Devanie.com

I’da never thunk it.

I purchased a fishing rod for Sierra the summer after we moved into our new house (2 years ago)

That later sparked Hailey’s interest and she too got a fishing pole.  I think we went once as a family just to practice casting the “Barbie” fishing pole strings, they even had plastic practice fish attached to them.  We got some bait and hooks and tried them out too.

Late last year Sierra’s class went to the local Nature Park with the fishing pond and I sent her to school with the rod.   She came home excited about fishing.  Hailey’s pole was broken by this point.

I took the kids to the park on Monday with their fishing rod.  I just wanted top put the babies in the stroller and spend the day at the park-outsideof t the house and get excersize  while the girls rode bikes around.  That is NOT what happened.  The girls stopped and immediately parked their bikes - and tukas by the sideof the pond and started casting their line.  They moved from one side of the pond to the other.  Leaving me to chase the babies and save them from trying to walk into the water.  So I did what I’d hope any of my friends would do for me, and invited them to come hang out at the park with them.  I called Kathy since she homeschools and told her I would be at the park feeding the ducks and watching the girls fish.  It was about 9:30 AM

Kathy W. showed up with her 3 boys she homeschools - when they hit Middle school/Jr High they immediately go to Public school (which is what I would do - too) So her t older girls couldn’t come.  She arrived at 10:00.  The kids all played on the rocks, fed the ducks, ran around, rode trikes, bikes, tried to skip rocks etc.  Aurora was fussy for bed at her usual 11:00.  I ran her home to see if she could sleep while Nathan worked - Oh how I love his job!  He was OK with letting her stay to sleep so I dropped her off and picked up my $1 store baseball field bases, a couple kid bats and balls and a beach ball.

Back at the park Kathy cared for Hailey and Sierra and we showed up with fun stuff for the boys to play with.

Zach has been bringing me baseball bats lately and wants to play baseball so I’ll toss him a crumbled up piece of paper and let him swing in the house.

All the kids had so much fun joining in a game of Kickball and Baseball.  Kathy’s little Joseph played on the sidelines while Kathy tossed him the ball.  Sierra(a social butterfly and all) was the worst - and she’s in public school.  I’m sure I looked like a crappy Mom because I had a pouting kid (7 year old) when she didn’t get what she wanted - her turn all the time.  Well I cannot be blamed.  I’ve tried putting her in sports and making her take turns.  She has been spoiled at home with things she wants but we are pulling back on a lot of that.  She did get in a play a bit, and turned back to her fishing rod and played and played a long time.  at this point Zach was getting pretty sleepy and just wanted to sit at home on the recliner and watch TV till he falls asleep.  But he decided sitting in the stroller and waiting would be good enough because it would mean that we would be going soon.

We didn’t go.  YET.  Hailey and Sierra were still having so much fun.  Kathy and I talked and talked.  and at 12:00 Kathy packed up and left.  I spent the last 1/2 hr letting the girls fish and trying to tech them that they needed to just let the pols stay in the water - This was WITHOUT bait or anything worth a fishes time.  Zach started dozing off in the stroller, Sierra got to help a fisherman reel in his fish, and we borrowed a piece of bait for the girls to continue to try fishing with. Oh I never did mention we used Cheerios’s for bait

It was quite peaceful.

Tuesday was shopping day.  I took them all to the mall, to the playplace, to Gymboree for clothes for Aurora - she’s OUT of pants.  Over to K-Mart for a present for Daddy - not there - the girls bought bait though and enjoyed hanging out in the fishing section looking at all the possibilities and walked out with pink and hot pink worms that smelled like processed cheese and 2 hooks that hat hot pink fishies on them, over to the pet store parking lot where a couple was trying to sell their litter of 8 pit bulls, vacuumed the vans rugs, Irish Dance practice - (when I went shopping at Walmart for the older girls for Christmas), and home for tacos.

