Mothering Many

That’s what we’re doing! After too many years of not being able to figure out how to take my wonderfully large family away for a vacation, we started camping out in the backyard. We have a ton of fun, and it’s pretty cheap entertainment, considering. Now, you might not need to stay quite as close as we do, but it can be a lot of fun to play tourist in your own home town. Las Vegas vacations for those in Nevada, and coastal excursions for folks in this area. Maybe even arrange a trade!

Just kidding. So far. Seriously, I can’t help but think that we might come out better with a horse and buggy than to continue buying gasoline at today’s prices. Really, horse supplies can’t cost four bucks a gallon, can they? And we could get a stage coach to hold us all, and that would just about be sweet. Except for the poop. Haven’t quite figured out what to do about all the poop.

My dh and I have a saying, “fly times”. It’s our shorthand for that phrase “Time flies when you are having fun”, crossed with where did the time go and how did it get so late?!!?? Have you ever noticed that as parents you can tell what time it is by the behavior of your children, no luxury watches needed? Around here, at 8pm one son becomes rebellious, hard headed and belligerent, and one daughter becomes clingier than a post it note. That’s when dh and I look at each other and I say “must be bed time!” and he says “fly times”.

It’s time to start running the kids through for sports physicals. Man, is that ever a three ring circus!! I schedule them three at a time, see, to get it over with. That way dh doesn’t have to miss 6 mornings of work, but only 2. At least they don’t have to get clinical laboratory services, because that would be a little hairier to do en masse.

organize picture files
make servings charts
make deal a meals
make tracking charts for sat fats and cholesterol
begin to tackle to do list again
get with youth leader
order baby shower invitations

okay, fooled ya, that last one isn’t on the list. I’ll go pee while I would have been doing that, ok? Don’t tell any one.

That’s me. I’m looking for new recipes, and they need to be low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Nope, not because I can’t find cheap Phentermine, but because I found out that I have to watch my cholesterol now. Fun, right? Yippee! Even more label reading, LOL! Heh. At least I’m reading, right? It’s not fine literature, but it’s reading.

Boy howdy is it hot here! The hair I convinced dh to keep longer last week was shorn today at his behest. I do love my husband’s curls, but he likes being cooler in the summer. After I got done with him, it was Stuntman’s turn. No buzzing for him, but a boy’s regular, one inch. I wasn’t sure I could still do it, my mother has been been cutting it for me for so long, but I did it! It’s sure is nice to be able to save money by doing the hair cutting myself, although I am spoiled and regularly execute balance transfers to my own hair dresser. One of the perks of being the queen of the house, I guess. I do color at home these days, though

I found out today how much it is going to cost to sign all the kids up for football and cheer leading this year. It is insane. Like, I think I might have actually gasped when I added it all up. Add to it the cost of gas to get to games and practices, snacks for the times we need to bring them, and I am pretty sure we’ll be edging up to a grand before it’s done. At least it will be staggered a bit. I suppose I am going to count my blessings: my kids are all able to participate, and none of them have to sit on the sidelines wearing medical id tags.

Why is it that the tighter things are financially, the more stuff the kids seem to need? Dh had a few slow weeks, and so we are catching up on a few things, and it seems like every five minutes, someone grows out of something, LOL! I’ll have a shopping list three miles long before I know it! Do you suppose it’s too early to send them out on job search a so they can buy their own clothes? Yeah, I was afraid of that. at least I can have fun shopping, LOL!

So, I am on the food pyramid plan, right? And guess who is on it with me! The whole fam, LOL. Not necessarily for weight loss, though that will probably be a side effect for at least three of us, but rather for the health benefits. Youth trips which involve all you can eat pizza joints excepted Good thing those are a rarity, because I think I ate the whole week’s grain allotment today.