Where Am I?

I found a new location: mylifeinthemensroom.com

All new posts will be on the new location, which will also include old posts from here. Please follow me there to keep updated on "My Life In the Men's Room"! Because things are never slow with five kids and a radio host.

Note To Self

You aren't 20 anymore. In fact, you are 40 and have five kids. You can't stay out until after 1 am and expect to function the next day. I'd like to to thank Danny for the awesome champagne, the Old 97's for a show that lasted till 1 and Baby Z for waking up throughout the night. Then there is No David who decided we all needed to wake up at 6:20 this morning. I might be finally feeling my age.

All I Want for Christmas...

Well, we finally broke down. After all the babies and storing excess breast milk in freezers all over the city of Houston, we purchased a freezer. Just what I always wanted...to spend $700 on a freezer after all our recent medical bills (right now totaling a mere $6000, and counting since we are still waiting on Squirt's second surgery bill and doctor bill. Kids are expensive!)

While I know having a huge stand alone freezer is going to come in handy once the Baby Hulk and No David start really eating, I hated breaking down and buying the freezer right now. But it was a necessary purchase. I already have milk stored in my neighbor's freezer and was about to start making the drive to Kingwood when both my parents informed me that they didn't trust any of the three freezers I have used in the past to store milk.

So with our freezer on the fridge/freezer combo in the kitchen completely full by Saturday, Lance finally went to Conn's. Then came the news that it would not arrive until Thursday. FABULOUS. Can you say pump and dump? Cause that's exactly what I had to do every day. At least 30 ounces went down the drain every day starting Sunday.

And I didn't even get to get drunk or take Xanax during this time because, well, I had to take care of five kids and being hungover just wouldn't have worked. So I have dumped my milk from all week long. And I'm kind of sad about that.

I have now stored 38 bags of milk, which takes up the entire top shelf of new freezer. Once this freezer fills up, I'm selling my milk. YUP. That's right. Not donating, selling. If I donate, they turn around and sell it, so why not me? Yes, I know the milk banks have to runs tests and such, but guess what? I have to pay for the pump, I have to pay to store it and it's my freaking time and I have five kids to put through college. Wouldn't that be awesome to actually pay for college by selling breast milk? I've checked it out...it sells for up to $3 per ounce. Of course, to make that money, I think you have to sell to the fetish guys who like breast milk. I talked to Lance, and we both agreed that if it comes down to selling excess milk, we have standards. We're not selling to freaks.

Mom Gone Wild

I may have traded in my obsession for buying books for our children's library to something completely different. Girl's clothing. To be exact clothing sized 3 -6 months. I literally can't stop myself. I went to the Galleria today with four kids just to pick up some tights and ended up with four more outfits. I just bought three outfits the other day. Then Stacy picked up something for me Saturday and bought four more herself. Then there was the shopping spree my dad went on two weeks ago.

I actually thought to myself, I hope Chelsea has a baby girl because I have all this clothing she can use. What??? Of every female in my life, why I decided Chelsea at 20 years old was the one who needed these adorable hand me downs is beyond me. So, no Chelsea, just wait and I'll get you all new stuff. I promise.

To prove to myself that I'm not a clothes hound, I added three books to my Amazon cart. I need to go through my list before I order and make sure I don't need anything else before Lent starts. That could be a disaster as well as an argument since Lance doesn't like when I order books before big liturgical seasons. It doesn't seem to work out for our checking account.

1560 Oscar Party

Lance and I had a blast meeting friends of 1560 at the Tasting Room last night. The station hosted an Oscar Party for six couples. The food was good, the company even better and the show, well, the company was awesome.













Double Rods

O is for Oceans...

I've been complaining quite a bit about the Baby Hulk and his lack of drive lately. I know, it's kind of pathetic and psycho momish for me to call my kid out on laziness already, but, that is me.

My goals for this year were relatively simple: learn to read, learn to write, some math concepts, religion and study science by going through the alphabet. Each week I'd have a theme with books, coloring sheets, food, a craft and possibly a short field trip. We wouldn't go into anything heavy, and at times the topic didn't have anything to do with science.

