Four Crazy Kids

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Monday: Pork Chops with Rice & Tomatos
Tuesday: Cake Batter Pancakes with Bacon & Sausage for Bailey's 4th Birthday!
Wednesday: Homemade Pizza Cupcakes {dinner in the car!}
Thursday: Fried Pork Chops with Broccoli, Rice & Red Lobster Garlic Cheese Biscuits
Friday: Cheesy Bacon Chicken with Seasoned Fried & Peas
Saturday: Country Style Steak with Mashed Potatoes
Sunday: Chicken & Rice Casserole

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Monday: Fend for yourself-- looks like pizza leftovers
Tuesday: Hamburger Helper {for hubs and kids... the mommy is going out with the best friend!}
Wednesday: Fried Pork Chops with Macaroni & Cheese
Thursday: Baked Spaghetti {for hubs and kids... the mommy is going out with the other two best friends}
Friday: Hamburger Steak with Mashed Potatoes
Saturday: B's Birthday Party-- we'll probably snack through supper
Sunday: Bacon Cheddar Chicken with Rice & Green Beans

Feeling a bit like the Grinch

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

This year there is very little Christmas spirit coming from me or my husband. For starters, it's been around 70 degrees most days this week. Warm days just don't seem very Christmasy. Then, our house was broken into yesterday afternoon.

So many things are disturbing about the situation and we are both pretty mad about it {naturally}. Every Thursday I leave around 12ish to get my bigs from preschool. Until this week, I also class on Thursday so the house would often be empty longer. Yesterday it took me about 60-90 minutes to pickup the kids and return home. I got everyone in, brought in the bags, and was about to sit down for a moment when I noticed the screen to one of the windows flapping in the wind. Earlier in the morning Chloe had a stinky diaper and I opened the window about 4-5 inches to air out the house a little. Unfortunately, I failed to close the window before we left. I also failed to set the alarm. I'm bad about forgetting during the day because I've always felt safe and most of my neighbors are home all day anyway.

But when I noticed the window screen, the window was pushed all the way open and the screen was not even in at the botton. I started to put the screen back in the window and then it hit me that someone removed the screen... or at least tried. I took a few steps back, a bit confused and I looked around. Instantly I saw a handful of things missing. I'd planned to do a little scrapbooking during nap/quiet time so I'd left my iPad, my beloved DSLR, and my bamboo tablet sitting on the ottoman. They were gone and so was our Wii. In a bit of a panic I hit the button on my alarm that is suppose to call the police, but instead it set off the alarm {stupid, dumb alarm guy told me the wrong thing apparently}. After that my nerves were completely torn up and I still had to call the Sheriff's department. They advised me to get the kids and go outside until a deputy arrived. I called my grandpa for back up with the kids and my mom was already on her way to the house. When the deputy pulled up I was a mess. Luckily, he was a good friend from high school and that made a bad situation just a little bit easier for me.

After going through the house it was determined that in addition to the first things I saw, we were also missing a substantial sum of cash and my most treasured jewelry. I'm not a big jewelry wearer, but I had a few pieces that meant a lot to me, like my childhood charm bracelet and my wedding ring. My original wedding band and engagement ring no longer fit me fingers after 4 children. A couple years ago my husband replaced them with another band that I wear daily. However, I still treasured the original rings that we started our marriage with 7 years ago. Now, they are gone. I also had a charm bracelet that I added to all through my childhood. It was a special bracelet and I cherished it. I never really wore it anywhere, because I was terrified of losing it. Now, it is gone. Two Christmases ago, my mom and grandma gave me the most amazing charm bracelet with charms for each of my kids and their birthstones. For my birthday my mom added a charm for each of my four dogs that I have lost {within a matter of about 2 years}. There were also various other charms on this bracelet. This particular bracelet can be replaced, but the point is, right now it is gone. There was also another charm bracelet {can you tell I love them & their uniqueness?} and a mommy ring {that matched the newer charm bracelet} that I loved, and they are gone.

In all, the total of stolen items/money totalled $5,000. It's still shocking to think about. In some ways, it isn't even the monetary value of the items, but their meaning to me. In a way, it was almost every THING I had. The things I treasured most. I am heartbroken that someone would take my jewelry for the sole purpose of melting it down for cash. I know the chances of recovering those precious items in slim to none. I really can't believe they are gone forever. I'll never get to pass them down to my kids. I'll never get to tell my girls about all the uniquely me charms on my bracelet. I have the memories, but I don't have bracelet and that is bittersweet. I'll never be able to get over that. Even as a child I knew that bracelet would be an heirloom piece, but yesterday someone stole that from my family. Not just me, but my entire family and I am angry about it. Actually, angry doesn't even cover it.

