Tackle It Tuesday on a Wordless Wednesday

Add all of these together and you have a pretty accurate visual of the Ocean of Laundry that I've been doggy paddling through this week.



And most of them look like this....

Ehwww! How do they even DO that!??


So I'm Putting The Smackdown on it.




And I'm going to Shout It Out.

Because by yesterday of next week it will look like this...




Sigh. OKAY it will really look like this...

But I'm good with that too :)

For more Tackle It Tuesday's and/or Wordless Wednesday go see the girls @ 5min4mom

RTT: So Lotta Random, so little time...

I haven't done Random Tuesdays in a while because there have been So Many Other Things keeping me busy. So busy in fact, that I was actually scared to open my Google Reader this morning. But I Kept On Persevering through the fear and clicked on it anyway and up pops Keely. I just couldn't resist her Efficiency.

• Yesterday I did something new. I decided I was going to Embrace the FreshNewStartiness of Mondays. Sadly, Monday decided not to Return My Embrace. Rude! So.... Yay Tuesday!

• I think I am going to Stop Overanalyzing the fact that I over analyze Everything and just go with it. HOWEVER, I believe that "A closed mouth gathers no foot." which leads to me think that Brevity is Good. So I'm not going to overanalyze things Out Loud anymore.

• This doesn't count because I'm typing Quietly.

• Thing4 was talking to me after school about how his day had been. I was listening to him while I was cleaning the kitchen. Which means asking Alot of Very Specific questions if you want to know anything important and otherwise MMhmmm'ing in the right places.

Cause I'm a good mom like that ;)

• He tells me he learned SO Much and I was like You DID? That's Awesome! What did you learn? Ummm..... I can't really remember.

AND THEN... "My friend Jacob told me he has a coochie. Mommy what's a coochie?"
WHAT!?
Ya.
So, I'm thinking I'm going to be hs'ing next year.
Because if my KINDER-GARDENER is hearing that word,
WTSamHeck is my 3rd Grader hearing?

• Apparently, I do not Adapt Well To Change because I am NOT happy that someone broke my Facebook. WtHeck!? Really?? I LOVE my friends. So much. But I just don't feel the need to know Every Single Thing they do. Do we really Need to know every time they become Friends with SomeoneIDon'tKnow? or are a Fan of SomeCrapIDon'tCareAbout? NOPE. Not so much.

• Life Tip: Make sure you get dressed BEFORE you make your coffee K!? No need to thank me. I'm just Looking Out for YOU.

• My kids are So Freakin Excited about halloween being this weekend. We don't normally do traditional halloweeny stuff. But this year a friend is having a birthday/ Trick Or Treating party. So we're going to go. I just want to make sure that they understand that I get ALL of the Peanut M & Ms we are not going to crack out on candy for the next week.

Now go post your own Random Tuesday Thoughts and link up @ The UnMom.com because I cleared out my Google Reader and now I have absolutely nothing to distract me from my laundry :)

Ya so I had this amazing plan....

to Embrace the FreshNewStartness of Mondays...


I was inspired by This Post and some of the comments because, well, me and Mondays have just never been friends.

Fridays excite me because I know for Two Whole Days the only thing I really have to worry about is the kids.

Okay, let me rephrase that... The only thing I have to worry about during the day is the kids... and then I can get my CDO on at night Cleaning Up All The Messes because I don't have to wake up at the Stupid O'Clockk the next morning.

But they made Monday sound SO wonderful! All of a sudden Monday became so exciting... Fresh and New and Full of Hope.

Ummm... ya.

So this morning, I wake up to "IT'S 7:30 I WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE FOR WORK A 1/2 HOUR AGO. I gotta leave RIGHT NOW! Aaaand btw, the kids missed the bus.. "

Did I mention that we only have 1 car right now?

And I look at the alarm clocks (YES, I use Two) and they are both BLINKING obnoxiously...

Apparently, Monday is not Returning My Embrace. Thankfully I don't have to Depend On Mondays for a Fresh New Start.

So for those of you who are like me...

Quotable Sunday: Total Momsense :) Because THIS is what I say, on ANY given day.

And, Anita Renfroe just rocks. I was lucky enough to see her at WOF 2008 and she is Hi-Larious.