We made it to the letter M and faltered big time. The Baby Hulk has never enjoyed coloring, so I don't make him color more than a coloring page a couple of times a week. We've been working successfully, or so I thought, with Handwriting Without Tears until recently. His reading was going so well, we were on long vowels, then he just gave up on that as well. Forget any of the cool books I checked out for our science studies.

N week was another disaster that was continued so we could get it right. Big mistake. I was almost in tears, ready to send him somewhere next year for preschool. I even handed him off to my dad last Saturday.

Not only was Baby Hulk not working for me, he had an attitude. He would roll his eyes at me whenever I asked him to do something. I thought I only had one teenager in the house.

Finally, we are back on track. Last week, we studied Oceans. We had a great week. And while his handwriting doesn't seem to be improving, he worked so hard for me every day! He was excited to read again, do some graphing and color some pictures.



His reward was a trip to the Aquarium.

The Red Carpet

Tomorrow is the Oscars. I think I'm supposed to be in Chicago right now, not sure how those plans got screwed up. It's okay, I see Paul and Brian in two weeks(!) and have plans to watch the show with online friends. Is that weird?

I remember one of my first dates with Lance was watching the Superbowl. I was terrified to speak because I heard him on the radio talking about how he hated Superbowl parties because of women who viewed them as a social event rather than a sporting event. I was so mute, he even made a comment. I'm sure he wishes I was still as silent at times. SO...the point being is that the Oscars are similar for us. We love movies and enjoy the Oscars quite a bit despite how freaking long it lasts. We want movie fans and minimal talk during the important times of the show.

Here are my predictions and favorites for the year. My personal vote is listed second.

Best Actor: Colin Firth, Ryan Gosling (Why wasn't this guy nominated???)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, Geoffrey Rush
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, Melissa Leo
Best Director: David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky (I'll be fine with a win for Fincher because he managed to make a movie about FB that was interesting and not a lot of directors could do that. Aronofsky deserves to win because he made a movie that nobody else could make, truly his vision.)
Original Screenplay: The King's Speech, The Kids Are All Right
Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network, Toy Story 3
Original Score: Let's just say I can't wait to see Trent Reznor on stage.
Film Editing: The Social Network, The Social Network
Cinematography: True Grit, True Grit
Best Picture: The King's Speech, Black Swan

Here is how I would rank the movies nominated for Best Picture:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Toy Story 3
True Grit
The Social Network
The King's Speech
The Kids Are All Right
Inception
127 Hours
Winter's Bone

The top four movies are all interchangeable for me depending on my mood.

While there are a couple of nominations that I scratched my head over, there is nothing to make me sick like last year. Well, except the omission of Ryan Gosling this year.

When Good Parenting Goes Bad

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that No David was starting to potty train on his own. He then decided on his own that he didn't want to go further in that endeavor. Not one to push on potty training, I let it go.

Instead, I decided that he had to give up his pacifier. A reasonable exchange, I thought. I continue wiping your butt, you give up the paci the APA recommends giving up by 18 months, (I think.)

Yes, he's 2 1/2. I tried to take the pacifier away when he was 18 months, and he cried so hard. And again at 2, and still he cried. I'll admit after those two incidents I didn't press it. Before he turned a year old, he was only using his pacifier at night anyway, so what was the big deal. And there wasn't except if he wasn't going to be potty trained, I felt like I needed something in return.

And did I ever get something. No David is ALL BOY. If there is a stereotype about boys, he fits it. He is so loving, but exhaustingly mischievous. He is the one I worry about breaking a bone, skipping school one day and wrecking the car. He's just a mess, and I say that will all the love in my heart because he is a cute mess. And he is my mess.

And now he is a cranky mess. Ever since he lost the pacifier he has become angry. He refuses to take naps and bedtime is a disaster. He used to go to bed so easily, piling all his animals, giving me a kiss, putting the pacifier in his mouth and off to sleep he would go. Today, it's a totally different story. First, he starts by saying "mommy" about ten times and nothing else. It's enough to drive me insane. When I leave he starts to scream. And doesn't stop. EVER.

It's so bad now that I have begged him to take the pacifier back, but he refuses. He throws it at me while screaming how he doesn't want the pacifier anymore.

If I had known my boy would have changed over losing the pacifier, I wouldn't have been so greedy about making him give it up. It has been pointed out to me several times that I am the cause of this unhappiness and present madness in our home.

