Officially 30

I'm officially the big 3-0. I have one mean friend who made me an "over the hill" graphic for another group we belong too. Wasn't that mean of her? I don't FEEL old. Well actually I do, but I don't feel that old!

Anyways, I don't really have any major plans for celebrating my birthday. The kids have soccer practices, and gymnastics so we can't really go out. Maybe I'll talk my husband into getting take out for dinner...

Well I'm off to get the kiddos ready for preschool and kindergarten. Will post later if I get a chance. Honestly I was just on here to update my info to my new age.

Yahoo!!

One more day until my kiddos will be back in school again! It'll be so nice to finally have most of my afternoons to myself again. I might actually get some housework done. *gasp* My husband won't know what to think of a clean house. It's been months since he's seen one. (Ok that's a lie. He saw it a few days ago when the social workers had to come for a home visit; but it's a mess again!)

If I can manage to keep C awake until after D goes to kindergarten, then I'll actually have up to two hours of freedom EVERY day while he naps!! It'll be a stretch though. C normally conks out around 11:30 at the latest, and D won't go to school until 12:45. Still, it'll feel like a vacation just having him home and the others off at school.

I'm hoping to do some "once a month" cooking while the kiddos are out of the house. I don't do the full blown make 30 days worth of meals and freeze them; but I do a smaller version of it. I cook all my meat and freeze it in freezer bags. That way the kids can just grab a bag, pop it in the microwave, add the ingredients from the Hamburger Helper box, and have a meal in 15 minutes. It's a great way to save time, and it SURE makes it easier to figure out what's for dinner each evening.

Other than cooking and cleaning, I probably won't have time to actually enjoy the break from the kids for a week or two at least. Then I'm hoping to actually (get this) have a BATH!!! Without fingers poking through the bottom of the bathroom door!! Or maybe I'll start a book, or *giggles* maybe I'll scrapbook again.

Oh I'm sure I'll eventually miss having my kiddos at home full time, but for now, I'm dreaming of the things I'll accomplish while they are at school. And I know I'll have the weekends to remind myself why I'm go happy they are back in school!!

Is it bedtime yet?

It's Amazing

It's amazing how just getting away for one entire day without children can make my entire attitude change. Yesterday my dad and I went to the Brickyard 400 Nascar race. My wonderful, loving, sweet, caring, and absolutely insane husband kept the children so I could have a day away.

Now don't get me wrong, he didn't have all seven of mine (the sibling group of three B,D,M were on a visit until 9 pm), but he picked up my two younger brothers, and my 2 year old neice and 5 year old nephew!! He was supposed to drop the brothers and the other two off at my mom's house; but he chose to keep them with him here at the house to play. (In other words, he was too lazy to load all the kids in the car and drive 30 minutes to my mom's house to drop them off).

But back to me. For several weeks I've been having feelings of being a bad mother, bad wife, bad person in general. I was going through some major "poor me" attitudes. I was snapping at everyone around me and just wanted to be left alone. I felt like I was giving every single scrap of myself to everyone and not getting anything replenished... Horrible feeling I know, and I'm sorry I felt that way. In all honesty, I was actually to the point of wanting to quit fostering because I knew I wasn't giving ANYONE the attention they needed - nor did I really have any desire too...

It didn't help that I was running non-stop for my children. If we weren't at gymnastics, we were at choir. If we weren't at choir we were at t-ball, if we weren't at t-ball we were at soccer info meetings, if we weren't that soccer we were at doctor or therapy appointments. If not at therapy, you could find us on foster family visits (pick up and drop offs). It was nuts...and as I looked at my calendar, I could tell it's not going to get any better until after October 21st.

So with all these thoughts in my head, I just needed to get away. But it's amazing to me just how refreshed I DO feel today. I feel like actually taking all seven children to the park *gasp* by myself *faint* and tackling the indian trails *picking up jaw from the floor*.

Thanks to the local radio station, my dad, and my husband I feel like I can take on the world again. And it's a good thing because here is our schedule starting the third week of August...

Oh and this isn't including my Under 6 soccer practices, or my Under 12 girls soccer practices (we haven't gotten their schedule yet)...

* Mondays - Children's Choir (4:30-6)
* Tuesdays - Foster Family Visit (4:30-5:30), Children's Choir (4:30-6), Gymnastics (6:15-8:15)
* Wednesday - Foster Family Visit (4:30-6:30), Gymnastics(6:15-8:15)
* Thursday - Foster Family Visit (11:00-5), Soccer Practice (5:00-6), Gymnastics (6:30-7:30)
* Friday - Gymnastics (4-6:30)
* Saturday - Gymnastics Meets (twice a month) 3 Soccer Games (Times vary from 8 am to 7 pm), Foster Family Visit (depending on soccer games, they might carry visits over to Sundays) (9:00-9 pm)
* Sunday - Hopefully nothing but possibly a Foster Family Visit if games last too long on Saturday

Now do you understand why I was losing it? I'll have absolutely no time to myself because after the activities for five children we'll still have to tackle homework, baths, dinner, and family time. I'm just so thankful I got a day away before the craziness turns full force.

I Won, and Other Cool Info!

I won, I won, I won!!!!! Again!!! I was listening to the radio station and heard "Be the 9th caller" so of course, my hand automatically dialed the phone number. On my second try I heard "Congratulations you're the 9th caller!!! So what did I win? Two Brickyard 400 Nascar tickets!!! I have to drive to Indianapolis to pick them up tomorrow, but it is SO worth it!!

I'm going to take my dad to the race. He loves Nascar and always records the races if he can't watch it when it is on tv. I used to watch the races with him, but haven't really had a chance in the last few years. Still, I am SO SO SO excited to be going!!! It's this Sunday!!

In other news, I just found out that Jenna's Level 4 state gymnastics meet will be held in our home town!!!!! Last year we had to drive two or three hours away in order for her to compete, so it's a HUGE blessing to be able to have it in our own gym!!! Plus all of our family can come and watch this meet without driving forever to see it.

So that's my good news for the night! I won, I won!!!