Simple things are so important

Listen up....
                   To all you people who want to be parents... Your responsibilities do not end when your kids turn 18 so don't even have them if you think that happens. Also, you have to still take care of your kids after they stop pooping in their pants, stop needing their shoes tied and food cut up. You have to take them to the doctors, make sure they do well in school, take them to the dentist every 6 months. As well as cleaning their clothes and being their personal chauffeur you also have the responsibility to guide them to be respectable citizens. 18 comes quick and no one wants another loser lurking around so you have to make sure you have what it takes to do all you can to ensure you are not adding to the welfare society. Hey, sometimes good people have bad kids. It happens and we all feel for them but let's be honest.. that is not the norm...
               However once in awhile great people are born from bad stock and they overcome their situation and never go back. These people become successful and good parents. God must know they are special so they grow up and the things people take for granted are things they never miss. Simple things like taking their kids to the dentist regularly and making school and church important.
              I know someone that special and happy to have that person in my life..

What a day in my life

AHHH. Today... Just another Thursday and..........
A broken AC, a broken van in need of a backordered part not available in the USA at the moment, 2 bloody noses, an eye dr apt ( which left me blind for a bit after dilation), some braces removed (Sadie's teeth look great), a few fights... enough to leave some in a really bad mood however this is life for me so I shake off the stress and look to the positive....
A minor AC repair, a loaner van since mine will be awhile, a positive 20/20 vision appointment (lets not talk about reading though), some really great friends and cousin (Kathy, Jess) to help me out..
And one great laugh when Kathy said they would probably give me a shitty loaner when they took a look at my dirty van and I was given the same vehicle as mine but brand new and shiny!!!
All of these things are a part of every day life... lots of crying kids, occasional fights, lots of spills and toys all over. I get angry sometimes but only for a moment except if....
Joey recently told me (and he is a man of few words) that as soon as someone pisses me off I am ready to just write them off and I hold a grudge (true) forever and I need to stop it. This really bothered me so I thought about it for awhile and then decided that although I can be hot headed at times ( I love throwing things) that really whenever I feel the need to "write someone off" they may have done me wrong but mostly they have done my kids wrong or maybe even my husband. Don't mess with my young or I might have to go all mama bear on your ass.
So the bad days don't get me down. You will rarely find me crying over these things but anyone that knows me can understand when I say that whenever my kids are treated unfairly those people will be evicted from the Golden home with no chance of seeing my HOH room!

Regrets and Penance

I have done a lot of wrong things in my life. Spent some time being a not so good person occasionally. I think if the wrong things lead you to be a better person than it all happened for a reason. We all have regrets. My regrets when I was younger were self fulfilling. Kind of like.. If I had done this then these things would be better for ME.. Now that I am older my regrets are more about how the things I did affected the people around me. That has become my biggest regret. I can say that I am not a hypocrite but I do now sometimes think I am an expert and give my opinion freely.( Please just nod and agree. ) Anyway Live with your heart and live by God!! It pays off. Although I still wish my kids could have the equality that I never had I am thankful they have the parents I always wanted ( no offense Gladys and Earl.. I appreciate all the love and that is why I am who I am. )and always wanted to be. Another regret for earlier years that I have made up for with actions and not words!

Lets share some family stories

I know many people believe they live in dysfunctional families but let me just say that if awards were given for dysfunctionality in families I would win hands down! In my world my ex husband has a relationship with my parents and I don't. Let me be clear when I say that this may be just one example of why I don't speak to my mother. I would give the laundry list but I am not writing a book today. I was just outside helping Mitch pack his car up for college when he told me that he had lunch with his dad, stepmom and siblings last weekend at his grandparents house (and not his dads parents.) Don't get me wrong I am glad for Mitch that he sees all of them but at that moment it never became more clear to me that I truly made the right decision when I disowned my mother and reclaimed my values. Also let me state that as of late I have been struggling and reevaluating our current status after she reached out to me, wondering if maybe this time she actually had changed. How does it go " a leopard doesn't change its spots." Maybe one day I will actually put down all the sordid  details of my life on paper. Also I will for the record state that there have been times of happiness with my mother but I also over looked a lot of the obvious to achieve that. Also there isn't hate in my veins, sometimes jealousy when others are sharing times together as a family but I AM AT PEACE! I no longer care about the lies that are spoken so she feels better about herself. I love living the truth. The truth that I will always love her and truly harbor no resentment anymore. I have forgiveness in my heart and soul. Only my forgiveness also includes forgiving myself for what will never be again. 
Since we all live with some dysfuntionality I encourage you to comment on the blog page. Write it out and see others stories.

Riley Strong.. an amazing girl..an amazing family

Everyone has a bad day here and there. Any mother and father knows there are days when we think we will never survive another like this one. Kids screaming and fighting and other things go wrong like the roof leaking, a bill you can't pay, a fight with your spouse, an appliance goes up and we say " God doesn't give you more than you can handle". At that moment we think God must think we can handle a lot. Well...