No David in happier times

You're Not Welcome Here

Tuesday is a daily mass day for me and the under five crew. You never know how it's going to turn out. While we haven't had an incident where anyone has needed to pray for me lately, I do have to stop the chit chat of No David. Then there is the Baby Hulk who may or may not like the priest celebrating the mass.

Today was nearly perfect as far as mass goes with three young children. The baby didn't make a peep, the Baby Hulk sat quietly beside me on the last row and No David wandered between the pew and the door without making a sound. Until I burped Baby Z...two people turned as I patted her on the back.

I was feeling good about myself, the day and full of love and then this lady informed me in Spanish that I should use the cry room during mass for the kids. Although I understood every word she said, I couldn't answer her in Spanish. No problem, she told me the same shit in English.

Really???

Oh, the benefits of a cry room: you can hear the mass and your kids can run around the entire time. Just what a mom that goes to daily mass wants, children who don't understand the importance of mass and don't take it seriously. Have I used the cry room before? Yes, and had my children needed to be in there, I would have gone. As laid back as I like to think I am, I am hyper-sensitive about some things. I hate when my kids don't share, talk too loud and so on. I have to be reminded to let them be kids. Often. Ask my parents, I so don't think my kids are perfect despite what they think!

I wasn't rude to the lady, but let her know that I wouldn't be using the cry room. Her response: "God bless you". And if you can make that statement in a crappy way without any heart, she did it.

I immediately found the grandmothers that love me and asked if my kids had made any noise. When they also told me how great they were today, I tattled on the witch. They were appropriately horrified for me.

Then I went to the priest who told me how happy he was to see the children at mass and thanked me for bringing them BEFORE I even told him about the lady.

You know this isn't the first time I've been made to feel like crap for bringing my kids to church. It happens all the time. I'd like to say it's mostly old people who have forgotten what kids are like, but it's not. It's people my age, my parents age and so on. For a church that opposes ABC and is so pro-life, sadly, a lot of them can be pretty crappy when it comes to kids.

Weekend Thoughts

Random thoughts and weekend plans

I power watched almost all the Oscar contenders, then fell flat. I've made it through one Documentary. Kind of, enough to say I hope it doesn't win. I have one week left to finish up.

Just now realizing that I won't be watching the Oscars with Paul and Brian.

Gave my kids fish sticks from the freezer section for dinner tonight. I felt like it was the 70's. My young boys wondered what was on their plate. Squirt had the sense to appreciate the meal.

Bad week for me and the Baby Hulk. I had planned to take him to the symphony tomorrow, but am graciously allowing my dad to take him without me. It's not that I don't trust my dad or mom, I just honestly hate for my kids to be away from me. I am kind of psycho like that. MAYBE that is why I'm having such a hard time with BH this week. I think we need some space. I say this with a really heavy heart because he is truly the sweetest boy ever, but him being away from me for a few hours is a really good thing. Especially since during those few hours Lance will be gone.

I sometimes ask my kids why they are crying. Their response is usually, "I don't know." Even Squirt has taken several years to tell me exactly why he is crying. (Not that he has screaming crying fits anymore!) Today when No David was screaming hysterically, I asked him expecting the same response. Nope, he stopped crying, pointed at Lance and said "Daddy put me to bed." Glad he was clear on that.

Taking my girl on a shopping spree tomorrow. The joy of girls!

Tomorrow night: dinner at Reef with Travis Rodgers and the wife. Excited to meet her.

Lance finally bought me tickets to the Old 97's! Cannot wait. Super excited to see one of my favorite bands and Internet friends.

I want to lose 10 pounds in two weeks. Seeing that I lost ONE pound in ONE week, I don't think that's going to happen, but I can dream, right? What does Lance do: bring home cupcakes. He knew I was having a hard time with the BH. I didn't want to make him feel bad, so I immediately ate two cupcakes.

I got a call from a friend at Goose's school today. Her daughter has lice. Turns out the kid who had it two weeks ago passed it around. It's not dangerous, but lice just sounds GROSS. Never had it as a kid, don't want it. And selfishly, all I can think is: I have five kids, four who end up in my room at various times during the week. I can't get lice. My hair is way too thick to have lice. I have this image of getting lice and having to shave off my hair to get rid of it. Every time my head itched today, I was convinced I had it. I came home, made Lance promise not to even joke about it and search my head. Anybody scratch their head while reading this?