Wednesday - It was - Off to Walmart for a new fishing rod for Hailey (with her own money) We picked up McDonald’s for a picnic, dropped the milk off at home and headed back to the Fishing park with our blanket, lunch, tackle box, and 4 kids.  This time Aurora was up with us until 1:30 and I took them all home so I could drop her off for her nap.  Then it was just Zach and the older 2.  Zach and I played baseball for a bit, ate apples, watched the girls, helped them tie hooks onto rods, and Zach would tromp across the bank and once in a while through the water in his tennis-shoes.  He got sleepy at 2 and wanted to go home ant watch TV in his recliner with his sippy cup - Nathan was OK with that too. SO I was baby-free and Hailey and Sierra had all my attention so we baited, asked other fishermen questions about how to catch the trout in our pond, what kind of bait to use, what flies, what time of day etc.  We got a load of information.  The kids went to the other side of the pond and watched a guy catch 2 in a row!  I slowly followed and told them they had to watch him try to take the hook out of the fishes mouth because they would have to do that if they caught a fish - I try to gross them out bu telling them they will have to chop off the fish head and gut it and de-bone it.  They still choose to fish.  Sierra wants to eat or sell  her fish.  It has been quite nice and restful.  I can see why it’s a hobby for so many -men especially.  Getting away from the workplace and just sitting with hope.  All with HOPE.  There were probably 20 out there yesterday afternoon, it was 50* and felt very warm.

So that’s out start in the fishing world.  I just need to get Tammy to cook them up for us since she’s into that sort of thing and have her come fish with us sometime

The girls were my photographers

Since Janika loves me i thought I’d add a few pictures of me since I haven’t been in front of the camera - I’m always the one behind!

Off track - no school.

My buddy Kathy W came over and we chatted all morning.  She taught me things and I taught her things.  I love visits like that where I feel we are both getting more out of our interactions than we can possibly remember in 4 hours.

I showed her my list of meals I can read thru if I don’t know what to make for dinner. - I fed her leftover maple pork from the crock pot.

She taught me about Home Schooling - which I really want to do now.  Nathan doesn’t.  I even printed out the Exempt from school forms so I could have them ready.  Maybe I’ll just do it off-track months.  I have to get some of the books (Christmas Wish List item for me now) 1st. . . A Beka  Brand 4 subject K-4 “4 Easy Subjects” Math, English, Science and History.  I’ll bee meeting up with my cousin, Shane’s wife, Jessica soon and rattle her with all the questions I can muster about her homeschooling tactics.  It’s 2 hrs a day, then they can study, run to the library, surf the web, read good books, and play.  they way they learn at school thru Aurthur  cartoon TV shows, mean teachers that don’t help them learn to be responsible, stories that come home like telephone game and end up wasting our time and changing how our kids views of Halloween for heaven’s sake!, HOMEWORK, and they sit at school scribbling on workbooks all day and that really only teaches the kids to hate school.  Plus, I want a better relationship with my kids.  I want more 1 on 1 time with important interaction - besides cooking, cleaning, couponing, selling, baking to teach them how to make all the fatty good food we eat.  They seem to be OFF Track ALL the time. . .guess it’s a perfect place to start!

Plus I can learn a LOT too!  Like where to put my commas,.  I learned in High School from Mr, Feren, that you put your commas, where you want to take a breath, , , , , , , ,

Oh and I just learned from Hailey and Aunt Suzie on Sunday that the vowel “sometimes Y” are in the words, Why, Cry, Fly.  I NEVER knew that because I was NEVER TAUGHT that!  I just knew “and sometimes y” , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oh,! Mr, Feren, , , ,!!!!

You make the whole world hate reading my blogs, because, I sound like under-educated dumbass.

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OH, THE LAZY DAYS OF. . . . . Off-Track continued:

Hailey and Sierra played the game board game, “Sorry” today.  All by themselves, they are at that age 8+, that almost EVERY game board has on the upper right hand corner!

I also let them play their Nintendo DS’sall day with a few interruptions to eat, help the babies stop their fight, and that’s about it. 

I pulled together a “Ghostbusters” movie party at 4:00.  Popped the corn, watched most of the show and the babies stayed to watch it too.  I think I was on eBay looking for ABeka school books and working on dinner during the part of the movie I missed.

We sat to dinner I made baked potatoes (cheese sour cream and butter), sliced up oranges and drank root beer (better than cold cereal-spaghettios-ramen-and nuggets?).