I feel violated. Someone was in my home. Likely, someone who has watched me enough to know my routine. That scares me. The neighbors all believe it was one other particular neighbor. I can say, logically, the argument seems sound... but without evidence there is nothing anyone can do about it. The house was dusted for fingerprints, so hopefully that will yeild something. Either way, I learned an important {and expensive} lesson. Don't leave the windows open and make sure to set the alarm... even in the middle of the day when the neighbors are home. I am thankful that no one was physically harmed and in time, we'll move past this, but I'll always be angry about it.

Such a Happy Day

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of school for me this semester. What?! I haven't mentioned that I am going back to school? Yes, I am crazy. I have been busy taking the pre-requisites for the ADN {Nursing Program} at a local community college. Today is the last day of my Anatomy & Physiology II class. Such a relief to be done with another semester, even if I have really enjoyed this class. In the Spring semester I am only going to be taking one class, a simple computer class. It is the last of my pre-requisites! I'll also be studying for and taking the TEAS test and putting in my applications at a few different schools for the Fall 2012. So nervous about all of that! But, for now I am just glad to remove one thing from my schedule twice a week. It's about to get busy around here with the twins turning 2, Christmas, and Bailey turning 4 within 22 days. Really crazy!

Lucky #7!

2011-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

7 years =
84 months = 364 weeks =
2556 days = 61344 hours =
3,680,640 minutes = 220,838,400 seconds

This is how long Mark and I have been married. We've always known we were in it for the long haul, but 7 years just seems like so long! I think it is because we have experienced so much in such a short period of time. I know everyone faces challenges, but honestly the two of us have faced more our first 5 years than most people experience in a decade or two. Those first years were hard, but they made us strong and we've been able to really cherish the last 2 years that have been a little kinder to us. In a way, I am just glad to have an 'easy' life but at the same time I worry about the next challenge coming our way.

We married at the age of 20. I'm pretty sure our friends thought we were crazy and never believed we'd actually make it. Yet, here we are. Still going strong. It is the greatest feeling to know that I get to wake up next to my best friend. We may not always get along, but we always love each other!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Monday: Spaghetti
Tuesday: Fried Pork Chops with Rice
Wednesday: Hamburger Steak with Mashed Potatoessss
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: 7 year Anniversary-- Date Night! :)
Sunday: Chicken and Rice Casserole

Lindsay's Ornament Exchange

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have a great friend, who is talented at planning and hosting events. This year she hosted an ornament exchange at her home and she out did herself with the details. I took a few pictures and made a collage for Lindsay's blog and I thought I'd share here, too. I had a wonderful time, even if it was a bit crazy with more than 20 women! From now on, I think I'll just let the very talented and detail oriented Lindsay handle all the birthday parties and holiday decorations for my kids ;) and I'll just hang back and take photos...

Christmas Tradition

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

Every family has Christmas traditions. As a family, we are still developing ours. The best tradition we have right now is our yearly trip to Meadow Lights. The last two years we have choosen Thanksgiving night. The highlights: The train ride was a blast for everyone. Chloe, however, did not like the carousel... which was a little shocking. Charlie loved the carousel... which was also shocking. Here is a photo collage of the fun.

I am Thankful

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed in life. Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed with everything that is going on in life and forget all the things I have. I have more than I deserve, and I know that is because God loves me.

I am thankful for...

... so much.
... each day I wake up.
... my wonderful husband.
... four beautiful, loving, amazing, smart, healthy kids.
... the best parents a girl could ever ask for.
... a brother, who has grown up so much lately.
... great, supportive, and helpful inlaws.
... the most handsome nephew, john landon.
... the most beautiful niece, samantha jane.
... the cuddly, although sometimes annoying, Bazinga.
... a roof over the head of my family.
... the yummy food I put in my tummy, year round.
... extended family gatherings.
... the evolution of traditions.
... the modern conviences of life. {such as my washer/dryer and dishwasher!}
... a mom who I can always turn to for advice and help.
... Leila & Bailey's love of art.
... Chloe & Charlie's love of snuggling.
... the amazing helpful spirit of Leila.

And the list goes on and on and on ...