Tuesday night four different children woke me up. No David cried because he didn't feel well and finally came to sleep at the foot of my bed at midnight. The Baby Hulk arrived around 1 am to tell me he needed to use the restroom. Thankfully, he went back to his bed. Baby Z had her usual feedings during the night. Then Goose came in around 5 in the morning to sleep with us. Lance left that morning assuring me that we would never get pregnant again. I think he might be right.

Two Months

My sweet angel...you are two months today. You are perfect. You Smile! You are a mom's girl. I am sure that will change soon enough, so for now I will relish every minute. You have the heart of every male in this family. The boys are always asking "why you are so beautiful". Dad and I just claim that we make beautiful babies. They all want to hold you or feed you and basically get in your face every second of the day. It's hard to hold them back because I love their excitement, but at the same time, I do like when you actually sleep! My only request would be a full night's sleep or some real time in your bassinet. But really, I can't complain because we are so grateful for you. You complete our family and not because you are a girl. I can't explain it, but you are the perfect fit for us, like we had been waiting for you all along. I love you dearly, little girl.

Valentine's Day

The start of my day...Eggs in the shape of a heart.

And the end of my day.

Despite the CBs below, our day was nice. Squirt's nasal surgery went well, supposedly we're/he's fine, but we will see in about two years. Lance surprised me with breakfast in bed. I stopped by Pete's for filet for dinner. Glad to celebrate US. Thanks, Hallmark.

Pissed because they were kicked out of the dining room.

Daybook~Mother Mary

For Today...February 13, 2011

Outside my window...the weather is beautiful. It was so nice today. This afternoon we played outside just because we could. Finally.

I am wearing...black yoga pants and a shirt I plan to donate really soon. It's featured in the pictures below and I had no idea how unflattering it really is! Also, my Grinch slippers. I think these slippers reflect my mood this past week. Hopefully, my heart will change like the Grinch's did soon.

I am listening to...Cracker.

I am praying...a million Hail Marys. This week has been the hardest as far as parenting goes in a while. I am so tired of saying "tomorrow is another day." I just want today to be the day that I'm a great parent.

I'm also praying...for Squirt's surgery tomorrow. It will hopefully be quick and with an easy recovery, esp since he has work to finish tomorrow night.

I am pondering...the idea of joy and how it relates to my life. I think I have it figured out and how to keep it coming.

From the kitchen...tomorrow we'll have filet and fingerling potatoes with fresh green beans. The rest of the week will be healthy so I can reach my goal. We have a wedding, the Old 97's, (hopefully) a listener event, and Paul and Brian within the next month. So a healthy diet is in order.

To be fit and happy...OMG. While I was gone they changed the spin class and now we watch our RPM's and stuff and I'm ready to DIE. It is killing me and older women are flying and I'm ready to leave the class. I swear, spin was easier 9 months pregnant!! I am hoping spin shoes will make me ride faster, but that is probably wishful thinking! Regardless, I love being back at the gym.

I am reading...Small Steps for Catholic Moms. It's perfect for me as the steps I take as a mom are so very small these days. I finished The Hunger Games series. LOVED IT. Shea, you need to read this now and give it to Will in a year or so.

From the learning rooms...we are SLOWING down quite a bit. The Baby Hulk and I are having some problems lately. I have found that as I've backed off, I catch him reading on his own. We're on N week, for the second week in a row, and talking Nutrition. Very, very limited work.

One of my favorite things...reading with Goose. I can't explain how much I love this. Just sitting on the couch together and reading whatever is around the house.



I am hoping...that this week is a good one. I need a good week, for confidence, to know that I really am a good parent.

I am thankful...Marivi is back home! She's been on vacation for a week, out of the country and we haven't talked at all.

A few plans for the week...celebrate Valentine's Day, swim lessons, a visit to Forbidden Gardens, relax and watch some documentaries with my hubby!

A picture thought or two...



Baby Z is starting to smile! I commented how she doesn't spit up at all, and then today she had reflux and the cute picture of her smiling shows a big wet spot. Nice. But she was smiling so I had to post it. I posted the second picture so Chelsea and Stacy could see how awesome her dress really is since the first shot didn't show that. And lastly, there she is looking at daddy!

