bird watching group, you go to regional and national events on a regular basis, you have a monthly column in "Bird Watcher Magazine", and do a weekly webcast on "Birds of the Week" radio, then you have a viable market to sell your book. There's a good chance you're going to be able to recoup your expenses printing the book, and even make a profit.

But if you're just writing the novel of your heart, and you don't have a PhD in marketing and PR, you're going to have a VERY hard time selling your own book.

The RWA (Romance Writer's of America) [which I am not a member of and have no affiliation with] is a HUGE organization (10,000 + members) of published and unpublished romance authors. They have strict rules about which publishers are eligible for perks and benefits with their organization, and they essentially called Harlequin out on this new business venture, and the web has been buzzing with the fallout.

I know several authors who are RWA members AND Harlequin authors. What this show-down is going to mean to them concerns me.

The other thing that concerns me is selfish on my part, but . . . oh, well. What is this going to mean for my chances of getting my book published with Steeple Hill (Harlequin's inspirational imprint)?

Well, number one, I have to write an OUTSTANDING book they absolutely love and must contract right away. That's the first step.

But beyond that, I wonder if the move into self-publishing is going to have an impact on the traditional lines.

Steeple Hill is a traditional line. They pay advances and royalties for the books they contract, and I don't think the fallout from the self-publishing line is going to affect them. But it's going to be interesting to see what happens.

So that is the long, but stilted version of what I've been following for the last few days. And since I know none of you are really interested in this kind of stuff, I'll let you get back to the rest of your day.

Have a good weekend and take care.

Hey.

Well, today is another busy day for our family. The Princess is doing her best to wreak havoc throughout the house, and Twin B is home again. The school called yesterday afternoon. He had thrown up on the playground so I picked him up. Turns out he got to coughing too hard and it made him sick, but they wanted to be safe.

So I decided to keep him home one more day to see if we can get rid of the cough.

And that's about it.

Hubby is at work, and the other boy is at school.

The three of us will be hanging out, and hopefully everyone will be healthy again soon.

Later.

Hi.

Well, it's a cloudy, cold Monday morning, and my first inclination is to hide under the covers and be lazy, lazy, lazy.

But there's lots to do, and the Princess is a little too active to allow for hanging out in bed all day.

Twin B is feeling better and off to school. We're hoping this upswing in his health will continue. He had to miss the Thanksgiving program, but we were able to take him to his team's t-ball party on Sunday. They ate pizza and ice cream, and got their first place trophies. We just had to keep Twin B back from the other kids.

Because of the sick child, and the changed sleeping arrangements, I'm pretty tired, and have been for a couple of days. Hopefully things will get back to normal, and I'll be able to catch up on my sleep.

On a totally separate note, the other blog I participate in www.romanceyourspouse.blogspot.com is having a two-book giveaway this week, so you might want to stop by, leave a comment, and be entered in the drawing for a chance to win.

Hope you all have a good week, and I'll catch you again on Wednesday.

Later.

Hey everybody.

Well, the Thanksgiving program was last night, and it was too cute.

We only had one hiccup in the evening: Twin B came home from school with a fever, and couldn't be in the show.

He was so distraught, and so was Mommy. He cried and cried because he wanted to be in the program with everyone else, and we just couldn't let him go.

And I cried and cried (inside) because he was so miserable.

But Twin A did a great job, and was able to do is brother's part because they had practiced so much together.

Mimi, Grandma, Uncle Clint, and Auntie Misty were able to come, and it was great to see them.

So Twin B is home today recovering, and the Princess is torturing him mercilessly. I'm really going to have to find a way to keep her out of trouble. But the problem is I'm so exhausted, I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open, much less entertaining a two year old for the next 8 hours.

But we'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll perk up soon and be able to keep everyone happy and the house from being destroyed.

Have a good weekend and stay out of trouble.

Later.

Hello, all.

Well, we've had a busy week, and it's going to get even busier. The boys have a school Thanksgiving program tomorrow night, and I think we may have family visiting over the weekend.

There are mountains of laundry to be folded, and I need to mop the floors. In addition to the every day picking up, shuffling piles around, etc.

Things have been pretty normal here lately, which is a good. I've had a cough I can't seem to shake, though no other symptoms. I've been a little tired, but that's not unusual while trying to keep up with the kiddos.

Anyway, that's all for now. The dryer just buzzed and I need to get some folding done.

Later.

Howdy, folks.

Trying out my cowgirl lingo.

I think I'll pass.

So, not a whole lot to share this morning. The weather here has been beautiful for the early part of November. The Princess and I have gone for a walk a couple of days now, and hopefully we'll manage to get a couple more walks in since it's supposed to be nice for the rest of the weekend.

The boys are off to school.

Hubby is off to work.

I'm still trying to finish my manuscript, but for as wonderful as Her Majesty has been when we're taking walks, she's not so accommodating when I'm trying to type.

It's very irritating.

So I'll be sneaking in paragraphs here and there, doing my best to keep her distracted while I try to work.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and have warm, sunny weather to play in.

Later.

Good morning.

Well, I'm going to tell a funny on myself today because I feel like a total idiot and maybe y'all will get a good laugh in the middle of the week.

So last night, Hubby and I were working on dinner. We decided to make toasted sub sandwiches just because it sounded good and we didn't have to do a lot of "cooking".

We got all the ingredients out, and I remembered we'd brought home a ton of home-grown peppers from my mother's house over the weekend. A neighbor across the street from her has a garden and has been very generous in sharing with our family. And the peppers varied from green & red, jalapenos, etc.

So we're cooking and I grabbed a banana pepper; nice, mild, slightly sweet. I cleaned out the seeds, cut it into strips, and my son asked for a bite.

Sure.

I handed him a piece.

He took a bite.

His face turned bright red, he started panting and drooling, and waving his hand at his gaping mouth.

"It's hot! It's hot!" he screamed.

We gave him a glass of milk and Hubby stared at me. I stared back.

"They're only banana peppers," I said. "They shouldn't be hot."

Hubby popped a piece in his mouth. Same reaction. Red face, drooling, panting. "Not banana peppers!" He chugged from the jug of milk.

Well, yes, actually they are banana peppers, but I found out that if you plant sweet peppers close to spicy peppers, they become cross-pollinated and result in spicy peppers.

And the worst part is that I got those seeds and the oil all over my fingers and no matter how many times I washed my hands last night, I still couldn't get the spicy off them.

My mouth burned every time I got my fingers near it. Managed to burn my eyes when I was washing my face before bed. My skin sizzled all night.

Totally felt like a moron.

So I'll probably be avoiding peppers for a while, and I think my son probably will, too.

Hope the rest of your week goes well.

Later.

Hi everyone!

Monday again, and we're back to the grind after a busy weekend. We took the kids to my Mom's house for Halloween, and we got a ton of candy. I don't think they'll be able to eat it all anytime soon.

Of course, being my kids, they'll probably have it finished by the end of the week.

I got to stay the night with my sweet little nephew, and he was totally adorable, as usual.

We hurried home on Sunday afternoon so I could stop by my friend Lacy's baby shower, which was totally cute.

And today, because of the time change, the boys were up very early and ready to go to school. Like, arguing with me because we couldn't walk out the door that very moment.

I'm really liking the change this year because the kids are going to bed early, we're up earlier without feeling exhausted, and I've already gotten the dishes and a couple of loads of laundry going.

Of course, the Princess is feeling really good, and has been into everything all morning long. Hopefully she'll wear herself out playing this morning and will take a great nap this afternoon.

And I guess that's it for us. I need to go switch the laundry and start folding. Exciting. Not.

Have a great week.

Later.

Hello, all.

It's Friday!!! Yay!!!

I'm working on the laundry, the boys are out of school and watching movies, and the Princess is running around the house looking for attention.

We're headed to Mom's for the weekend. The boys want to Trick-or-Treat there, I get to help my sister-in-law with adorable little Hudson, and Hubby will be working at the farm with my brother.

So I have a ton of stuff to pack for the trip: costumes, clothes, etc.

Hopefully the boys will entertain themselves and their sister while I work, and then we'll be off.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to my friend, Holly!!!

Later.

Warning: A Rant in Progress

Hey.

Well, t-ball is over. The last game did not go well.

We did lose, which wasn't the problem.

We lost badly, as in, very unsportsman-like on the part of, not the kids, but the parents.

There were a handful of adults who complained to the umps about the scorekeeping, several of the calls, and were frankly getting hysterical about how the kids were playing.

They are little kids. Most of them are up early so their parents can get to work, they are in school and/or daycare all day, and then they are rushed to the t-ball field for the 6pm games, and expected to fully concentrate on the game? Come on.

It was a very cold evening, the Princess refused to keep her jacket on (she thought it was funny to take it off and make me put it back on) so I used that as an excuse to leave the stands.

It was just getting to the point that I was embarrassed by the yelling and carrying on.

Now, I want to make it very clear that I love all our little guys on the team. And I really, really like their parents. I think we've had a fantastic season, and a fantastic group of people this year. Hands down.

But this game, they were just over the top. I was unhappy with the way the other team acted on Saturday, and then our people turned around and acted the same way, or worse. Not cool.