For some reason Sierra decided she wanted to learn to chop fast like the people on TV do.  SoI whipped out a cutting board, the right knife and a banana.  The girls took turns.  They made Banana-Orange Fruit Salad FAST!

Hailey kept pelting us with information about GARDENING - the “Thing she has decided is going to be the 1 that she is BETTER than anyone at”.  We had a talk with Daddy last week (who was better than ANYONE at computers at her age and in the 4th grade started teaching the teachers how to use them and teaching classes to students) - about finding that 1 thing and working on it.  She asked what my favorite food that is grown was.  She said she would like to plant and grow it for me.  I told her it was strawberries, and we already have some growing.  She asked about growing a banana tree.  Guess she still has a lot more to learn  about the weather in Utah ;).  Maybe SHE will prove us all wrong.   She also told me that she wanted to grow a crab apple tree because they look like the easiest to grow - my lack of knowledge on crab apple trees was telling me that I should tell her that you wouldn’t want to eat crab apples.  Maybe I”m wrong - but I’m not going to look it up - I’ll let her PROVE me wrong - or right  on that one as well.

We read Chapter 10 the BEST chapter in the “Christmas Jars” book so far, because it tells where the jar comes from.

I got a call from my Mama today and I told her about my cancelled plans to NV.  But I also got a call today from my brother LeeJoe and what would you know. . .he’s going to be staying with us 4 days next week (to sleep) so he can do some work nearby!  that will work out just fine for me

it’s 12:35 AM, I think Zach is up, gotta run

You may have to read this post 2-3 times to get ALL of it.  it’s LONG.

Hailey and Sierra are in a school where they are off school for a few weeks to a month and back to school for 4-6 weeks.  you just never know.  I usually jet outta town and go visit family close since it’s actually all of their SUMMER VACATION sporadically dolloped through the year.  So I try to make it like a summer vacation. 

I also try to get them all out of the house so Nathan can work from home without disruptions and I don’t have to chase the babies up the stairs to scoop them into my arms just before they knock on his door while he’s on an important business call.  I say SHHHH SHHHSH to the kids so much in the house (unless we are downstairs) because, we never know when he’s going to be on a call.  If I’m not too busy making meals, cleaning or changing diapers,  I get to sneak in and talk to Nathan and find out what his schedule is like and when it’s OK for the kids to be normal. 

I can usually send the”Babies” as I call them down to the basement to play with the “girls” and that keeps them entertained for quite a while,  It’s nice when the girls are “off track”  they make it so I  can get other work done while they play with Zach and Aurora.

We have been having our “Lazy Days of Summer” these past 2 weeks.  I think we will continue into next week foregoing our semi-planned trip to Nevada. 

Besides Zach’s 6AM wake up calls I get to continue sleeping in - going back to bed every 1/2 hr to 1 hr(depending on his morning cartoons)  I don’t really get up until 8:00 when Aurora wakes up.  Then it’s diapers and I usually can make a great breakfast for all of them, Scrambled Eggs, Brunch Squares, PB toast with Bananas, Pancakes etc.  on really lazy mornings like today I will set out bowls for cereal so when the girls emerge from their nests they know what to do for breakfast.

Anyways to get to why I started writing today.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I felt unproductive, maybe because after my shower I just put on the same comfy pants and t-shirt I would normally wear to bed or to the gym.  However, I was FARRRRR from UNPRODUCTIVE.

I changed 3 poopies, 3 outfits, swept up the Trix cereal with the Swivel Sweeper (A highly recommended wish list gift you moms need on your list to your hubby’s) switched laundry, CLEANED out the GARAGE and re-organized it AGAIN - I think I do this every 3 weeks when Nathan is out of town.  It gets so cluttered so fast with all the decorations coming down and going up.  All the car trips and piles of trash we empty from the car on a daily basis.  The kids bikes and strollers taking up every inch of space that isn’talready taken by shelves full of things.  Outdoor equipment, food, paper goods, tools, more tools, yard maintenance machinery etc.  I cannot keep it clean.  I try and try.  I think this is the 4th time in 3 months I’ve overhauled it!  I Swept 4-5 times today - Aurora wanted the sweeper every time I pulled it out, then Zach would want it - So I would get out our 2nd one and give it to him, so the sweeping never really got done until 7PM and I was on a call while I did it. - Its Sierra’s “CHORE” Sun-Wed but I like to use the Swivel Sweeper and she was cleaning her bedroom at the time which was FAR more important to me.