Do Over

This afternoon was not a great one. I sent Lance to College Station to attend a football clinic for the afternoon thinking it wouldn't be a big deal. He was only going to listen to one speaker. I just failed to account for his drive time. No biggie though, I figured they would nap, we'd make a Valentine's project, watch a short movie about St. Bernadette and have dinner.

The project sits unfinished, and the movie is still in its case.

I was so frustrated with the kids for various reasons: No David for his continued mischievous nature, The Baby Hulk's continued inability to do one thing I ask of him, and Goose's failure to read any of his school work this week. (Blog entry on that to come later.) And then my little girl: she continues to cry unless you hold her. While I don't believe in letting babies "cry it out" at this stage, there have been times that I have to put her down and let me tell you, the girl has stamina. She is relentless.

You could safely say that I was more than annoyed by bedtime.

And the boys knew it. It took every effort to say prayers and give kisses and tell them I love them. And that I expected more tomorrow. As I closed the door, I promised myself tomorrow would be better. I would do better.

Less than ten minutes later, Goose was in my room bawling. Earlier when No David was turning the television on and off (one of his new moves), Goose had seen something that scared him.

Here was my chance, and thank God, I didn't miss it. Thank God I was a mom instead of a drill sergeant. Hearing my reaction to Goose was enough to bring the Baby Hulk into the room. He decided that he was scared too. Then No David climbed out of his crib, telling us he was scared and wanted to snuggle. How could I turn that down?

I'm not usually a fan of holdouts during bedtime. We have long days, and the boys need their sleep. Period. Everyone has bedtimes, including Squirt, who just asked us when he would get a new time. We wouldn't survive without bedtimes. But for tonight, I'm grateful for the chance of a "Do Over" with the boys. They, no WE all deserved it.

Note to Self

Before you plan a date night with your husband, make sure you fit into something besides yoga pants and a "I'm a pepper" t-shirt.

I am seriously bummed, eight weeks in and I can't fit into a thing. I plan to lose the rest of the baby weight, so I really have no desire to buy something new. But since it's winter, I need jeans and such. I have been wearing the same black preg pants since Baby Z arrived.

The sad thing is that I thought I was looking decent, but now I know how far I really need to go. And while I'm not one of those self-loathing women who hate themselves because they get fat, I am one of those women who likes to be thin. With my boobs, I have to be a small size to look small. Simple fact of life.

So off we go, Lance looking hip, me looking like I'm still pregnant.

Guilty Pleasures

I was super excited to be invited to post an entry on any show not covered over at ApeDonkey. They do reviews of every great show, some I don't have the time to watch. The blog is awesome, and I'm constantly checking for updates.

Here's the problem, nobody needs a review of 90210. And I'm not talking about the "New" 90210. I'm talking Brenda, Dylan and Kelly, Donna Martin graduates and David Silver's dance moves.

The DVR in the bedroom is classified as mine. I can't tell you how many episodes I have saved on it. It's slightly embarrassing. And I have my favorites...anything with Kelly and Dylan.

So we all have them, things we hate to admit liking. Despite a huge dislike for pop music, I found myself downloading a Rihanna song a couple of weeks ago. I actually paid for a Rihanna song!! And she's fine, but you wouldn't hear her on channel 54. I am so embarrassed that I won't listen to it in the car with Squirt.

As for movies, Bring It On has to be my top film. I have the lines memorized. And Grease 2. Lance loves it too, but for reasons much different than me. Something to do with Michelle Pfeiffer and Cool Rider.

Worthless Wednesday

This morning I woke up to a sleeping baby! She was so sound and peaceful, and I realized she hadn't had her 5 am feeding. I was ready to celebrate because this would mean that we were on our way towards getting some sleep. Then I looked for her bottle and it was nowhere to be found. I prayed I had just forgotten to get it out of the fridge at 3ish, but knew my prayers wouldn't work in this case. Nope, Lance had fed her. It was so nice to have that extra sleep, but at the same time a cruel joke for me to think we would soon return to a normal life.