I wanted our team to win just as much as everyone else. It would have been wonderful to go an entire season undefeated. We ended up being 8-1 and we were locked for 1st place anyway. So personally, I think one loss isn't the end of the world. The kids did a great job, they are improving by leaps and bounds every day, and the spring season is going to be fabulous to watch.

But we've got to bring the outrageous anger down a notch. Some days, it is just not our game. Some days, it is. But the adults need to keep it together for the kids. Watching their parents come unglued on the officials, the coaches, or the other team isn't setting the example I want my boys to follow.

So my rant is over now. Please continue on with your day, and have a wonderful rest of the week.

Later.

Hey, everybody.

Well, we had a super busy weekend. The first event to kick off our mad dash around the state was two t-ball games on Saturday morning.

First of all, it was quite chilly. We had the boys in long-johns and long sleeved shirs, plus hoodies while they played. The Princess had thermal jammies, jeans, a long sleeved shirt, hoodie, plus a lighter coat.

Second, it was muddy. The field hadn't dried enough from the soaking it got on Thursday. And twenty-something little boys from the two teams had way more fun throwing themselves down in the mud than playing the game. And the Princess was determined to drop herself into as much of the mud outside the field as she could find.

Third, our team played well, we won both games, but for some reason there was some sort of situation during the first game that came up from a dead ball play, an out for one of our players, and another of our players going back to third base after he thought he scored.

This situation went from bad to worse because the other team kept complaining to the ump (one coach in particular) about how our player at 3rd should have been called out, too.

The ump said no, dead ball (whatever that means), the kid gets to go back to his base, our other player was already out, end of discussion.

But the other team's coach would not let it go.

So the ump tossed him from the game and refused to let him back on the field until the start of the next game.

Our team was a little shocked by the whole thing. Or at least I was. I didn't see the problem. The kid who should have been out was out, the kid who should have gone back to 3rd base went, no one on the other team ever tagged him in an attempt to make a play so there was no reason to insist the player at 3rd should be out, too.

And all this happened in front of both sets of kids and their parents. It just seemed completely ridiculous to me. If the coach had an issue, it needed to be discussed privately, or after the game, but not in a huge scene in front of the children.

For all I know, the other coach had a legit complaint, and I just didn't know the rules well enough to get it.

BUT NOT IN FRONT OF THE KIDS!

Today is supposed to be the last game until the spring season. Hopefully it will be a good game. With no arguing.

If we win, we'll go undefeated for the fall season. But even if we don't, the kids will still have a good time.

That's all for now.

Later.

Hello, all.

Woohoo, it's Friday!

I would love to say I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend at home with my family, but that's not really the case. This weekend is going to be go-go-go for everybody.

Today is going to be me fighting The Princess for writing time, followed by picking the boys up from school and running to pick up gifts for my sister-in-law's baby shower on Sunday.

Tomorrow is t-ball, a writer's meeting, and a trip to Mom's house, where I am so happy I get to see my little nephew again. Oh, yeah . . . and my brother and sister-in-law.

Sunday is two baby showers, more time with baby Hudson, and scrambling like crazy to meet my word count goals for those two days.

The Princess has decided that naps are no longer necessary, which is making for long days for Mommy. Especially when trying to write. The minute she hears the click of the keyboard, she assumes it's party time, and crawls into my lap (on top of the computer), and demands her turn slapping at the keys.

And when I put her down, she throws herself on the floor and has a tantrum worthy of an Academy Award.

So this should be a very interesting weekend, seeing if I can get everything done.

Hope your weekend goes well. Everyone stay safe.

Later.

Hola!

It's the middle of the week. Duh. Y'all know that already.

I'm very tired today. The kids are feeling better. Their team won the t-ball game on Monday, we play again tomorrow, and two make up games on Saturday morning. I also have my writer's group meeting on Saturday afternoon.

Then we're headed to Mom's Saturday night, and going to my sister-in-law's baby shower on Sunday afternoon. Two of them, actually.

We have a busy couple of weeks ahead, and need to keep our family as healthy as possible to handle the frantic pace we're expecting.

Not to mention I'm trying to finish my manuscript in the next 6 days. So I've been channelling the Little Engine That Could . . . I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

Hope the rest of your week goes well, and I'll check back with you on Friday.

Later.

Hello.

Well, we are coming off an excellent anniversary weekend, and have landed straight in . . .

Disaster.

Hubby and I enjoyed our time alone, we picked the kids up, and had a pretty good evening hearing about their wonderful adventures with Mimi and Papa Max.

We got everyone in the bath, teeth brushed, and tucked in for the night.

Then about 1am, one of the twins crawled into our bed, crying.

"I don't feel good, Mommy." Cough, cough, cough. "I'm hot." Like a blazing inferno.

Uh, oh.

When we picked the kids up, Mimi warned us that they all seemed to have a slight tickle in their throats. We discussed symptoms and decided that allergies were the likely culprit.

We didn't think too much about it, and the children played all evening with friends. Everyone seemed fine.

But the wee morning hours rolled by with my son alternating between coughing, crying, and laying on top of me in the bed with fever-reducer in his system and a cold rag plastered to his forehead.

Hubby was smart enough (or perhaps a little chicken) to get out of the room and take refuge in the guest bed. However, his reprieve was short lived as the other two kids ended up in bed with him.

So what started out as a fabulous weekend at home with my husband transformed into a long, stress-filled night in the end.

The alone-time with Hubby was amazing. Having one son home from school and unable to play t-ball tonight with his team, while his little sister does her best to pick, pull, and harrass, has not made for the start of a good week.

But hopefully things will get better.

Have a great week, and everyone stay healthy.

Later.

Howdy, folks!

Hope you had a wonderful week, and have plans for a wonderful weekend, too.

I got a late start on my blog this morning because I slept in today. And the reason I slept in is because I had no kids waking me up with a running leap to the midsection. And the reason I had no kids is because they are with their grandparents for the next two days.

THANK YOU MIMI AND PAPA MAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I don't think there are words to truly describe how grateful I am to have this little bit of alone-time with my husband.

He's running a few errands this morning, and giving me the chance to catch up on my blog writing, and my blog reading (there are some interesting debates going on in the publishing world, but I won't bore you with that right now), and I'm hoping to get a little writing done before we go out this afternoon.

I have a mushy romance movie from Netflix on my coffee table, waiting to be watched, and we might even go walking at the lake, or head for the Botanical Gardens, or . . . the possibilities are endless.

So I'd better go. Enjoy your weekend. I intend to enjoy mine!

Later.

Hi everyone.

I hope your week has been going well. I'm having the hardest time getting going this morning. I thought I got enough sleep last night, but I am dragging today. I can't seem to wake up and get moving.

The boys are off to school, and one of the twins has a field trip today. He was very excited.

The Princess is feeling fine, and hasn't been sick since Monday morning. She's been wandering around the house, playing with all her brothers' toys, and having a great time.

I've spent the last couple of days working on laundry, and today I'm going to take some time to work on my manuscript.

If I can wake up enough to concentrate.

Looks like I'll have to hook up a Diet Coke I.V. to make it through the day.

Later.

Hey.

I would say good morning, but it's getting close to noon here.

The morning has been insanely busy with cleaning and laundry, and oh, yeah . . . the Princess puking all over her brothers' room this morning.

Talk about a foul, nasty way to start the day.

She was just fine before she threw up, and has been fine since then.

Her brothers were completely furious, and no amount of telling them they have thrown up way more times than her, and in way worse places than on the floor (like our bed), would appease their righteous anger.

So she has spent the morning drinking Sprite, eating crackers, dry waffles, and dry toast, and following me around the house while I clean.

No more vomiting, although she took great pleasure in prying the lid off her sippy cup and dumping the remaining contents down the front of her shirt. Thank goodness the cup was almost empty.

That is why I think this was just a little bit of an upset stomach, and not a full blown flu bug, because she seems to be having a great time today.

So I guess I'll get on with the rest of my day, and hope it doesn't involve cleaning up any more puke.

Later.

Hey y'all.

Oh, my gosh. I am dead on my feet. The Princess was wide awake at 4:00am, and has not been back to sleep since. Which means I've been up since 4am and have not been back to sleep since.

And this is after falling asleep past midnight, for me. She went to bed at her normal time. I really tried to fall asleep, went to bed around 10:30pm, but I just couldn't get there.

And then she woke up at 4 in the morning!!!!! I tried in vain to get her to go back to sleep, but it was no use. I ended up getting smacked in the face a couple of times with a flailing hand, and one well-placed foot in the mouth had me out of the bed by 6am.

Anyone who knows me even a teeny-tiny bit knows I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON!!!

I think the sunrise is evil, not beautiful. I prefer to crawl out from under a mountain of blankets and pillows to the bright, happy sunshine of mid-morning.

So saying I have been in a grumpy mood for the last few hours if a bit of an understatement.

But the boys are off to school, and with any luck, I can get the girl to take a nice long nap this morning. And I will be joining her.

Hope you all have a great weekend that involves plenty of rest. That's what I'm hoping for!

Later.

Hey everyone.