I took out all the trash.  in the process I noticed how dusty the Master bath has gotten do I got on my hands and knees ans scrubbed the floor, cleaned counter top, trash can, toilet, etc.   It’s strange how much more you notice the messy parts and fix them up when you are home to see it all.

I also forgot. . . I picked up and sorted a bunch of stuff on the pantry floor and organized it so we could actually stand in it to reach the food.  It was full of grocery bags with canned food in them that never got put away.  That was something on my “to do” list a week before my tonsil surgery.  Which if any of you care to know my tonsils are much better now - I don’t ever want to have them removed AGAIN! ;) It only hurts a little when I yawn now and that’s about it.

I also met up with some old friends on Facebook - I found Kyle and Joellen!!!! Nathan and Kyle will be able to communicate again, they were roommates in college when I met Nathan.  I’d been searching for them for some time now - or at least thinking about them.

I read through the sales fliers for the week and tried to figure out the best store/stores for me to shop at to ge the best prices.  I just ordered my 1st envelope of coupons to start couponing for real again.   Looks like Smiths (almost the exact same sale as last week).  If I even need to go.  I took the kids and went last night.  I saved $42 and Spent $49  not bad for a 1st time back.  It least it wasn’t a normal $100.00 trip.

I am trying to work with Zach on his walking.  It’s going to need a lot of reminders to stay straight and not walk on his toe.  He’s still got a pretty bad bend and twist to his leg and it’s been 2 weeks.  I should have taken him to the Dr today for his 2 week follow up but pay $25.00. . .I’m so sick of Dr visits and co pays.  I hate seeing the money flow out of the house like hot air!  This is probably the most important $25.00 though because It’s still pretty bad.  I wonder if it’s ever going to be normal again.  When I try to stretch his leg he acts like it hurts.  I have him put it straight with his foot flat and he doesn’t enjoy that.  I think he just needs a few good stretches every day and I’ll act as his physical therapist.  he did OK in shoes one day.  but now he doesn’t really like to wear them, and with us in the house all day I just don’t put them on.  He still stands on his toe in shoes when he walks anyways - ANY SUGGESTIONS???

After the Girls watched TV and Played Starcraft on the computer, Hailey put away the dishes for me and Sierra cleaned up the bedroom - which still had fragments of the tornado cleaning job we did on Monday when I went through their clothes and let them each pick out 10 outfits, socks,  3 PJ’s 2, Swimsuits, and some dance shorts.  Sierra put away all the toys and boxed up the extras.  They earned stickers for it.  They did quite a good job and offered more services and did more things to help without being asked or bribed with a sticker - they just did it!

We spent 1 hr reading “Christmas Jars”  We have been reading it for 4-5 nights now and we read more an more each night we are over 1/2 way done and it’s interesting enough they are into it.  Christmas Jars Book 50% off at Deseret Book

I played TradeWars - it’s a game where you just see numbers of “spaces” in Space, where you fly in a ship, and try to take over the place, you trade for money -or if you are a bad guy you rob and steal it from the ports, you build planets and so on.  Nathan has a game going on thestouts.com go to http://www.thestouts.com/?page_id=504 or click on Tradewars it will tell you how you can join the game I hear Nathan is going to make UNLIMITED TURNS for Saturday so anyone just joining can get caught up a bit.  There are 4 players right now Nathan, Joe, Aaron and I.  I think Mike Skembo would REALLY enjoy this - being off work and all and Mel, Mike and anyone else remotely interested in playing a FREE MULTIPLAYER game over the Internet trying to WIPE out my character and get rid of me should JOIN IN!  It’s fun trying to hunt down the bad guys and making money to buy mines and boost up your ships with fighters, cloaking fields, etc.  I got hooked a few years ago and we are finally in again!  It’s one of those kinda nerdy games, but I got hooked I want someone to come play and try it out.  Kim - Come get me!!

