King Meister Burger Burger Meister

So if any of you can guess why I gave this particular post this particular title by the time you're done reading the post...I will give you a cyber-high-five!

Today was IT! The LAST STRAW! I was DONE...WELL done...on the verge of burned to a crisp with trying to get my kids to PICK UP THEIR TOYS! I had HAD IT! Get my point? I HATE TOYS!

So with all the poking, prodding, nagging, begging and pleading that I've been doing, I gave my kids ONE LAST CHANCE to get their toys put away. At 10:30am they marched up to the room to start. I was going to give them ONE HOUR to get it clean, and then I would be joining them in their room with a....GARBAGE BAG!!

So as the hour progressed, I could hear them moving around...every once in a while I would call out to them,"Hey! How's it going in there?" which was responded with an enthusiastic,"GREAT!". I thought, this is great...the THREAT of putting their toys in the garbage was enough to get them to clean their room! I was quite pleased with myself!

Then it happened...at 11:30am I started marching up the stairs...garbage bag in hand (just in case) but hopeful that the job had been well done. When Hannah heard me coming up the stairs, she tore out of the room to stop me at the top of the stairs and said,"NO NO NO! We're ALMOST done!" But I didn't buy it.

I walked around the panicked 7 year old and made my way into the HORROR!!! I don't think they had even picked up a single toy! So, I calmly got on the ground and started picking things up one by one and putting them in the garbage bag. My DH Jared even got in on the fun, and started getting the girls to pick up stuff as fast as they could, because only the stuff that was still on the floor was going to end up in the garbage bag. Well let me tell you...by their reaction you would've sworn that they were bleeding from their eyes. The "weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth" doesn't even suffice.

Poor Abigail, she was so distraught...but life lessons must be learned, and keeping a tidy room is one of them. I am the mother of 5 children and CANNOT have a brood of lazy bums...sorry if anyone disagrees, but it's the way it goes in a large family.

So as I was putting toys in the garbage bag, the girls were desperately scrambling to grab their most prized possessions...their stuffies. Abbi had her arms overflowing with things, and when she saw that I was reaching for Lily's pink piggie on the floor (Lily's most favorite toy) she threw everything in her arms aside, screamed "NOOOOOOO!" and DOVE for the little pink pig. I mean, she literally DOVE....on her belly, sliding across the floor with a look of such desperation on her face, you would've thought that she was diving for an oasis in a desert after days of nothing to drink...THAT kind of desperation...and it was like it was happening in slow motion. What a good sister...but she didn't get there in time! It made it's way to the garbage bag, and at this point everyone was melting down.

Now I don't get pleasure out of my children's sorrows, in fact, I consider myself to be rather compassionate...but today enough was enough. Actually...the devil in me was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face...just because I was NOT expecting the dramatics that this little lesson received.

So now the toys are in a garbage bag, that is sitting tied up in my room...and each and EVERY toy will have to be earned back...I HATE TOYS...and thems the breaks kid!

Sheesh!

Well it's been a while since my last post...and I would like to say that it's because my life has been so BUSY with EXCITEMENT that I just didn't have the time to spare to sit and write. In fact, NOTHING exciting has really happened...but I really didn't have time to sit and write...due to having 5 children. The only time I have to post is at night after the kids are asleep and my thoughts are not going to be interrupted, but lately I've just been so tired that I have not been able to stay awake long enough to type a single letter.

Anyways...I don't have a whole lot to post tonight, but with all my motherly woes of trying to keep up with 5 children under the age of 7...a house that always seems to get the better of me, and a heat wave that is all but suffocating, I will leave you with a couple links to 2 beautiful articles from this month's Ensign. I found these articles uplifting and encouraging. I love feeling new resolve to improve in all the facets of my life, and try hard not to be discouraged by my challenges. These articles really helped me to feel validated, but also gave me a little boost to do better. I hope you feel the same way as you read them. Here are the links!

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=ec6de97864a6b110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=6b8de97864a6b110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

I am not sure how to attach links but if these don't show up as links on my blog...just highlight, copy & paste in your browser and hit enter...that should work! Enjoy!

THAT smile...and friends for dinner!

Tonight we had our dear friends, the Buchanan's (or the Buchanigans as I lovingly call them sometimes) over for dinner. I had woken up this morning excited for dinner because the day before I had prepared a roast like I never had before. I chopped fresh rosemary and thyme, garlic and onions, and coated my roast in these incredible flavors and scents. I stuck the roast in a ziploc bag, and let it absorb all the yummy goodness overnight! I mentioned to Jared that I wanted to invite the Buchanan's over for dinner because we hadn't had them over in such a long time. I would see them at church, and would ask them then.

This morning in the rush to get ready for church, I took the roast out of the ziploc (smelled INCREDIBLE!) and put it straight into the crockpot to cook away while we were out at church all day. I was very excited to ask our friends for dinner!

When I got to church, and went inside, I saw Marcy...and she gave me THAT smile. Too many people around to talk about THAT smile...but I know THAT smile. You probably know THAT smile too...THAT smile that means "something is up, and I NEED to talk to you". So all through the first few minutes of our sacrament meeting my curiosity was piqued...I really wanted to know what was UP! Then it happened. Something I like to call "the expected unexpected". Sean got called as the 2nd counselor in our Bishopric. I immediately started weeping...my poor friend. My heart just went out to her, the sacrifice that this new calling would entail...but OH the blessings their faithfulness will bring. I have nothing BUT confidence in them as a family...they are solid...like 2 big rocks, and 3 little pebbles, haha.