So sorry I forgot to post yesterday. My brain has been scrambled for the last week, and the blog completely slipped my mind.

Sorry again.

Well, I wish I had lots of exciting things to report, but there's not really anything going on. I'm working on a manuscript and rushing to get through the first draft so I can get on the edits before submitting.

My critique partner is doing the Book In A Week challenge, and though I didn't sign up with her, we are privately competing to see who can meet and/or exceed their daily word count. That's probably been the biggest thing I've had going on this week.

And the Princess is doing her best to make sure I don't meet my daily goal. Naps are a thing of beauty in our house, and she has become very selective about when she's in the mood for one.

This afternoon I have to take all three kids for check-ups and shots, and I am not looking forward to it. They need the check up, but I hate that they have to get shots. I know they're necessary, and I have to remind myself the whole time they are in the doctor's office.

And that's it for now. I'm off to get my word count in, and wishing the cleaning fairy would pop by my house for a quick clean up.

Later.

Good morning, everyone.

I'm trying my best to be happy and cheerful when in reality I am completely wiped out. The cold is mostly gone, I still have a slight cough, but the Princess continues to keep me awake at night, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get enough sleep.

We had a really good weekend, and with the weather starting to cool off, it's been an ideal time hanging outside with the kids. But at night, the Little Miss has been feeling frisky and refuses to go to bed.

Once the crazy part of getting her to sleep is accomplished, the joy doesn't last because she's been waking up and crawling into bed with us or roaming the house ALL NIGHT LONG. She doesn't just go back to sleep once she's in our bed, either. Hubby sleeps through it all because he's just lucky that way, but I wake up for every cry, twist, turn, and flailing limb.

I know this is just one of the many joys of parenthood, and this too, shall pass, but it's been so nice having enough sleep most nights, I'm getting kind of cranky with all the disrupted rest.

Anyway, we have another busy week planned, so it's time to get on with it. I hope you all have a great week yourselves.

Later.

Recovering

Ughh.

I am SO glad it's Friday. I've been battling a cold for the last two days. I've barely moved off the couch or out of my bed in an effort to get rid of the stupid thing.

Of course, her Majesty hasn't been making it easy, but I think the worst of it has passed.

And I owe a huge round of applause to my hubby for being such a trooper while I've been out of commission. The kids haven't been easy to handle, and the house has gotten a tiny bit messy *cough, cough* but it's a small price to pay for having the chance to get some rest and fight off these nasty germs attacking my body.

Plus I got the chance to re-watch a bunch of my favorite Burn Notice episodes (although I love them all, it's so hard to choose the favorites), so all in all it wasn't the worst way to recuperate. More like the best! (Yeah, I know, watching this show is an addiction. I need help.)

So tonight the twins are going to their school carnival, and tomorrow they have a birthday party to attend. Hopefully I'll feel well enough to go to Tulsa for a writer's meeting, but we'll have to see. The rest of the weekend will probably be spent cleaning up the disaster zone we've created over the last couple of days.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend. And I hope I feel better to enjoy mine.

Later.

Just Call Me Mrs. Grouch

Oh, man.

I almost forgot about the blog this morning, and the reason I almost forgot is because my brain is too tired to think straight.

Why is my brain too tired?

Thank you for asking.

My brain is exhausted because I haven't had more than a few hours of sleep for the last 4 out of 5 nights.

And why haven't I been sleeping, you ask again?

Thank you again. I'm happy to share.

My darling, wonderful, adorable, sweet, angelic little girl has been roaming the house at night, refusing to stay in bed, and waking me up every hour or so. I keep repeating how lovely my child is so I don't lose my mind and strap her to the bed to keep her in it.

And naps during the day . . . forget it. She's decided being able to escape from her bed and her room is way more fun than taking her nap.

Of course.

She slept for thirty minutes in the car yesterday while we were driving to pick up her brothers from school and while we waited.

She would have gone back to sleep after the boys got in the car if they would have left her alone, but NOOOOO!!

They couldn't stand letting her sleep. They picked and poked at her until she was wide awake and screaming her head off. Made the car ride home soooo much fun, and the twins are lucky I didn't lock them in a dungeon until puberty. My husband was quick to point out we don't have a dungeon, and I informed him that's what Home Depot and Lowe's are for. We'll build one.

And I think I'm getting a cold.

So now I'm done with my whining and off to make myself another cup of tea. Hope you all have a wonderful rest of your week, and I hope I manage to get some sleep in the next day or so, otherwise it won't be pretty.

Later.

The Princess' Birthday Bash

Hey, folks.

Whoa! Survived a big weekend involving lots of cleaning, a small birthday party, and children so hopped up on sugar we were peeling them off the ceiling every night to get them in bed. But once their heads hit the pillow, they crashed . . . hard.

But the Princess loved her presents from our family (THANK YOU, Mimi, Papa Max, Grandma Linda, Uncle Clint, and Auntie Misty.) She was wild for her new car (Princess Cozy Coupe from Little Tykes), her new shoes (sparkly silver and purple), and her new purse (hot pink and teal with Dora the Explorer on the side).

She sashayed through the house, climbed in her car, drove herself around the kitchen and living room, and made sure her purse was with her everywhere she went. And she repeated the process for about two hours.

Of course, after everyone was gone, she had more fun with her brothers in their new fort (the box the car came in), but she's been giving the car plenty of her attention, and she takes the purse and her new books to bed every night.

All in all it was a busy weekend, and we've got more coming up in the next few weeks. So I hope you all have a great week and I'll check in with you again on Wednesday.

Later.

Good morning, all.

Sorry for the long silence on the blog. I've been in Denver and then came home to recover. The conference went great, the workshops were amazing, and I got an invitation to query a publisher, so it was good overall.

My good friend Lacy won the Historical Romance Category of the Genesis contest, which was awesome! She sooooo deserved it, she's a fantastic writer, and I'm looking forward to saying, "Yeah, I knew her way back when . . . "

And I got a mention from the stage, so yay me!

Plus the other REALLY BIG news is now I'm an aunt!

My brother and his wife adopted a bouncing baby BOY. He was born on Friday, and came home with them on Saturday.

About 500 strangers now know all about this child because I ran around the conference telling everyone who would listen about this precious little guy. And I wish I had a picture to show, but NO ONE has sent me any photos to post.

So someone needs to get on that. Not mentioning any names (Mom).

The boys are super excited about their new cousin and just love him. The Princess is a little uncertain. She likes "the baby" (said in a happy, whispery voice), but does NOT like the attention he gets from everyone in the room, and not getting picked up when she thinks she needs it.

This weekend we are celebrating the Princess's 2nd birthday. In fact, her b-day is actually tomorrow, so Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Mommy loves you!

The boys had a t-ball game Monday, which they won, and they have another tomorrow. We'll see how they do. This is a team they haven't played yet. But they are enjoying the season, and it'll be over in a few more weeks.

And I think that's it for now. So much going on, and I hope I covered it all. If I forgot something, I'll try to post about it on Friday. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Later.

Stuck Inside with the Kids

Good morning, everyone.

I think it's safe to say I have officially lost my mind. It rained all weekend, which meant our hyperactive, need-every-minute-they-can-get-outside-to-run-off-their-excess-energy kids didn't get to play much the last couple of days.

So they tried to make up for it by playing indoors. Wrestling. G.I. Joe. Spiderman climbing the walls. Fastest racers in the world sprinting through the house.

And the Princess took her cues from her brothers.

I thought Hubby was going to throw them all out in the rain, and pneumonia be danged. They drove us both to the edge of sanity, and I'm pretty sure I got bumped over the edge a couple of times.

And the Princess also discovered a "safe" way to crawl out of her crib. Since she is already tall enough to reach all the doorknobs in the house, plus most of the light switches, she was up in the middle of the night roaming the house.

I had no idea. I slept right through it. Which is unusual for me. I wake up at the slightest stir. But I must have been exhausted because I didn't hear a thing. Hubby said she came in, got him, and he sat up with her for an hour or so. Then he laid with her in the guest bedroom until she fell asleep again.

Just a bunch of craziness all around.

So anyway. I'll be off to Denver in a couple of days, so I'll try to post before I leave on Wednesday, but I won't have anything on Friday.

Hope you all have a great week.

Later.

Fall T-Ball

Hello, all.

Yay, it's Friday!

We don't have a lot of plans for the weekend, but most likely it will involve kids and cleaning.

Last night the twins played their first t-ball game of the fall season. The team they played was their biggest rival during the spring and summer.

The first inning our team played very well, and we were ahead 6-3.

The second inning our team lost all focus, and since the kids are ages 4, 5, & 6, this isn't a major shock. The other team shot ahead of us 9-6.

I took the princess to the car to change her diaper at the beginning of the third inning while our team was on the field. I expected to get back to the other team scoring all kinds of runs. But our boys got their focus back and it was three up, three down, just like that.

Now it was the bottom of the third and our team was at bat. We got runners on the bases and got the score tied at 9-9.

Twin A had gotten on base and was at third.

Twin B was at bat.

I was in the stands having a heart attack. This exact thing happened last summer, but it was reversed who was on base and who was at bat. I decided it was time to talk to the coaches about switching up the batting order. I don't want to go through another nerve-wracking moment of will one son get the game winning hit, and will the other get the game winning run?