I dropped Squirt off for his monthly orthodontist appointment. I love this place, I can drop him off and they take him to school. I'm not forced to subject my kids to other patients at 8 in the morning, I don't miss my workout and they give Squirt a ride to his school. It's a perfect arrangement except when they screw up his appointment. Turns out he needs an appointment when nobody else is in the office? I know, this sounds super freaking creepy, so he missed class this morning for nothing and has to return. But this time, I get to go as well because there is no way I can leave him all alone in the office. Supposedly, the ortho doesn't like to be distracted for whatever procedure they are doing this month, but I am positive my little ones will be more distracting than his other patients ever would have been today.

Another day of freezing weather means another missed swim lesson. This time, the swim coach called early to confirm I wasn't bringing Goose to his afternoon lesson so he didn't have to go to work and wait on us. Technically, they weren't closing the place until right after Goose's lesson so I'm screwed again. Drives me insane to waste this money.

Since I had extra time after school today, I bathed the kids at 4:30 thinking I'd have them in bed by 7. They went to bed at 8:30.

And last, Lance dressed up for me today, but changed before I got home. What was the point?

Professional Eater

I've been worried about No David's eating habits for a while now. The kid eats nonstop. He wakes up asking for a waffle and wants a snack as soon as he walks through the door. Before the baby was born, it was easy to delay the snack because we were at the gym five days a week. But since I couldn't take the baby to the gym until she was six weeks old, we were coming home before 8:30 and No David would walk to the fridge or pantry asking for a snack. Sometimes, he wanted lunch.

Sure, I would try and give him something healthy like fruit, but the kid won't stop. Then he starts crying when I won't give him food. I understand his frustration, at times I feel like crying because I want something sweet. He also tries to take food from his brothers something that doesn't go over well with any of them, which leads to more tears. And while he's not overweight, he has certainly not missed any meals.

And quite frankly, he's hard to be around while I'm trying to lose weight. Since he woke up from his nap, he has had two skittles, two bowls of grapes, fruit chews, popcorn with me, four carrots and he still wants more. The problem is that I've been eating with him this entire time. It would seem he gets his willpower from me.

While writing this entry, he has opened the fridge three times and the pantry twice.

I did find inspiration to stop eating sweets though: Val Kilmer. Seriously, what happened to that guy? And please don't tell me he has some disease that makes his face look like he's been stung by a billion bees. I would have to feel bad.

Stumbling At The Finish Line

I had the best surprise on Friday: No David decided he was ready to be potty trained. I was pretty excited as I've never had a kid who decided on his own to potty train. And I'll admit I'm pretty lazy about the whole thing, waiting until the boys turn three before starting. While I don't like changing diapers, I don't mind it like some do. When people talked about having two in diapers, it didn't matter to me.

Yet the thought of No David on the toilet was a great thing.

We were doing so good, no accidents. On Sunday, we made it to church, through church and home. He was so proud to wear underwear. This morning we dropped the boys off, went to the gym, grocery store and made several stops at the bathroom. At each stop, he was successful.

Then we came home and he has peed twice in the house, not the toilet.

Is it bad that I'm ready to give up and wait until he turns three? I either want him trained or not. Nothing in the middle. Here's hoping this afternoon is better.

For Aunt Stacy

Essentially the same picture, but I had to put both because you can see the little hat better in the second one, but my mom liked the first picture better. Stacy has bought tons of stuff for Baby Z, this being the first outfit for her. We've been dying to see her in it, and now it fits perfectly. Within a weeks time Baby Z has grown so much. She is filling out and looking more human and girlish than alien and old man.

She is even starting to smile at me!

Patron?

While browsing some blogs today, I came across a Saint Name Generator. You go to the site, click a button and BAM...you have a saint picked out for you. Thinking it would be fun and possibly provide me with someone new to learn about, I clicked it.

Saint Eugene de Mazoned where have you been my whole life?

Snow Day

All week long we've been preparing for snow and ice. Today was the day and what a bust. No Snow. My poor kids have been talking about building a snowman all week. Now their play date has been cancelled because mom doesn't drive on ice and they are stuck inside. Oh, to be like the mom next door who threw her kids outside by 8:30 this morning so they could check out the ice.