Momsense

Get up now
Get up now
Get up out of bed
Wash your face
Brush your teeth
Comb your sleepy head
Here's your clothes
And your shoes
Hear the words I said
Get up now
Get up and make your bed
Are you hot?
Are you cold?
Are you wearing that?
Where's your books and your lunch and your homework at?
Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat
Don't forget you got to feed the cat
Eat your breakfast
The experts tell us it's the most important meal of all
Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall
Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at three today?
Don't forget your piano lesson is this afternoon
So you must play
Don't shovel
Chew slowly
But hurry
The bus is here
Be careful
Come back here
Did you wash behind your ears?
Play outside
Don't play rough
Would you just play fair?
Be polite
Make a friend
Don't forget to share
Work it out
Wait your turn
Never take a dare
Get along
Don't make me come down there
Clean your room
Fold your clothes
Put your stuff away
Make your bed
Do it now
Do we have all day?
Were you born in a barn?
Would you like some hay
Can you even hear a word I say?
Answer the phone
Get Off the phone
Don't sit so close
Turn it down
No texting at the table
No more computer time tonight
Your iPod's my iPod if you don't listen up
Where you going and with whom and what time do you think you're coming home?
Saying thank you, please, excuse me
Makes you welcome everywhere you roam
You'll appreciate my wisdom
Someday when you're older and you're grown
Can't wait 'til you have a couple little children of your own
You'll thank me for the counsel I gave you so willingly
But right now
I thank you NOT to roll your eyes at me
Close your mouth when you chew
Would appreciate
Take a bite
Maybe two
Of the stuff you hate
Use your fork
Do not you burp
Or I'll set you straight
Eat the food I put upon your plate
Get an A, Get the door
Don't get smart with me
Get a Grip
Get in here I'll count to 3
Get a job
Get a life
Get a PhD
Get a dose of...
I don't care who started it
You're grounded until your 36
Get your story straight
And tell the truth for once for heaven's sake
And if all your friends jumped off a cliff
Would you jump too?
If I've said it once, I've said at least a thousand times before that
You're too old to act this way
It must be your father's DNA
Look at me when I am talking
Stand up straight when you walk
A place for everything
And everything must be in place
Stop crying or I'll give you something real to cry about
Oh!
Brush your teeth
Wash your face
Get your PJs on
Get in bed
Get a hug
Say a prayer with Mom
Don't forget
I love you
**KISS**
And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom's work never ends
You don't need the reason why
Because
Because
Because
Because
I said so
I said so
I said so
I said so
I'm the Mom
The mom
The mom
The mom
The mom
Ta-da

Now go see Toni @ A Daily Dose for more...

But shhhh.. she really doesn't like screaming.

PS. If you love Momsense you've gotta watch Total Momsense.

All we need is Love.

Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does.


That's all. You can continue with the rest of your day now ;)

WW: You're so pretty. Ya, I know.

I think I'm going to have to lock her up when she hits 14.

Just pretend like you don't see THAT MESS on my kitchen counter M'kay?

See more (possibly cleaner) Wordless Wednesdays @ 5 Minutes for Mom

Going Balls to the Wall... :7 Things to 7 people.

As in, Things I Wish I Could Say To You But Can't and Probably Never Will...

Did you know that the saying "balls to the wall" has nothing at ALL to do with testicles? It is totally a flying reference that implies giving it all you've got, so feel free to say it in church!

this comes from a very reliable source...

I have been struggling with some things lately. Several things, actually.

Remember when I said I wish there was a way to 27 thing fling my mind? Well, I have been Opening Up Boxes filled with Issues that have been Packed Up and taken with me Everywhere, and I have finally decided to do a little Decluttering.

I have some things that I think I need to get off my chest.

So...
I'm just gonna put it all out there...
Balls to the Wall...


Here we go...