Twin B hit the ball right down the third base line, right where the coach told him to. Twin A sprinted home.

Score!

We won the game, 10-9.

I got home with a severe tension headache, and vowed to take some sort of tranquilizer before the next game so I don't get quite so worked up.

And that was our first game. Can't imagine what the next 8 weeks will be like.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Later.

Battle in the 'Burbs

Hey folks.

Sorry there was no post on Monday. It was a busy weekend.

One of the more eventful happenings was a throwdown in our neighborhood between two of the residents.

We live on a cul-de-sac in a planned neighborhood out in the middle of nowhere. We're a good 2-3 miles from town, but have lots of people in our area.

On the end of our street are 6 houses, including ours. 5 of the 6 residences have young, married couples. 4 of the 6 have young children.

On the corner is a lone bachelor . . . older . . . and unfortunately, very strange.

Refuses to acknowledge when anyone waves at him, says hello, or makes any sort of friendly gesture. Mutters at the neighbors when they are in their yard. Stares at everyone if they are outside talking in their driveways.

So apparently, the old guy's muttering and mumbling at people was getting on a lot of nerves. We could hear him making fun of the kids one day because they found a frog and were excited to watch it hop across the concrete.

Very passive-aggressive, antagonistic kind of stuff.

And even though we haven't been around for all the incidents, I guess the old guy's had more run-ins with the others in the neighborhood. So one of the neighbors, probably the newest to the area, finally had enough after the lone bachelor guy muttered something rude about his wife and infant son the day before.

The night of the big "brawl" the two guys met up at the end of their driveways with lots of yelling and cursing. And of course, we were all out on our driveways to see what the deal was. We kept expecting the police to show up because the confrontation seemed to be getting pretty heated.

Another neighbor stepped in to mediate the argument and see if there was any common ground between the two divided factions (all of us vs. the old guy). We hoped there might be some chance of making peace with this man.

After an hour and a half of getting nowhere trying to reason with this odd man, and finally determining he isn't playing with a full deck of cards, one of the wives went inside and called the police.

Ten minutes later the cops showed up, everyone went back to their houses, and the police got just a small dose of the strange man's personal brand of crazy.

So there will probably be more patrols in the area, and we'll see what happens with our unusual neighbor.

I hope you all have a good week.

Later.

Good morning.

This will be my 200th post. Hard to believe I have rambled on for 200 blog posts, but there you have it.

No celebrations or anything, just going to hang out and fold laundry. I wish I could say I have exciting plans for the day, or for the weekend, but it should be pretty uneventful. I think we're just going to stay here and work around the house.

I'm also thinking about shopping for a new blouse for my upcoming conference. I've had some money saved up for it, so I might as well pick it up now, since the conference is only a couple of weeks away.

Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend and enjoy the extra day off.

Later.

Howdy, y'all.

Going with my cowgirl accent this morning. So, anyway . . .

Another fine day. The boys are at school, the girl is sleeping late (woohoo!), and I am enjoying a few moments of silence before the rest of my day begins.

I will be headed for a writer's conference in a couple of weeks, and I am just getting to the point of putting my "stuff" together for the trip. This includes a LOT of things: clothes, conference notebook (which includes even more "stuff"), copies of the manuscript to use during workshops, arrangements while I'm at the conference, etc.

It's just a lot of planning, and then I also need back-ups for certain parts of the plan in case there are changes along the way. This is just how I roll when I travel. Plans and back-up plans.

Maybe I've watched too many spy movies.

Or maybe I've just traveled with too many goof-balls in my time (mainly myself!) and know that if it's possible to go wrong on a trip, it will.

So I will be spending the next several days preparing, making out my schedule, and looking over alternatives in case the schedule falls apart.

I'll see you again on Friday.

Later.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen.

Happy Monday. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. We were busy, busy, busy. We worked around the house on Saturday, headed for my mom's house that evening, and had a full Sunday.

Hubby went to visit his grandmother. My brother and his wife, and me, took the twins to see G.I. Joe while Mom watched the Princess.

The movie was okay. Both boys fell asleep at some point during the show, and my brother complained about the two hours of his life he'd never get back. My sister-in-law and I appreciated the sterling quality of the lead actor (translation . . . mega-HOT!), and there were a few funny lines.

Mostly the movie was just a set-up for the sequel. Lots of cheesy lines from the cartoon that only sound believable coming from cartoon characters directed toward an audience of 6 year olds. And anyone who never watched the cartoon would be totally unimpressed.

I enjoyed it for sentimental reasons, but probably won't be desperately trying to get my hands on the DVD.

Anyway, I hope your week goes well.

Later.

Hey folks.

Sorry there was no post on Wednesday. One of the twins was home from school with a fever, and I completely forgot to post that day.

He's feeling fine now, went back to school yesterday, but trying to keep him still while his sister ran around the room trying to get his attention was not easy. The fever broke pretty quickly, and besides a headache, there were no other symptoms.

This post is going to be brief.

It's a sad day.

A very good friend of the family, a girl I went to school with (elementary-high school), lost her husband in a car wreck yesterday. Her mother works with my mom, and her step-dad was a great friend of my father's. They had two small boys together, not even in school yet.

SO, so sad. And my heart breaks for this kind, wonderful family. I've known them all my life, and they are the best people.

I am so sorry for their loss.

Good morning, all.

Got the boys off to school this morning, Hubby's off to work, the Princess and I have had our breakfast, and now we're just doing our thing.

She's playing with her toys and watching a cartoon about bugs, and I'm just getting started with my morning routine . . . which includes writing my blog post.

This weekend was good. Mimi and Papa Max did come for a visit. The boys were a little out of control (I thought they were completely nuts, but others disagreed with me), and beyond excited to have their grandparents hanging out with them. But overall, I think everyone enjoyed the visit.

This week should be filled with the usual stuff; kids, house, and everything in between.

So I hope you all have a great week, and I'll catch you on Wednesday.

Later.

Silence is Golden

Ahhhhhh!

Silence.

Sweet, wonderful, glorious silence.

Hubby took off early with the twins to run a couple of errands, drop them off at school, and head for work. The Princess has not emerged from her slumber cocoon, and I'm sipping a cup of hot tea and working on this post.

Ahhhhhh!

School has been going well, so far as I can tell. The boys have both seemed to enjoy it, and although neither one has provided great detail on their daily activities, they've both insisted, "Everything's fine!" when I pushed for more information.

So today I'll be facing my usual mountain of laundry, picking up around the house, working on some edits for a friend, and trying to get a bit of writing done.

I believe Mimi and Papa Max are coming this weekend so it should be a lot of fun for everyone. And now I am off to switch the clothes.

Hope you all have a safe and fun weekend.

Later.

The First Day of School

TA DA!!!!

It's finally arrived . . . the First Day of School! I just can't describe how happy I am today. There are no words.

We got the twins to school a little early, although the parking lot and street around the building were completely packed.

Twin B was super easy to get into class because he's actually in the same room as last year. New teacher and new grade, but they switched some of the rooms around and he ended up in the same spot.

Twin A was a little more stressed; new grade, new teacher, and new room. He likes to know EXACTLY what he's supposed to be doing, and gets nervous when he's in unfamiliar situations. But Hubby and I got him settled and coloring before we left.

And Mommy and the Princess are hanging out watching Sesame Street.

The morning almost ended up in disaster when I woke up at 5am with a splintering migraine. I thought my skull was cracking wide open. My usual cure for a migraine is take 2-3 Tylenol and then stand under a steaming hot shower for 15-20 minutes. Then I lay in complete darkness and silence to give the medicine a chance to do its thing.

And normally, this works.

But this morning I woke up disoriented from my throbbing skull and skipped the taking-medicine-first step. I hopped straight into the scalding shower and boiled myself for 20 minutes, and felt only slightly better.

Then I remembered the Tylenol, took a couple of pills, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But the headache wasn't getting any better.

Finally, with help from Dear Hubby massaging my scalp just before 7am, the migraine finally went away. So we are both very tired today. Hopefully the Princess and I can take a nap later, and Hubby can go to bed early tonight.

And that is what's happening with us.

The boys are in school!!! YAY!!!!!!

'Nuff said.

Later.

Whew!

We've already had a busy morning. All three kids were up and tearing through the house much earlier than usual. This is because we've started putting them to bed earlier in the evening in preparation of school starting this week.

Yay!

Wednesday is their first day of school and I am soooo happy. We still have some things to get ready for the first day: papers to fill out and return, a couple of short homework assignments, and then we should be good to go.

Over the weekend we did a lot of work on the twins' room; cleaning out their closet, under the beds, behind the dresser and bookcase. And going through ALL their clothes to see what still fit and what didn't.

There was a lot that didn't.

And we rearranged the room.

Today I am working on folding laundry and attempting to keep the house clean for Hubby's aunt and little cousin visiting. Very excited to have them coming for dinner and staying the night . . . at least, I think they're staying the night. Hope so.

Anyway, glad they're coming.

And now it's time to corral the kids and get busy folding.

Later.

Hey.