This is a story about a family dear to my heart. Many years ago a young woman named Wendy started getting her hair done by me. We shared a mutual friend. She got married and had a beautiful baby girl named Rebecca. Like all married people they had a rough patch and then along came another perfect baby girl, Riley. The second of what became three girls. Riley was just as well behaved and easy as the first but over time things just didn't seem right. Turns out after many tests that Riley has Angelmans syndrome. Riley doesn't speak and it was a struggle to learn to walk along with many other things. Thankfully Wendy and her husband Jimmy were just blessed that Riley didn't suffer from the health problems that plagued so many with the same syndrome. Until.. the seizures started and then long stays at the hospital. Finally after trying many things Riley once again was healthy and thriving and more adventurous, even learning to roller skate with assistance. Wendy never let Riley's condition slow her down, never uses it as an excuse to stop enjoying life. She is  definitely the root of the saying " When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. " Always upbeat even when her own health wasn't the greatest. Wendy takes her kids to the beach, they play sports, she takes them in the pool. She is just a great mom with three great kids.

A few days ago while unpacking from a beach trip Riley wandered off and fell in the pool. Wendy found her just a couple minutes later and along with her oldest daughter performed CPR and Riley is on a ventilator at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Imagine how a parent must feel. This was a horrible accident that happened to good people. I am sure this leaves this family wondering... why them??? Haven't they been handed enough to deal with, enough for a lifetime?

I beg you to keep Riley in your prayers. Pray for this family to stay together whole here on earth. And also the next time you have a bad day remember this story. Don't think about it as being luckier than them. Think about the strength, love and courage they have and strive to have the same in your own lives.

God Bless Jimmy, Wendy, Becca, Riley and Mackensie King

Camping and cats

Every day of my life is blog worthy. I just run out of time to write daily. It's actually quite a shame because funny things happen everyday around here.

For the first time in quite awhile Joey and I had 5 days together with the kids camping. We had a great time once he stopped complaining about all the things I do wrong.  See Anal Annie (aka Joey) thinks that the kids shouldn't break anything or dirty up anything. I think that only happens if you have a normal amount of children and I am thinking that only reduces the odds slightly. I am not sure why he thinks that the trailer would fare better than the house and all the broken furniture and clutter around here. However we truly had a great time and I am reminded how much I miss him on a daily basis. The kids hit some milestones and it was nice that Joey got to see them. Violet stopped giving everyone dirty looks and started talking and just telling everyone what she thinks of them. Charlotte is swimming without swim aids. (maybe now she will finally get big enough to give up the ninny) Oh and lets not forget the proud moment once we got home when Violet took off her diaper and pooped in the yard like a dog. I am so glad Joey didn't miss that moment. Also Sadie broke Joey down and he gave in to a new kitten.

We promised the kids a kitten and we made good on that. Yesterday we took all my kids plus 2 extras to animal control. We are quite a loud crew so I am not surprised that a cat got spooked and scratched Aaron. (always Aaron who gets hurt) Poor cat got quarantined and we had to file a report with the county. Really!!! Well we adopted a cute little kitten and then I got myself a discount kitty($16). A nice one eyed older cat with a crooked tail. Joey didn't have to tell me twice that I could go back and save the ugly cat.(He will never say but he wanted him too) I am thinking this is his ninth life so lets hope he doesn't think the needle would've been better than spending his days in this crazy house.

Just for informational purposes.... There are lots of cats needing good homes at animal control. Many are free because the people who gave them up prepaid for them to go to a new home. If you have room in your heart and home try one.. Discount kitties are pretty grateful to have you.

Summer.. here it comes!!

As a child I remember counting the days til summer break.  As an adult and mother to many I no longer count the days until school lets out. I begin counting the days until school starts again.  Let me clarify....  Since I spend all my days at home with the little kids it may not seem like a big deal to have the 2 big kids join them.  However chaos begins daily when the school bus pulls up so I can only imagine what summer will hold. Sure, we spend all of our weekends together now but Monday always comes. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. I just would like them more if they didn't annoy me so much. Sadie can't utter a word without whining or crying and there is also the door slamming, feet stomping as she's yelling that I am not fair. Oh and the constant need for entertainment. "Can I go here? Can my friend come over? and will you take me to five below."
Now Aaron isn't nearly as annoying. That is probably because he asks for little. However he has this annoying DS game that he has to make loud noises as he plays and after awhile he sounds like he has Turets.
All of this aside I still love summer and it is my favorite time of the year. And this year I am even keeping a few other kids a couple days a week. I figure mine will bother me way less if I have others to focus on. It also helps that I can drink this summer since I am not knocked up. I think beer companies should mail out coupons like baby formula companies do. Or better yet... the baby store should sell beer. Maybe I will add that to the comment card next time.
Happy Summer my friends!!!!