• I hope that someday you can see me for who I try to be. And I'm sorry that's not always the same as who I end up being. Please, just... have a little faith in me. I know I can do this.
• I really really need you right now. So much. I'm going through some things that I know you could help me with. I want to ask for your help, but I can't. You are such an amazing person... and... I want you to keep thinking that I am amazing too.
• I wish I could find a way to share my Faith with you. I see how much you need it... and it's a Gift that I have been given in abundance. And, while I am soooo thankful for that gift, if I knew how, if I could ease your struggles even a tiny bit, it would be yours in less than a heartbeat.
• It reeeaaally sucks that you're never there for me when I need you. And, please don't take this the wrong way because I love you and I will always be here for you No Matter What but... 98% of the drama that you spend so much time worrying yourself sick over is Self Created. Remember??? The definition of Insane is doing the Same Thing and Expecting Change.
• I get the feeling you don't really want to talk to me. If that's the case well, then... just keep doing what you're doing I guess... But I think you're one of the most beautiful, transparent passionate people I've ever met. And I think about you almost every day.
• It hurts me to watch you never get any further than trying to make yourself happy. When will you realize that your flesh can never be fully satisfied? Every time you satisfy one desire, there will be another bigger, darker desire waiting to take it's place. This is where depravity is born. Please don't waste your life mistaking physical pleasure for love... or numbing your emotions instead of just dealing with your realities. You are beautiful and you're worth so much more than that.
• I know I've forgiven you and we've moved on. I truly believe that we are in a completely different place now. But sometimes I can't help but think about it. And... I still don't understand how you could do that to me...

Okay that was only a 7 Thing Fling. But I can only dig so deep at one time. And they were Heavy so it still counts as 27 ;)

Everybody needs an Emmett.

One of the speakers at the Women of Faith conference this year was Lisa Welchel. I don't know if you remember her or not but once upon a time she played Blaire on The Facts of Life.

To be completely honest with you, I wasn't really looking forward to hearing her speak. I don't know why. I have absolutely nothing against the woman.

Ironically enough, she was the one that God used to speak to me the most.

He's pretty funny that way :)

It was kind of weird actually because the details and circumstances of my life are nothing like hers. But the emotions and the isolation that she experienced... the walls that she built around herself... I was surprised to find that I could relate to every single thing that came out of her mouth.

At one point she was talking about when she attended a WOF conference (before she started speaking) and she went with Anita Renfroe, who spoke last year. If you're not familiar with her you should look her up. She is hi-lar-ious.

Anyway, she was sitting there listening to Marilyn Meberg (also VERY funny!) talk about all of these things she's been through and how she wouldn't have been able to make it through any of it without Emmett who was this amazing friend and then she went on to describe their friendship...

And Lisa Welchel talked about how it just hit her, right then and there how she had closed herself off from having open authentic relationships with other women and other people for so long and all she could do was sit there and cry...

And she said (this is Lisa talking...), "Anita took one look at me and asked 'You don't have an Emmett do you?' And I said 'Noooooo.' and then Anita says 'Well... I would make a sucky Emmett but I'm going to pray for you to find yours.'

And as I was sitting there... in that arena filled with thousands of other women... listening to her share her life I realized that I have done the same exact thing.

I have built walls around myself so high and so solid that it would probably take longer to tear them down than the Great Wall of China.

As I came to this realization, the tears just started streaming and all I could do was just Pray for God to start tearing down those walls... and to send me my Emmett too.

Since that little Emotional Breakdown I've also realized that there are things that I am meant to share with others. That I need to stop feeling unworthy and ashamed and... afraid.

He has plans for me. Because somewhere out there is someone who needs ME to be their Emmett.

OMGosh! This week has been SO busy!

I am not doing ANYTHING today!

• School started Tuesday:)
• Thing4 started Kindergarten.
• I've been reading all of these posts about kids starting kindergarten.
• So many mom's are sad or anxious.
• Ya. You won't find any of that here.
• I've been doing the happy dance all.week.long.
• This week has been the most awesomely amazing week.
• Tuesday was the Best.Day.EVER!
• I would have run outside yelling that, as some people may have pictured me doing...
• But I figured the neighbors have seen more than enough of me lately already. You'reWelcomeVeryMuch!
• So I restrained myself ;)
• My Martha Brain thrives on anything that requires Planning, Scheduling, Organizing and LISTS!
• She has totally taken over so I am In.The.Zone
• It only took me like 30/45 minutes to clean the.entire.house.
• I had time to do *prek with Thing5.
• She practiced the letter A, shapes and colors.
• She also poured half a bottle of BedHead conditioner down the TIOLET!
• And.. ummm... gave herself a haircut... with the clippers... while I was making breakfast...
• Guess who left those down??? And PLUGGED IN!
• I got to dance around the family room with Thing6.
• We were totally rockin out to Ren & Stimpy.
• I have decided to stop fighting Martha and just embrace the sickness.