I've been ill for the last day or so . . . stomach virus of some kind. Not pleasant at all!!!

But I think I am on the mend, and barring a relapse, I hope I'll be good to go this weekend.

Hubby took the boys to Meet the Teacher night, while the Princess napped and I stayed in bed (when I wasn't rushing for the bathroom, of course). They seemed to be comfortable with the idea of new teachers and new rooms. I asked if any of the students from their Kindergarten classes will be with them, but Hubby wasn't sure.

And other than that, not much has been going on.

I'm going to rest so I can be better by tomorrow. And hopefully the kiddos will stay out of trouble today.

Have a great weekend. Stay cool and safe.

Later.

Hey, everyone.

Wednesday. The middle of the week. Two more days to go until the weekend. Yay.

And that means only one more week until the boys are back in school. WOOHOO!!!

I am really too excited about this. Tomorrow we have meet the teacher night, and we take all their school supplies to the classroom. We'll find out later today who their teachers are, though neither boy has expressed much interest in who it will be.

So that's where we are. Counting down the days, and soon the hours, until school begins, and getting ready for a visit from Mimi and Papa Max.

Catch ya on Friday.

Later.

Trying Something New

Hey, folks.

I hope you're having a good Monday. Things are still same old, same old around our house.

The pet fish are still alive, and we had an interesting time cleaning their bowls yesterday.

The Princess can reach some of the light switches in the house and has had an interesting time flipping them on and off to see what they do.

I discovered Netflix this weekend and wow, I could REALLY get addicted to it. And yes, I know it's been around for a while, but unlike most of my friends and family, I am a tech-no-nothing. I am usually the last to jump on the latest technology in anything. All the new-fangled gadgets and gizmos (and even concepts) have to be out for a LONG, LONG time before I am willing to give it a try.

So there was a new show on TV I wanted to catch the back episodes of. I checked the website, but they didn't have the old episodes going back that far.

So we called around our area to see if any of the video stores had the back seasons out on DVD for rent.

No.

I could have ordered the DVD's from Amazon, but they cost more than I wanted to pay.

Enter Netflix. "Download instantly to your PC or TV." Sounds great.

Then I read the fine print. You must have some sort of converter box to watch instantly on the TV, and it takes a while for those to arrive.

But the PC thing looked promising. I got Hubby to check it out and he said go for it. I downloaded the software and was all set.

Except for one little problem.

The TV show I wanted to download wasn't part of their watch instantly program. I have to wait for the DVD's to come in the mail.

Okay. Not what I wanted but for cheaper than than buying the whole set, the episodes will be mailed to me, and I can send them back for the next season.

Great. I placed the order and checked for my confirmation email.

Tiny snaffoo when I opened the e-mail. The first season of the show is in a 4 disc set. They will be mailing Season 1, Disc 1 today. According to the plan I signed up for (and this is a great lesson to always make sure you understand what you're signing up for), I can only get one disc at a time. Not one season of the show, but one disc out of the set, until I mail that one back, and then I get the next.

Bummer.

But on the plus side, out of all the movies they had in the watch instantly category, I got to watch several that I've been wanting to see for quite a while.

So I'm not entirely disappointed with signing up. They have a free two-week trial, but I doubt I can watch all the episodes on the discs, including mailing time, within the two weeks.

But I don't know that I'll continue the subscription either. I'll talk to Hubby, and see what he thinks about it.

I hope you all have a great week, and I'll catch you on Wednesday.

Later.

Almost Here

Ugh.

I mean . . . hello, everyone. What a glorious morning.

Sort of.

I'm very tired and grumpy today. I'm basically counting down the days until the boys go back to school. Not that they haven't been great this summer. They actually have been very good.

But I'm ready for the alone time. I'm ready to not wonder where they are at any given moment of the day. One minute they are playing video games in the spare bedroom and the next I hear them launching themselves from their dresser to the floor with pillowcases held above their heads like parachutes.

Or they are playing outside on the back patio with dire consequences promised if they move, I switch the laundry, and return to find them gone. They had opened the garage door and were riding their bikes up and down the street in front of the house.

Grrrrr.

But they are excited about school starting, too. They are ready to see their friends again and get back to doing their school work.

So I guess I'm off to clean house and hang out with the kiddos. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Stay cool and have fun.

Later.

Summer Slowing Down

Hey.

Well, I wish I had something fabulous to report, but we're sort of in "Winding Down the Summer" mode.

The boys have been fascinated with their new fish-ies. They love the fish and we're having a hard time keeping the boys from overfeeding them.

They also got piggy banks for their b-day, and they love them. So much so that they are trying to carry the banks around with them everywhere they go. Not easy with a big ceramic pig.

The Princess got a hand on my computer yesterday and managed to rip the "A" button off the keyboard. So I am now typing minus the "A", and it's not easy.

I'm critiquing chapters for a friend, and we've had phone calls today about the boys playing fall t-ball, which they are very excited about. They want to play so they can win more trophies.

And that's pretty much it. I'll be very happy when school starts in a couple of weeks. We are trying to get their routine switched back to school mode, but this year the school decided to change their starting time. They will start school at 8:45am and end at 3:45pm. It's kind of nice for me, since I don't have to freak out about the early hours anymore, but I know it can also lead to being late anyway if we don't take steps early to establish good habits.

And with that final note, I'm off the fold the laundry.

Later.

Yo!

Good morning, everyone. Sorry that yet again I am late with a post. The kids are driving me nuts this morning. Although I would like to say a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sons! They are 6 years old, and I couldn't be happier for them. They are so excited about their birthday. We'll be having cake tonight (Mommy will be making the cake) after supper.

Yesterday we took the children to a water park for their birthday. They had a great time and afterward they got the one thing they have been asking for all summer as a present . . . a fish.

Actually, it's two fish, one for each of them.

My brother and his wife got all the supplies . . . fish bowl, gravel, net, food, plant, etc.

Hubby and I picked up the fish yesterday after the water park.

They love those fish. We have a deep blue betta, and a pale blue, green, and red betta. They got the bowl and all the accessories set up yesterday evening when we got home, and they've been clearing out their room part of the morning to make a special place for the fish.

This is good in one way . . . they're interested in cleaning their room and clearing out their old clothes in the process. But the problem is they would rather just throw all the clothes in a pile on the floor or throw them out in the hall than actually go through the clothing to see what still fits and what needs to go to Good Will.

So on that happy note, I am off to help sort through clothing and make sure they aren't throwing anything important away.

I hope you all have a great week.

Later.

The Weekend Is Here

Hey, y'all.

Sorry the post is so late today. My internet was down most of the morning, and only just came back online.

Hubby's older brother and family stopped at our house last night on their way to visit with family in Texas, but I had a headache and couldn't hang out with them very much. They left this morning, and it was nice having them here for a while. I wish they could have stayed longer.

The boys are playing cars on the back patio, the Princess is attempting to take a nap, and we all just finished lunch (chicken nuggets and fries) thanks to my wonderful hubby, who brought food home for us all. Is he a great guy or what?

I will be doing laundry later this afternoon, and hopefully getting some clothes folded.

The exercise thing didn't happen. Surprise, surprise. But maybe, eventually, I'll find myself in a let's get healthy kind of mood. Who knows?

Our weekend will be pretty busy. I have a meeting in Tulsa tomorrow, and we're taking the boys swimming at a waterpark on Sunday. They will be 6 years old on Monday.

Very scary. My little guys are growing up.

And that's it for us. I hope you all have a great weekend, and stay cool and safe.

Later.

The Battle Begins

Hey, folks.

Hope your week has been going well. Ours has been nice. Not too much hysterical screaming . . . from the kids or me, not too much wrecking of the house (although a good sweep through the main rooms to tidy up wouldn't hurt), and not too much else to tell.

Things are good.

I'll be hanging with the kiddos for the rest of the week, going through new clothes and clearing out old clothes, and reading, reading, reading.

I figure if I can't have enough peace and quiet to concentrate on writing, I might as well read. I'll also - maybe - try to fit some exercise in there, somewhere. It's not that I don't have the time . . . I don't seem to have the interest. It's one thing to want to be thinner, it's another to put the donut down and do a bunch of crunches instead.

Do I really have the will-power to replace a chocolate bar with 30 minutes of aerobics? Hmmm. Not likely.

But maybe I'll amaze myself and turn into an exercise junkie . . . and all you people out there who know me, stop laughing so hard. You'll wet your pants.

It could happen. I'll make the effort to exercise 30 minutes a day for the next two days, and I'll report back on Friday.

And with that, I'm off to fight the temptation of the chocolate cake sitting on my counter. I wonder who's gonna win that battle? Maybe I'll have to bump the exercise today to 45 minutes and hope I don't have a heart attack.

Later.

Hoping for a Slow Week

Good morning, all.

We had a busy weekend, and I would like to say a belated Happy Birthday to my mother (although I was a good daughter and did call her the day of her Birthday). It was on Saturday.

Well, we had a good weekend of cleaning and shopping, visiting with family, and getting Back to School taken care of for the boys, and summer clearance clothes for the girl.