I call this "the expected unexpected" because it is no surprise that Sean was given this calling...he just fits the bill. Sean was expected...the timing was the UNEXPECTED. So immediately following sacrament meeting, I found Marcy across the chapel and went over and hugged her. We both cried, because we both have small children and busy husbands, but Marcy was starting a new adventure in UNFAMILIAR territory. One I couldn't relate to, and would have to work THAT much harder to be a friend...what are friends for anyway? Reconfirmation of why we live here, right Marce?

Anyways, I thought it was great that we had planned to ask them for dinner, timing-wise with Sean receiving his new calling it worked out great. So we had the fabulous roast dinner, complete with potatoes, carrots, corn, gravy and Marcy's FABU asian salad. And we topped it off with chocolate cake iced with ganache and sweet strawberries. It was NOT weight watcher's friendly in the LEAST...but that's a WHOLE other issue that I would frankly rather not talk about :P After dinner Jared tested his blood sugar...I won't post what it was, but let's just say it didn't fall into the desired realm of somewhere between 4 and 7. Sean tested his next for fun...and we decided we would all do it to see who had the lowest blood sugar. So Jared was in 4th place (unfair disadvantage of being an unmedicated diabetic...poor Jib), Sean in 3rd with 5.7, Marce in 2nd with 5.5 (I THINK, correct me if I'm wrong), and I came in 1st place with 4.7.

We had a great visit, the kids had lots of fun wreaking havoc (the good kind of havoc). It's a great thing to relax on a Sunday afternoon with good friends, good food, good kids and good conversation. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends in the Buchanan's...and look forward to many many more dinners like tonight's.

Date Night.? YEAH RIGHT!!

I NEED A DATE WITH MY HUSBAND!!! And I know I'm not the only one! The more kids you have, the more skilled a sitter needs to be, and this poses many problems. First of all, we need someone who is at least 16 years old...someone who has had adequate babysitting experience in sitting larger numbers of children. Someone who can "lay down the law" so to speak, when my son decides to starts hitting his sister with his hockey stick with glee in his eyes like if he hits her hard enough, candy just might explode from her like a pinata. (He really isn't THAT bad, he just desperately needs another boy around to help him exert that extra aggression with a little play wrestling...and heaven KNOWS I'm not going to provide him a brother! I never get out on dates with 5 kids...with 6 I may as well get comfy and start counting the days until Hannah is old enough to sit (actually, I already am! approx. 1460 days).

I love the time alone with my husband. No one makes me laugh or have a better time out than he does...only one problem...the ENTIRE time we're out, we talk about our kids...and that is what is making us laugh and have a good time! But that's okay, because we had these kids for a reason...and it's not because we don't find them terribly enjoyable and entertaining. Aside from the occasional scrapping and screaming, we essentially have a variety show in our house on a daily basis, and it is FUN!

But heaven KNOWS at the end of the day, when the house is quiet, and their bodies have stilled for the night (hopefully)...there is just something so nice about turning off "mommy" for a time, and just being "Angie". And there is no one who makes me feel more like "Angie" than my husband. Thanks Jib...I love you.

K, not EVERY blog will be this heavy!

Tonight I had a reflexology treatment from the dear Pauline, and boy is she good! I'm so relaxed right now I'm not sure how much of a post I'll be able to type with my eyes open.

Today was a day like many others, filled with the tasks of a stay-at-home Mom. Life is so busy, everyday trying to figure out what to do with my time that will optimize my role in both temporal and spiritual ways. Having days where I feel so run-down with tasks combined with the emotions of raising 5 beautiful children in a world that just has a way of taking all things good and pure and tainting them, and then trying to make us believe it's still good and pure. There is definitely a heavy price that comes with being an LDS mother...the weight of the knowledge we bear, and applying that knowledge to the nurturing of our little ones.

I've come to realize in recent weeks, that through the Lord we can accomplish those things which are of greatest and deepest importance to us. For me, time is important...time to play with my kids, time to clean SOME things in my house (not everything), time to read my scriptures for myself and to my children, time to say my prayers, time to visit teach, time to practice piano, time to prepare FHE lessons. Impossible by myself...possible with the Lord.

I think we fill our time with nonsense. We need to get back to the bare bones of raising a family. Instilling values, morals. Blessing our children with confidence and courage. Teaching them to fight for the little guy. Be a good sport! Play nicely and be kind! Control our tempers a little better so our children can learn to control theirs. Teach them to work, and to contribute...to serve! Our society is just riddled with ridicule, anger and envy...poisonous venom. I need to do better at this...and many, MANY other things.

I am optimistic though! I have faith in other words. I am surrounded by amazing, strong women who constantly teach me things that help me stay grounded, that give me perspective. My Mother being the most prevalent example. She is so level, and wise. She encourages me to do what is right for my family, and not be concerned with comparing myself to others. She's a smart lady...I need to start putting some action to my listening skills!

I am a good Mom...and I am a good wife...I love my husband and children...and that's gotta count for something right? I am happy, and I think that counts for more.

Musings...

So I've done it...I've started a blog. I've been pondering over this whole blogging concept for quite some time now...and just today saw that my cousin started a blog...and lots of my friends have blogs...and at General Conference we were encouraged to start blogging as a form of journaling. So this is my purpose in starting this blog, is to share, keep record, inspire, be inspired, teach, learn, vent, relate and hopefully tell some funny stories along this journey.

I am really excited to do this! My loving hubby is a techy so he will be THRILLED to see me doing this. It will be great to be able to put all my experiences down so as not to forget them...this memory of mine needs as much help as it can get!

So hold onto your knickers friends, because you have entered the world of my musings! I hope you enjoy! This should be interesting.