• I LOVE planning.
• Routines excite me.
• Schedules get me all hot and bothered.
• I won't even tell you what Lists do to me...
• Yes! I admit it! Cleaning turns me on!
• I am a MUCH better mom during the school year.
• Whatever.
• I am an organizer to the point of rampant OCDism.
• And I am Okay with that.
• Thing1 is homeschooling.
• The 6th grade curriculum was apparently not appealing enough....
• And the thought of getting naked in a locker room full of other people just sealed the deal for him.
• SO on top of the required curriculum... he is adding a course in media/graphic design and one of his (chosen) projects is to create a Graphic Novel.
• The Ultimate.Kid.Alliance vs Supermommy.
• MMMhmmmm.
• Do you think I should be worried?
• Because... I'm a little worried.
• What if they do this in real life? And win???

Cate seems to be
pretty busy today...

Bleeding, PeePee dancing, Flashing... You know... All of the usual stuff you do in a week...

• So last week was a pretty interesting week.
• Not exactly the Most.Hellacious.Day.EVER! type of week, but still... definitely not boring.
• Not that we actually have very many boring days around here to begin with.
• The more I think about it... boring could be good for a little while.
• Just so you know...
• I am NOT writing anything else about PEE or URINE or POTTY TRAINING EVER again!
• For 2 reasons.

1. It seems to be prophetic.

2. Someone searched peepee dance aaaaand my blog came up 1st thing.

Along with some really really freaky creepy stuff.

Like anonymous peepee dance groups.

And strange videos.

And peepee kings.

Did you know that someone will actually PAY you to do ...er... wierd peepee dance stuff????

May I just say.... EEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

And those are just things that I saw right off the search page. I was too creeped out to actually click on any of those links....

So, no more peepee here. Nope. You will not see that word here again.

As far as the internet is concerned... we no longer pee at my house ;)

• Thing5 busted her head open. As in huge hole in her forehead with LOTS of blood loss and screaming and gnashing of teeth.
• 4 stitches worth of busting her head open actually.
• She hit it on the edge of a concrete bench.
• Out of 6 kids she's the first to have to be rushed to the E.R.
• So I'm doing pretty darn good here!
• And she was AMAZING.
• Beyond amazing.
• The.MOST.Amazing.Child.EVER!
• When they came in to do the stitches the guy wanted to *papoose her. As in wrap her up in a sheet like a mummy so she couldn't move.
• WTH??
• The guy was like "Yeah it just makes it easier to keep them still. We've found that most kids fight us when it comes time to do stitches.
• Umm... YA! I'm sure the whole mummy sheet thing has NOTHING to do with that.
• So I was adamant about NO turning my sweet little 3yo into a mummy. And we told her she had to lay down and be really really still so the doctor could put the *string band aids in her head so it can heal.
• She says "It's okay. God is already healing it."
• And I told her that God sent the doctors to give her band aids"
• She laid perfectly still the whole.entire.time.
• She didn't move.
• She didn't cry.
• She didn't even whimper.
• It's like she just went inside herself until it was all over.
• She was absolute awesomeness.
• So I gave her my peanut M&M's.

• I think Thing2 is showing Doctor Potential.

Thing2: "I know just what to do mommy! Thing5... What does 2+2 equal???"

Thing5... who just turned 3 and has NO idea what 2+2 equals on ANY day: "2+2 equals... my head is BLEEDING!"

Thing2: "OH MY GOSH I think she has BRAIN DAMAGE!"

• I read something about the more colorful your food is the better it’s supposed to be for you. I think I might even have read it on one of the rtt's from last week.

• So I'm wondering if that's real.

• And if it includes M&M's.

• Because if it is true then they should definitely count.

• They are VERY colorful ;)

• Apparently I am now in the *business of flashing.
• Construction crews no less.
• I had a lil help from Thing6.

I was outside talking to a neighbor holding a WIGGLY Thing6. Who decided to pull my shirt down. And you could see.. well..things that are usually NOT seen by the general public... And to top it all off 3 construction trucks happened to be rolling by... death by mortification....

You can read more Random Thoughts at