Now, we just have to get through the next 4 weeks until school starts, which I can't wait until the day finally arrives, and maybe I can get back into a semi-normal writing routine.

I wish I had more to tell, but at the moment, I'm just so worn out, I can barely think straight. The boys are watching a movie, the Princess is getting in their way, demanding they show her some attention, the house is still in somewhat decent shape, and hopefully this week I can improve upon the work we've already done.

So I guess that's it. In theory, this week should be pretty slow. The weekend is going to be rushed again, but the middle of the week should be quiet. Yay!

I hope you all have a good week, and take care.

Later.

The Not-So-Clean Spree

Hello, all.

Well, the great cleaning spree got off to a S-L-O-W start. Like wading through molasses and cement. I have a big problem cleaning, messes being made behind me as I go, and re-cleaning the same areas twice, even thrice.

Plus we've had neighborhood kids visiting, and it's impossible for me to clean while they're here. I'm constantly checking up on them and worrying what they're doing (like using the closet shelf as a high-dive to the bed).

Since this has been going on for a couple of days, all children who want to play at this house will be locked outside and may only come in for medical emergencies. Or they can play at another house for the day.

And this is mostly for my benefit. All the kids (my sons and their friends) can be a trial, but they're really just looking for something to do on a long summer day. They're good kids (I really want to believe that's true), and don't want me being Attila the Hun, breathing down their necks, and screeching at them every few seconds because they got something out and didn't put it back, or accidentally spilled a drink on the floor I just cleaned.

So we'll see how this goes.

It's shaping up to be a busy day, and a busy weekend, so I'd better get to it. Hope you all stay safe and cool. Have fun!

Later.

The Cleaning Begins

Hey everybody.

We're just hanging out this morning. I have a huge amount of cleaning to do today, just because I can't stand the mess any longer.

Which means my kids are probably gonna get locked outside with the warning that if they come in the house and mess anything up, they're toast.

It's mostly just the clutter that gets us, and the fact that Hubby and I have a very relaxed sense of urgency when it comes to cleaning. We figure eventually we'll get to it, and when we do is soon enough.

But the clutter has officially gotten on my nerves, so it's time to take action. This will not be good news for my sons. Being the boys they are, living in a sticky world of dirt, grime, and chaos puts them in their comfort zone.

I am not so pleased or comfortable in this environment. It makes me irritated and cranky. And nobody wants me irritated or cranky, especially Hubby.

So the cleaning spree begins this morning, and I need to get moving. Enjoy the rest of your week and I'll catch you again on Friday.

Later.

Hey, folks.

Sorry I'm late with the blog today. To be honest, I completely forgot about it while I was trying to get the kids their breakfast, switch the laundry, pick up the living room, change a soggy diaper, etc.

If Mom hadn't reminded me, I probably wouldn't have thought about it at all today. How sad. My brains are scrambled for the summer. I've got to get the twins back in school and get things a little more quiet around here.

There is nothing new or exciting to report today. The boys have been going to "Big Church" with us lately. They don't like their Sunday School class, I'm not sure why, but they seem to like the loud, bass-thumping music during worship time, so it works out okay for us.

The Princess DOES NOT like being left in her toddler class, but seems to do okay after a few minutes. I really want her to keep going to the class to have some interaction with kids her own age.

The boys started Vacation Bible School last night, and were very hesitant at first, but apparently they had a good time. They'll be going back for the next few days, which will give me a chance to write for a few hours in the evening.

And that's about it for us. I've been writing, Hubby's been working, and the kids have been running wild through the neighborhood.

Hope y'all have a great week.

Later.

Long Night

Hey, folks.

This is probably one of the busies NIGHTS we've had since the Princess came home from the hospital after she was born.

And sorry again for having a tired and not-very-coherent post. Like I said, it was a long night.

Which started with a thunderstorm at bed time. The kids played long and hard yesterday, into the evening, with the neighbors. Well past their normal bedtime they came inside to eat supper. They crashed out in front of the TV and munched through their food while the toddler went to bed.

One of the twins fell asleep on the couch, and one fell asleep in his chair. The couch kid got moved to his room and stayed asleep. The chair kid woke up as he was being moved. He lasted in his room for all of one minute with the lightning and thunder popping in the area.

He scurried to my room with tears in his eyes. Mommy, could I please sleep with you? I am soooo scared of the storm. The lightning is going to get me through my window.

So of course I couldn't refuse. Hubby still had a few things to take care of on his computer and would move the kid again when he came to bed.

4:30 am rolls around and I bolt up in bed, a nightmare freaking me out. The kid is still in bed with me. No hubby. I stumble out of the room to search for him. Find him zonked out on the couch, TV on, head cocked at a weird angle that's gonna ache when he gets up in the morning.

So I wake him up, but he sleeps so soundly, he merely shifts to a less strenuous position and drifts off.

I go back to bed. A few minutes later I hear a high pitched squeal from the toddler's room. I check on her. She reaches for me with tears glistening in the nightlight.

Okay, so I'm a huge softie when my kids are crying at night. I just can't help it. All those protective, motherly instincts kick into overdrive. I carry the toddler back to the bedroom with me. Her brother's already there, so I figure one more won't hurt.

Only now that she's been freed from her crib (baby prison), she has no interest in going back to sleep. So she tells me all the parts of my face, taking particular pleasure in inserting her fingers up my nostrils while pointing out my nose.

She's also beyond fascinated by the fact that her brother is in the bed with us and wants to mess with him. He sleeps like his Daddy, and woke up long enough to acknowledge that his sister had her fist clenched in his hair, then went back to sleep.

Then I hear it . . . the magical toilet flush.

Hubby is awake. I hop out of bed with the Princess and we hurry down the hall and scare the you-know-what out of Hubby.

"Please, just take her. I've been up for an hour," which it had been by this point, "and I just need some sleep."

He yawned. "Sure, no problem." He takes her and she giggles and cuddles with Daddy. Yay, problem solved.

"Just put her back in bed when you're tired."

He yawns again. "I'll just lay with her in the spare bedroom for a little while, until she falls asleep."

Uh-oh.

Hubby is infamous for his head hitting the pillow and falling asleep. And I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not. It really is true.

"You should probably sit up with her, and try to get her to sleep first."

He waves me off. "Sure, sure. No problem."

I go back to bed, but can't sleep for worrying. Ten minutes later I hear thumping and thudding coming from the spare room.

I go check.

Toddler is NOT in bed.

Hubby is out cold.

I check the room.

The Princess is playing with the stopper-thingy behind the door. She grins up at me, points to the bed and says, "Daddy seep."

Daddy sleep. Yep.

"Honey."

I pick up the Princess and Hubby sits up in bed. "Yeah. What? I'm awake."

Uh-huh.

"You think we should put her in her own bed now?" I ask, wondering if she would really go to sleep.

"Yeah, I'll do it." He takes her and wanders down the hall.

"Are you coming to bed?"

Big yawn. "Yeah, sure. Bed."

"You'll have to move a boy."

"Sure, sure. No problem."

Oh, boy.

I lay down, and five minutes later hear snoring coming from down the hall in the area of the guest bedroom.

Oh, well. I finally drifted off, but it felt like one of the longest nights we've had in a long time.

And this was a really long story, so y'all get back to your day. Have a good weekend. Stay cool.

Later.

Good morning.

I hope you're all well, and staying as cool as possible.

Honestly, there's not much to tell today. The kids have been watching movies, playing, and turning the yard into a mud pit. Hubby's been working and loving his job. And I've been writing and cleaning up the more immediate messes.

So . . . I guess that's it.

I'm off to work on the laundry, and keep the kids from climbing the walls, literally.

Later.

Hello!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and managed to stay cool. There were parts of the state that reached 115 degrees over the weekend, and I'm sure it's gonna be a hot week, too.

Well, the boys LOVED their movie. They were SOOOO good, and I was so happy because there were kids everywhere and they were all chattering throughout the movie, so I didn't feel so bad when the boys asked the occasional LOUD question.

The Princess had fun being the belle of the ball at my mother's house, and my sister-in-law brought a sweet little girl she was babysitting over to play as well.

The kids played hard yesterday, and now it's back to business as usual.

I'll be cleaning and working on my chapter today, so I'll be back on Wednesday.

Later.

Controlling the Uncontrollable

Well, since my last post, Mrs. Grump has gone on a mini-vacation, but she could be back at any moment.

The kids have been bribed into cooperating for the next couple of days. The twins are determined to see the new Ice Age movie, and I have used their desire to go to the movies against them. (Insert evil laughter: Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!)

So far they have cleaned their room, picked up all their toys around the house, picked up all their toys and junk on the back patio, and have promised to help pick up the toys they got out in their sister's room and the spare bedroom.

And I've come to the conclusion that we have WAY too many toys in this house.

The fighting has been contained to the minimum brotherly spat because I threaten them with not going if they continue to fight. They grumble, but the screaming and hitting have stopped for the time being.

I'm just going to have to resort to mafia tactics to keep the kids under control: bribery, threats, torture (taking their toys away and forbidding video games), and confinement when I want them to behave.

Sounds like a plan to me.

I hope y'all have a great weekend. Stay cool and safe.

Later.