I decided to set up stations for the day to keep us from going crazy. Really, I can't take listening to Caillou any longer. Goose has decided he doesn't like "learning shows" anymore so instead he watches the most annoying show around. Somehow he managed to hit record without our knowledge so we have more than ten episodes with more popping up each day. And let me tell you, Caillou is the biggest baby around. This show explains the Baby Hulk's sudden inability to walk down the hall by himself. I really don't let my kids watch television very often, but I must admit with sick ones and me being super tired, I have allowed a bit more television than usual.

Today we are making a St. Brigid cross, reading on the couch, having a snack, doing a chore, having lunch, silent reading and puzzles. We'll end with popcorn and a family movie. Not bad, but still not the same as building as a snowman.

Here are some pictures from Wednesday. Squirt's surgery went well, and he should be able to actually breathe out of his nose soon. The doctor assures us that he will be fine after this surgery, but since this is the third surgery of this type, we're not convinced.

I often find Baby Z with toys surrounding her from the boys. The boys were really worried about Squirt and thought their animals would help him feel better.

We didn't make it to Mass on Wednesday to have our candles blessed so Lance did a blessing at home for us. No David LOVES his new candle. We, and by we I mean Lance and I, made candles over the weekend and I bought the cheesy ones at HEB for the kids. They were so excited about them!

The Difference

And because I wouldn't be me if I didn't just get this off my tongue...but I am over everyone asking if I notice the difference between boys and girls. The answer is yes: she cries ALL. THE. TIME.

Everyone who has both boys and girls kept talking about how much easier a girl would be than my boys. So far, I'm just not feeling that. I have a daughter who refuses to sleep in her bassinet and won't go more than four minutes without crying if you aren't holding her. Where is the sweetness? My mom reminded me that No David cried quite a bit, but this girl has him beat by a long shot. I feel bad because there are times that I just can't hold her or sling her, and she literally cries nonstop. Then you hold her, and she immediately stops.

There has been one difference: she doesn't spit up like the others. That's a positive.

Change of Plans

Today is the perfect example of how regimented and cheap I am. I have been working on flexibility for years. You would think with children flexibility is a must. You would think I would have learned this lesson at this point in my life. But here I am stewing because my plans for the day are not going to happen.

And as I am sitting here, I am thinking of things I won't be able to do tomorrow either. The first week of February is so rich with things to do for the kids. In the Church, we have the Feast of St. Brigid, Candlemass, and the Feast of St. Blase. Then there is Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year and the start of a new month. And I want to do it ALL.

And not in just a checklist kind of way.

I had plans for yesterday, today and tomorrow. Not to mention swim lessons that I've already paid for the month. Do you know how hard it was for me to cancel today? I admit, I can be cheap. But Lance reminded me exactly how cold it is today and that swimming isn't really a good idea. So out went our plans for taking our candles to the church to be blessed, swim lessons, the library and Chinese New Year at Goose's school. (Thankfully, my plans for the gym were intact, I don't think I could have handled today otherwise.)

Instead, we're baking cookies for Squirt who is in surgery right now, we'll light his special candle for the year tonight and Lance will bless our candles, we'll have soup and be together. I know in my heart that that will be better than anything I had planned. It only took me four hours to get over not having the day go exactly as I planned.

The Check Is In the Mail

I received the bill for having Baby Z less than two weeks ago and the hospital has called twice asking where the payment is. Seriously, don't these people have anything better to do? And while today is the day I pay bills, (yes, I actually still write checks) I am tempted to set this bill aside just because they pissed me off. I am paying the entire amount at once in cash so they can back off until the actual due date stated on the bill.

I Don't Date My Patients

The nominations for the Oscars were announced Tuesday morning, and I can rest easy knowing that nobody as bad as Sandra Bullock will win an Oscar this year. It still drives me crazy knowing that she won last year. And while I'm sure she's nice, and I admit to liking her in Crash and While You Were Sleeping, she so didn't deserve an Oscar for that POS she did last year. It was almost as bad as Julia Roberts beating Ellen Burstyn years ago.

For whatever reason we STILL haven't made it to The King's Speech. I'm going to assume I'll love it and Colin Firth, and so I can safely say that my biggest problem is that Ryan Gosling wasn't nominated. He is so damn good.