I’m going to try to get to the Boutique on Friday and have a Cookie Lee Jewelry Sale there.  There is a ton of business to be had on that corner by wal-mart!  hopefully the weather will be nice and I can find someone to play with the kids for a bit.  I could easily pull in $400 - $500 that would take care of my bank account - then I can start working on the family assets.

Hailey and Sierra had their 1st Irish Dance Recital on Nov 8th.  Saturday.  We invited some family up to watch.

Aaron & Alice $ Suzie and her 4 kids came up to see the girls dance.

The whole show was 1.5 hours and the girls were in 6 of about 18 songs.

They did pretty well.  Much better than I thought they would and worse than Daddy thought they would.  It’s only been 5 months and we don’t practice outside of the group very often But will be working on that more.

They just got their shoes the day of the recital (gillies) so I’m sure it was a bit different to actually be dancing in them.  Hailey seemed to drag her feet a little.  when we got home they said their feet were hurting.  The shoes will need some more dancing in to stretch and break in to fit their feet right.

I loved the look of the rag curls in their hair.  Hailey’s turned out perfect Sierra’s had some ups and downs.  It was my 1st time rag rolling.

I took pictures after the recital with them and their Teachers.  They all wore wigs in their hair.  There were a few in the beginner class with wigs and some just regular hair it was quite a mix up - and thier dance uniforms were too.  The studio is going thru some changes and trying to decide what outfits to wear.

I thought the girls did very well they were VERY CUTE! It was also very fun to watch the older girls do hard shoe dances in their Irish dresses.

 

 

Zachs 3rd Birthday

 

Ventriliquist Mom with Zach the Puppet

 

 

Newborn Zach

IF YOU DON’T DTOP AND LOOK around you are GOING TO MISS SOMETHING

 

Hope they explained themselves

We have had great babysitters, Yummy dinners(blended pot roast anyone?) and lods of help.

I have to say thanks to Nathan for his continues help with the kids while i have been under the weather.  He’s picked up everywhere i have left off.  Even in his utter sickness.

Analisa for babysitting

Tana my dear friend for taking Zach and Aurora all day Tuesday up to dinner time and brought dinner too!

Karen for the Phone call

Kim for the sweet emails

Janika for the call and comments

Candace for taking care of tonights dinner and dessert!  It was a very yummy homemade chicken noodle soup!

Christy for the yummy dinner on Monday It smelled great! and taking the time to take care of us even with your family of 7 under foot!

I’m happy to say I have lost 4 pounds and I’m looking forward to getting over thet HUMP in weight that has been a struggle to pass.  Let’s see how it goes.

 

Gotta finish carving a pumpkin with Sierra now

We have been preparing all week to have a great Irish Dance recital.  The girls practice 1 hr a day and more if I can pull it out if them.

Last night I tried the pink spongy curlers so I could see how their ringlets will turn out if I have to do them that way.  They need to have ringlets all over or pay a bunch of money for a WIG.  I cannot do that to my red-haired part Irish beauties though.  The red hair is gonna be the show stopper - I remember just staring at the 1 in the Riverdance shows I went to. 

I have the Irish music on and Aurora dances like CRAZY.  She even holds her hands down and bends her legs doing a little jumpy move - one of her only problems is that she goes in a circle (making us all dizzy)Oh the other problem, she looks like a purple teletubby in her PJ’s with her diaper on!  Not quite the type of Irish dancer you’d expect to see.

http://www.crawfordirishdance.com/

http://www.crawfordirishdance.com/photo_gallery/2006.html

Nathan and I spent most of the day Saturday and part of the day Monday putting up our Christmas lights BEFORE more Frost Sets in.  It hailed Last night and we had a smidge of snow on the ground this morning.  We never took a picture of them last year.  Hopefully I’ll get one for you to see this year - Maybe a little closer to Christmas!  When we start turning them on!

Maybe a good idea for anyone else that puts up lights.  Do it WAYYY before it gets too cold to be climbing all over the roof.

P.S. Nathan, it looks really good!  Great work!