Mrs. Grump

Good morning.

Well, it's sort of good. I am a mega grouch today, and this post will probably be lemon-sour, so you might want to skip today and read again when I am in a better mood.

The summer is half over (yay!!!), but the kids are making me CRAZY!!!

The twins have figured out how to help their little sister out of her crib in the morning, and I woke up to an enormous mess. The twins are becoming more independent and the more they try to do it themselves, the more I have to clean.

They know where the Pop-Tarts are, how to get them out, and they even give one to their sister. But they have no concept of how to clean up the mess they make with the crumbs on the floor, wrappers left on the floor and counters, and the box sitting in front of the pantry and a trail of unopened pastries leading from the kitchen to the living room (this would be the work of the toddler).

Toys are dragged out, but not put up, and the constant laundry is giving me nightmares about being attacked by my washer and dryer.

When I make them pick up their toys, the high-pitched wailing can be heard in the next county, and I know the neighbors probably think I beat them on an hourly basis. And don't think I haven't considered beating them every hour, on the hour, just to make them listen.

I guess I'm just grumpy from the NEVER-ending cycle of cleaning up and it's dirty again before I can sit down to enjoy the results.

But I also know that's life with kids.

The fighting is driving me insane, and I completely understand my mother's policy of, "I don't care who started it, I'll finish it!!! Now, GO TO YOUR ROOM!!!"

As I type this post, thanks to a brilliant suggestion from my mother-in-law, the twins are locked outside, literally, although I am typing by the open window right beside the patio and can see and hear every little nit-picking detail of their skirmishing.

But they aren't doing it in the house.

The toddler is in her play-yard reading books, and doesn't have her partners in crime to bust her out. So I have a few minutes to finish this up, although I've probably been interrupted ten times since I started writing this post.

All I can say is I can't wait for school to start in the fall, and I am going to be looking for more ways to keep the kids occupied and out of trouble. And to keep me sane.

Hope you have a great rest of the week.

Later.

Hey everyone.

Sorry no post on Friday. We were at my mom's house since Thursday evening, and she has no Internet access, lucky woman.

Well, we had a good July 4th weekend. It started Thursday evening with dinner at my brother's house. The Princess loved chasing the dogs and kittens around their yard. The boys were pretty well behaved, and did much better after we let them play Mario Kart on Wii.

Then Hubby and Mom took the kids home, and sister-in-law and I watched the movie Taken. VERY GOOD. How far will this guy go to get his daughter back? Apparently all the way, and taking out anybody even remotely connected to her kidnapping or who gets in his way.

Very Cool movie.

Friday, Hubby took the boys to the farm with my brother, and the Princess and I hung out at the house. Mom got off work early, and we all went to the swimming pool that afternoon.

The twins wore their life jackets in the deep end of the pool and had absolutely NO FEAR going off the diving board. They jumped, dove (sort of), and flipped (yes, really flipped) off that diving board until I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I was sure they were going to break their necks, but they returned home safe and sound.

The Princess napped while the boys watched a movie after swimming. Mom sent Hubby and I to dinner and a movie (The Proposal, which was super funny, at least I thought so), and we had a great night. THANKS, MOM!!!

Then we went to the farm Saturday morning, got groceries that afternoon, and kept the kids entertained as long as we could until it was time to go watch the fireworks. We saw one show in a nearby town, not a huge show, but it was nice just the same, and then we came home and went up to my sister-in-law's parents' house and watched them and the neighbors set off fireworks. And that lasted for over an hour.

Poor Hubby started to feel sick before the first show, and stayed home with the little girl during the in-in-laws show.

We went to church the next morning, but again, Hubby stayed home and he still doesn't feel all that great today, either. Head cold, which really stinks, but hopefully he'll be on the mend soon.

We came home yesterday afternoon, and tonight we have an End of the Season Pool Party for t-ball. And then I think we can rest easy for a couple of days. At least, I hope so. I'm really tired and looking forward to a few days of staying home and doing . . . nothing!

Hope your week goes well.

Later.

Hey folks.

I hope your week is going well.

The boys won their final t-ball game, and did okay. They didn't play nearly as well in the last game, and it was obvious as a parent that the kids were just wore out on t-ball. They will be having a pool party next week and will receive trophies for second place in their division.

The boys insist they still want to play in the fall, and they had me outside in the heat yesterday morning so they could practice. But they definitely weren't into it. They whined about who got to hit the ball first, and when they were fielding, I got yelled at if I didn't hit the ball straight to them.

Not exactly a great practice. So we'll probably lay off t-ball for a few weeks to let them recuperate.

We have new neighbors across the street with young children, two boys ages 5 and 2 (the poor Princess is never gonna catch a break and have another girl to play with). The twins like playing with them, and I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of time playing outside with the neighborhood kids this summer.

I'm also gonna have to keep the house picked up and invest in a few summer necessities like paper cups for drinks, a ton of Kool-Aid, and snacks.

But today I'm having an early lunch with a friend, so I need to get the kids and I ready to go.

Hope you all get through the rest of the week. Be back on Friday.

Later.

Wild Weekend Rides

Hi everyone.

Well, as predicted, the weekend was fun, but HOT!!!

The kids all had a great time at the theme park. The twins were roller coaster monsters, and wanted to go on all the coasters all the time. If it looked dangerous or vomit-inducing, they wanted to ride it.

Their cousins weren't so big on the roller coaster idea, but the twins eventually wore them down.

The Princess did pretty well until mid-afternoon, and then she faded fast. Hot and wilted would be an understatement, but we found some air conditioning, continued to wet her down throughout the day, and after a short nap inside, she bounced back and was ready for the rest of the night.

The adults were exhausted, sweaty, and overall grossed out by the sticky, slimy, grimy day (or at least I was), but we survived and got everybody home in one piece.

Hubby's family had to leave early on Sunday, and we were sad to see them go, but we still had lots of fun. The boys went swimming with a friend yesterday afternoon, then we all (us and the friend's family) had pizza, and practiced t-ball that evening at the park.

They had a good time, went to bed as soon as we came home and got baths, and slept in this morning. YAY!!!

And today we've got to get to the t-ball field early because they have team pictures before OUR LAST GAME OF THE SEASON!!!!

I am SOOOO excited!!!

I know they had a great time playing this year, but I have to say I'm glad it's over . . . at least for a little while. The summer is getting hotter, and I am getting older, and I appreciate being inside with air conditioning during the hottest part of the day.

But I'm sure we'll find plenty to keep us busy for the next 6 or 7 weeks until school starts again.

And now I need to go get the Princess some breakfast. I hope you all have a good week.

Later.

Long, Hot Summer

Hello, all.

Hope you had a great week, and are ready to kick off the weekend. I'll be picking up around the house today and washing bedding in preparation for family visiting later today.

And I'm also gonna try to get some writing done, but somehow I don't think it's gonna happen. It's going to be a really busy day.

The boys played t-ball last night and won their game. It was HOT!!!!! VERY, VERY HOT!!!

I was ready to just call the game and find an air conditioner. But the boys played through and won. They were hot and thirsty, but seemed mostly unaffected by the heat. Lucky. I felt like I was melting.

We have one more game, and that's it for the season. There's the possibility they'll be playing again in the fall, but we'll have to see.

And that's it for us. Tomorrow we're off to the theme park for a scorcher, and hopefully we'll be able to find ways to keep cool throughout the day. I know it will be fun, but very hot.

Have fun this weekend and stay safe.

Later.

Our Day

Good morning, y'all.

Well, I'm tired. I stayed up half the night reading a book, which was great, but now I'm exhausted.

It was the new Janet Evanovich book, which I gotta say was totally hilarious, but it's definitely not for everyone. The language can be a problem for some people, though not me. My dad forgot more cuss words than I'll ever know, and he sprinkled them liberally into his everday conversations.

Overall, it was just a super funny book and I really liked it.

But now I'm barely able to keep my eyes open.

Plus I have my five year olds are desperate for something to do. Apparently the mini pool, sprinkler, bikes, toys, sidewalk art supplies, and every other activity in our house aren't enough to entertain them anymore.

Before he left for work, Hubby set them on the task of cleaning their room before their cousins come for a visit on Friday. He told them their room has to be clean by the end of the day, and has to stay that way, if they want to ride rollercoasters this weekend.

It's a pretty powerful motivator.

So we'll be cleaning, and I'll be trying to get some writing done, although with all three kids in the house, it's almost impossible. But we'll see.

Hope the rest of your week goes well.

Later.

Pushing Buttons

Hey y'all.

Hope your weekend was fabulous. Ours was pretty groovy. My brother and sister-in-law took the twins for the weekend, May God Have Mercy On Them, and Hubby and I got to hang out in relative peace and quiet with the Princess.

It was a good weekend all around. Got to watch Hubby's little cousin play in a softball tournament, even though it felt like 1,000 degrees outside. But it was great to see them and we were glad we went.

Yesterday we spent the day hanging out together and being lazy, which was also nice.

All in all, I'd say things have been pretty good for us.

But there was this thing I saw on the Internet the other day that really got me hot under the collar (not that it takes much).