I am Thankful Album

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

A fun, easy family project. So simple. Purchase and download the Thankful Album at Designer Digitals. Print. Cut. Stick in a 4x6 photo album. Take it to your Thanksgiving meal. Have everyone fill out a card. Take a photo of each person to have printed. Match the photo and thankful card of each person in the album. A wonderful keepsake! You can do this with just your immediate family as well. The best thing about the download file is that it includes the years through 2020 so you can use the same design for years to come. Have fun creating!

Kids are Observant

2011-11-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday night, Leila spent the night with Nana so after 7pm Bailey was the only one up. He was drawing and he brought me this awesome picture of Gram {one of his three great grandmas}. I was amazed at how far he has come lately with his drawing. He often gets frustrated, but this time that didn't seem to be a problem. I also love the details he noticed, like Gram's cane with the 4-prong bottom and her glasses. He's far more observant than I am, because I had to ask Mark if Gram wore glasses {she is his grandma afterall}. Usually Bailey will notice things that others don't. My brother's dog, Daisy, lost one of her legs a couple years back and Bailey noticed from the beginning. He wasn't worried about it, but noticed the difference. Leila is 15 mths older than him, and it took her months to realize Daisy was down to three legs. That boy really pays attention to his surroundings. Guess that means I need to be on my best behavior ;)!

Meal Plan Monday: Nov 21- 27

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Feeding a busy family of 6 is a full time job all by itself. I make the job a little easier by meal planning. It takes the guess work out of dinner and it's nice not to have one more decision to make every evening, especially on days the kids are going wild! For breakfast we eat cereal, pop tarts, or cinnamon rolls most days. Occassionally, I'll cook bacon and eggs. For lunch we eat sandwiches and leftovers. Dinner is the real challenge. Keeping the menu diverse is a challenge for me, and this is where meal planning comes in.

I use a wonderful site, Plan to Eat*, to do my meal planning. You enter your recipes, drag meals to the meal planning calendar, and then the site generates a grocery shopping list for you! I was doing all this on paper before, and I would inevitably forget an ingredient or two since I was recalling recipes from memory. Plus, it took so much more time to write it out! Adding my recipes was a little time consuming in the beginning, but it is saving me so much time now. I even find myself adding a few new recipes each month to try. If they don't work out for our family I simply remove them. Our family is eating a wider variety of foods and my husband in much happier.

This week's menu:
Monday: Baked Spaghetti with Homemade French Bread

Tuesday: Chicken with Mashed Potatoes &Peas

Wednesday: Pork Chops with Rice & Tomatos & Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Thursday**: Green Bean Casserole & Mashed Potatoes & Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Friday: Chicken & Rice Casserole + Sugar Cookies

Saturday: Fried Pork Chops with Macaroni & Cheese + Peanut Butter Cookies {for the husband!}

Sunday***: {Eagle Brand}Magic Cookie Bars and Pizza Dip with Homemade French Bread

*I am a Plan to Eat affiliate.
**Thanksgiving Day! These are the dishes I am responsible for providing for lunch at my grandparent's house.
***Thanksgiving with the inlaws! These are the dishes I am bringing. The Pizza Dip will be a new recipe, but hopefully it will be a great snack while dinner is being cooked.

My Project Life Plan: Putting it Together

2011-11-17T13:41:00.001-05:00

More Project Life. My plan to keep my stuff organized and put the album together is simple. I am one of those 'out of sight, out of mind' folks. It's probably why I like to keep my stuff in visible piles that drive my husband crazy, and my parents before that. It's a chaotic form of organization. I won't lie, my piles tend to look bad, but I know where everything is and it works for me.

I am creating a Project Life center in my kitchen, which means I'll have to keep it presentable looking because I don't want to hear my husband complain about it. I want him to feel involved in the process, not annoyed by it. I'm lucky to have a small counter space between the pantry and refridgerator that is also kind of hidden from view. Right now that area houses 3 wicker baskets and I will be utilizing those to store and organize all my supplies. I'll use one to hold paper, my paper trimmer, tape runners, etc. plus my cameras! I need to keep my cameras handy and in sight so I remember to take photos! I also want the kids to feel welcome to grab the point and shoot and capture things as well {they know better than to touch my DSLR!}. Another basket will hold my pens and maybe the pre-cut journaling cards, too. The last basket is perfect to collect papers/memoribilia. All the little things I may want to add for the week. I may not use it all and that is okay, but it will be there if I want it. Things like grocery store receipts, school work from the kids, pictures the kids draw, business cards, menus, etc.