Baby Z is six weeks today which meant two things for me. First, I got to see my OB on Wednesday, and second, I am back in business at the gym. I honestly don't know which one I was looking forward to more. With such high hopes for both, there had to be some disappointment and there was. On Wednesday, despite being so excited to see me, my doctor didn't take the bait when I said we should make plans to get together. I know, it was a bold move on my part, but she sounded a bit sad when she stated how we won't see each other for another year. Dinner plans only made sense to me. She even bought Baby Z a gift. How many babies do I need to have before I strike a real friendship here???

Then there was the gym, I went back today ready for Body Pump. I got sidetracked visiting Lance at Nick's Place so I decided I would catch a later class. Only they cancelled the class. Then as I was reactivating my membership, I got charged 12 bucks to cover the rest of the month. Four freaking days! Now I am annoyed that I didn't just go on Monday. Although they probably would have charged me for one day. Regardless, I managed 3.5 miles before quitting. Not bad after six weeks off, I think.

And while I have been really missing Chelsea lately, especially since she has been a baking queen, I guess it's a good thing she doesn't live close by while I'm trying to shed the rest of this baby weight. Let those 20 year old co-eds gain the weight. But for my birthday, I want something really good.

It would appear that Lance and I will be making a visit to Goose's school next week. It seems some classmate is picking on him. To be honest, I'm not a fan of this kid, he is THE KID everyone wants to be friends with and is already a jerk, if you can call a 6 year old a jerk. And I can since that kid is picking on my kid. I am hoping that Lance can take care of this before I have to go Nicki Grant on the kid.

I managed to survive Lance's trip without getting in a bad mood or yelling at the kids. Even when I got upset, I held it together. Now to behave like that all the time...I am very happy he's home though and can't wait to see what he does to thank me for letting him go out of town so soon after Baby Z was born.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Jessica! As I took this picture, I reminded you that last year you were holding No David in your arms. And just like last year and the year before that, you spent a good deal of your party holding a baby in your arms. Not worried what other people might think, not letting any of the kids bother you on your special night. Your dad kept thanking us, but we were the ones honored to be with you tonight. You're a member of this family too and all of us love you so much. Happy Birthday, may all your dreams come true!

XM Radio Sucks

A few months ago, I wrote about XM Radio and how they steal your money. I was really frustrated, but not too worried about the 305$ that they charged to our credit card without my consent. I had faith that our credit card company would deal with them, and I'd have my money back soon enough.

Isn't there something about only having faith in God? Well, I'm not sure even God could get money back from the POS known as XM Radio. Today, I received a letter from our credit card company informing me that while they will still fight for us, they have yet to resolve this matter. XM has sent in information stating that we never cancelled service in the MANY calls we made. What liars. How do they train these people. Never once did I tell them I wanted to continue service. It didn't even work in my car! In fact, I was more than clear that if using their service would save my life, I would rather die. Lance was clear. But it doesn't matter because we are still effed. (Do I really have to start curbing my cussing just because Squirt has finally figured out that I have a blog? Shouldn't he be learning in school rather than reading my blog there?!)

With Lance gone, I was sure Baby Z's constant need to be held or No David's constant need for food would do me in. Nope, it's a letter that has taken me over the edge. I have to rethink strategy. They will not get my money. And while I am at it, I will try and get anyone I can to cancel their service too.

Higher Learning?

Heard in my house: "I brang a bag to school."

Me: "what?!!!"

Other person: "isn't it brung?"

Really? I was almost too embarrassed to type this, but then I wasn't the one saying it.

Happy Birthday, Baby

There wouldn't "Life in the Men's Room" without the head of this household. And today, January 21, we celebrate the man that made it possible for me. Happy Birthday, Baby! I wish I had something as awesome as last year, minus me stumbling drunk, planned for you, but I don't. I'm sick, getting worse by the minute, and tired. The sick will pass and so will the tired, soon I hope. And while we still won't party like rock stars, for which I am sure you are grateful, I promise a great celebration. Until then, I offer you my love, my devotion, a three day trip to the Senior Bowl, a clean house and gaggle of kids. You are the love of my life, and I am so grateful you were born today.

If you aren't feeling much love though, take a look back and remember how sweet I was when I gave you 40 reasons. Then remember you are leaving me with FIVE kids while you go watch football.

Longhorns and Tutus, Could It Get Better?!