A woman in New York is on a crusade against junk food in her children's school. She doesn't believe the kids should be getting sweets or anything not "healthy" for class parties, birthday celebrations in class, or any other time.

And while I respect her commitment to making sure her own children establish healthy eating habits that will lead to, hopefully, good health throughout their lives, her insistence that ALL children need saving from junk food by eliminating it entirely from their daily environment is ridiculous to me.

My sons and daughter are active little kids.

My sons have NEVER been chubby, and I've got the baby pictures and family members stories to back it up.

I can't keep weight on them.

I actually had a nutritionist tell me when one of the twins was in the hospital (for a problem completely unrelated to his weight) that I should start adding more fat to his diet, and give him more carbs when possible because he needed them.

The Princess was a fluffy baby with the chubby cheeks, roley-poley arms and legs, and heavy as all get out. She's also been off the chart on her height since her two month check-up. She's almost as tall as some 4 year olds I've met, and she'll turn 2 in September.

And as soon as she could walk, that extra flab melted away . . . or at least redistributed to make her look like an active, lean little girl.

SO from my perspective, I don't buy this woman's argument that it's necessary to ban all junk food from schools, including special events like class parties and birthdays.

I understand the need for, and expect to find, healthy food options in the cafeteria for school lunches. That is an absolute necessity, and I don't believe that should be compromised for any reason.

But the fight against childhood obesity begins at home, by getting parents to turn off the TV, put away the video games (unless it's Wii Fit and you're doing it together), and start getting kids involved in fat burning activities.

Otherwise (IMO) this woman is just barking up the wrong tree.

Anyway, so sorry to go off on my little (long) rant. I hope you all have a good week, and I'll check back with you Wednesday.

Later.

The Love of the Game

Good Morning.

I'm a little late getting to the blog today. The kiddos are already on the fast track to getting on my last nerve and I have a feeling today is going to be a long, hard test of my patience.

But on a happy note, the boys' t-ball team won both of their games this week. They played well, and are getting better at fielding with every game.

They are kind of funny. Twin A has a better grasp of fielding, and is doing better at stopping the ball and making plays. Twin B is a better hitter so far, and seems to be making doubles and RBI's more frequently.

Both boys seem to love the game and I keep waiting for the day when they tell me they're tired of playing.

But according to my husband, he never outgrew his love of playing. I know that if he could find an adult softball league close by, and our kids weren't such a handful right now, he'd be playing for sure. So he isn't convinced they will ever want to stop.

I guess we'll just have to see.

We'll be going to another tournament this weekend, but not for us this time. It's for hubby's little cousin, a darling girl who I just adore, who is playing fast-pitch softball. I'm pretty sure she's 10, although she may have turned 11 this year (I'm so sorry I don't remember, sweetie!!!), and I hear she's a pretty great player.

I can't wait to see her in action, although the heat is really gonna stink.

Oh, well.

So I guess that's it for us. I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I'll be back online Monday.

Later.

Catching Up

Good morning, everyone.

We are still recovering from the weekend . . . or at least, I am.

The boys have t-ball on the brain, and they've been "practicing" every day. And most of the time when they practice, they want me with them and they insist on playing during the hottest part of the day.

Apparently they are immune to heat.

I am not.

Ten minutes in the heat and the energy is sucked right out of me.

So they spend their time throwing, batting, and attempting to field the ball. No one wants to field and they both want to bat the whole time. Not the best situation.

On another note . . . well, there's not really anything else. Hubby is working and really enjoys his new job. His older brother and their family might be coming to stay with us for a couple of days next weekend.

I'm really excited about that. They are super laid back, although I will still need to get the house clean again (and this is my quirk, not anyone else's insistence, unless you count my brother), we can cook out on the grill, and I think they want to go to the local theme park which will be fun for everyone.

I am writing when I can, but the children are quite restless and make it difficult to get anything done.

And that's about it. We have a game tonight, another tomorrow, and one or two next week. Then there's the slim possibility of another tournament in July. We'll see if that happens or not.

SO I guess that's all. More on Friday.

Later.

Hey everyone.

Man, am I tired. We ran ourselves ragged this weekend, and I am beat.

The t-ball tournament went okay. The boys played well, but we were going up against teams with 6 and 7 year olds, and most of our team is 4 and 5 year olds. It did not bode well for our little guys.

Of the 4 games, we won 1. Everyone got trophies for participation, so the twins couldn't have been happier, regardless of whether they were 1st place or 4th.

But it was hot, humid, and pretty much sucked the energy out of hubby and I. Neither of us are quite recovered, and the coming week looks to be a busy one.

The twins are really coming around to the fundamentals of the game, and even after playing two games in the sweltering heat, they still came home to "practice" with their uncle, and then their daddy after my family left.

We'll see just how long this love of the game lasts. It might be no more than a passing fancy, and in another year they'll be on to another activity.

But until then, we have another make up day of baseball camp and 4 more games before the season is over.

I hope you all have a great week. Ours is gonna be another chaotic one.

Later.

Hello all.

Sorry my post is late today. We've had a busy week, and the weekend is shaping up to be just as crazy.

The in-laws had a good time watching the twins play t-ball, which they won their game, and we had a nice meal afterward. Of course the kids were hyped up, and a little difficult to control, but they had Mimi and Papa Max cracking up in the car on the ride home.

This morning Dear Hubby and Father-In-Law got coffee and donuts, which the kids loved (the donuts, not the coffee), Hubby got going to work, and the in-laws got on their way to Dallas for the weekend.

Hope they have a great trip.

The twins just ate another donut for "lunch" and I threw them out the door, onto the trampoline, to work off some of that sugar.

And I am taking a short break while the Princess is resting to rest myself. We have a busy weekend ahead . . . a t-ball tournament all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon, and I need all the help I can get.

I have a list of errands to take care of this afternoon, so I'd better get started. Hope you all have a great weekend. Stay safe and have fun.

Later.

Mission: Impossible

Good morning, folks.

It's Wednesday and it feels like the last few days have flown by. I've been trying to keep an eye on overly hyper kiddos while picking up around the house and doing laundry in preparation of hubby's parents coming for a quick visit.

The problem has been those previously mentioned kids.

They do not appreciate the concept of clean. I pick up, they find a new way to make a mess in the same spot. I swear I've cleaned the same four foot area of our living room 15 times in the past two days.

Now, most people would say, "Duh! Just keep them out of that area."

But the problem is that I've tried. I sent them outside while I worked. I came back out to the yard with holes dug all around the trampoline.

Hubby was not happy.

I put them in their room. Came back to check on them and they had drawn all over each other and their t-shirts with magic markers.

Mommy was not happy.

Sat them in front of the TV to watch a movie (which is also the "area" I've so desperately been trying to clean up). They dirtied faster than I could clean.

How . . . you might ask.

In ways I never really thought about before.

Snacks are an obvious problem.

But I was picking up clothes that had been discarded on their way through the living room to the bathroom for their baths the night before. They ran, shorts wiggled off legs, shirts flew into the air, socks, underwear, and everything landed in a trail from the back door to the bathroom.

I got everything to the laundry room and came back to the living room where the twins were supposed to be sitting quietly watching a movie.

And they were . . . buck-naked.

All their clothes scattered . . . again . . . all over the living room floor.

After twenty minutes of threats and hair-pulling (mine, not theirs, although I probably should have tried that) I got them back into their clothes.

Went to start a load of laundry.

Returned.

The twins are in the play-yard with their sister and everyone is having a marvelous time throwing toys out onto the floor.

This has gone on for two days. Perfectly reasonable choices for snacks have been crushed to dust on the hardwood floors. Toys that I put away in the toy box mysteriously reappearing within a few minutes. Sending them outside only to have a trail of mud through my kitchen, to the cabinet for a glass, to the fridge for a drink, and back out the door again.

So I want it stated for the record that I really have TRIED to clean the house. It may not be a sparkling example from Good Housekeeping, but I have fought a long, hard battle. But I am outnumbered, 3 to 1, and the odds are against me getting everything finished before my in-laws arrive.

But having raised 4 boys, including a set of twins, I think my mother-in-law has a pretty good understanding of the challenges I face. She probably even has a few pointers for keeping the kids out of trouble while I get work done.

Like . . . wait until their first day of college before you attempt to keep your house clean.

Have a great week.

Later.

Get Cleaning

Good morning all.

It's a lovely Monday, and I hope your weekend was wonderful.

Mine certainly was. The hubby and twins made it back from Arkansas with no visible signs of injury, and the Princess and I had a wonderful time. I didn't get nearly as much writing done as I wanted to, but it was nice hanging with my daughter.

And this morning begins a busy week for us.

Mimi and Papa Max are coming to visit on Thursday, which means I have a good reason to start cleaning the house. It usually takes an act of God to motivate me to clean, and I think a visit from the in-laws is a pretty good reason to get off my lazy bum and get cleaning.

The boys play t-ball Thursday night, and then they have a tournament all day Saturday and possibly Sunday afternoon, if they make it that far. It's a double-elimination tournament, so we'll see how they do.

And now I need to get busy. Cleaning, writing, and kiddos are going to keep me busy for the rest of the week.

Check back with you on Wednesday.

Later.