As far as pictures go, I do not print at home. I want crisp, archival photos and my printer isn't capable of that. I'm also not in the market for a new printer so I'll upload my photos and have them printed in batches. I don't know if this will be weekly or every other week or even monthly at this point. I do know that I love matte photos, but I'd have to wait for those to be mailed so for the sake of not getting behind, I will be using glossy photos for Project Life and picking them up at my local Walgreens or CVS. In the meantime I will use notes to hold the place of photos in the album, because my memory just isn't what it use to be.

So, this is the plan. As I mentioned in the previous post, I make lots of plans and they don't always work out the way I want. I am flexible, but this is the way I am going to start my project life adventure. If it works, great. If not, I'll make some changes as I go!

My Project Life Plan: Supplies

2011-11-14T03:00:00.000-05:00

Project Life. A collection of the every day details of a life. A family project. Memories saved. What is not to love? And, I just happen to be one of those people who loves a good plan. The truth is, I have 4 small kids and I like to make plans. Those two don't go hand in hand. Often my plans go flying right out the window and I've learned to be okay with that. Regardless, I'm making a plan for my 2012 Project Life and I'll modify as I go if I need to because I don't want to just wing it. I want an amazing album that flows and somewhat matches when I'm done. I may get something completely different, but hey that'll be okay too.

The plan:

I love this album! It's 12x12 size so it will hold the page protectors I am planning to use. It is a beautiful color. And, I love Doodlebug Designs, and I will probably use a lot of their paper, so it's just a win-win. I'll probably save the page protectors that come with this album for a different project.

I am using the Becky Higgins page protectors. I plan to use Design A, B, D, F, and maybe G. I will also be utilizing the big envelope pockets and the grid journaling cards.

I considered using one of the core kits, but ultimately decided I wanted something more versatile. I will be designing my own insert cards digitally and by cutting up scrapbook paper from my stash. It will be a little more work, but in the long run I think I'll be much happier with the overall design. I'm in love with the core kit designs, especially the Turquoise kit and the Cobalt kit {Dec release}, but I just think that being limited to such a dark color scheme isn't the right fit for me.

These are the supplies I have decided to use. I will share my plan for organizing and putting together the album in another post.

An Introduction

2011-11-13T03:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog! I am a mother to four, crazy kids and I am enjoying most of the moments on this wild journey. This is a place for me to share and escape. We'll start with a few introductions.

We are the parents. I am Pam and he is Mark. Our first meeting was in elementary school but we both moved and didn't meet again until after high school. We started dating in early 2003. The two of us became one on December 10, 2004. That's almost 7 years ago and I can't figure out where the time went! During that time a lot has changed and we have faced our share of ups and downs, but there is honestly no one else I'd rather wake up with day after day.

On September 28, 2006 we became the parents to the most beautiful little girl, Leila. She is such an amazing child and I rely on her daily. Leila is my helper and she has the biggest heart. The girl is amazingly beautiful on the inside and the outside. She knows she has everyone wrapped around her little fingers. She thinks she is the boss in this house, and sometimes I think she may be right. Her best qualities are being smart and strong-willed and so full of love. She is such an awesome kid, we can over look her occassion tendency to act like a teenager.

Bailey joined our family January 10, 2008. He was our first preemie, born at 35w4d and a mere 5lb7oz. That boy has been nothing but trouble from the start. He is our limit tester. Our monkey. Keeping us on our toes is what he does best. Sometimes I get frustrated by his antics, but I try to remind myself of the good behind the bad. I love his creative talent, I just wish it wasn't on my walls. I love his inventive spirit and the way he loves to know how things work, I just wish he'd clean up his own mess and put things back together after taking them apart. I love his stubborn nature and persistance, I just wish he and I didn't butt heads so often. This boy, he is challenging me and many days I fail. The only thing I can never fail at is loving him through it all. One day at a time.

Then on December 19, 2009, the world our little family knew was turned upside down. After a very rough pregnancy and 9 weeks of strict bedrest for me, we welcomed Charlie & Chloe into our family. That's right, twins. Suprise! We were shocked when the two of them showed up an ultrasound at 8 weeks, but they are such an amazing blessing. They are getting closer and closer to the two year old mark and I love watching them become unique individuals. Charlie is definately more reserved and shy. Chloe is an outgoing little burst of energy with great mischievous plans. I'm pretty sure that girl is going to be a far more difficult challenge than Bailey. Charlie will {hopefully} be calmer and into a little less trouble.

So here we are. We aren't anything special. Just a busy family moving through life and sharing our amazing journey. This journey hasn't always been easy, but we survive by taking it one day at a time.