Oh how he blesses us even in times of turmoil!

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice! I feel so blessed to have hope and something to believe in especially when things get hard!

On Thursday I took Angelynn to spend Easter with her bio dad. I drove all 4 kids all alone. It went very smoothly. I put my precious daughter in God' hands and drove back home, yet again uneventfully.

This trip came at an inconvenient time financially, right after 2 major road trips for gymnastics. Our bank account was empty and I was feeling hopeless. So, I reluctantly called my folks to help me with gas money. (I HATE asking for money.). As always they were more than willing to help, more selfless people I have never encountered. This was a chore for them as there was some bank rule issues that made getting money into my account tricky. I was very worried it wouldn't post in time. I prayed and prayed. Well, the money posted , child support magically posted (it has a strange schedule), AND our paycheck posted EARLY! Talk about God's provision!!!

This trip was immediately followed by moober getting the stomach flu:/ he threw up all thurs evening, rested friday, and rested Saturday except for the awesome egg hunt at our church:). It was a blast! Cotton candy, popcorn, snowcones, friends and a hunt of 35,000 eggs!! We wrapped up our day with my favorite meatball sandwiches and movies. Then , in the middle of the night, the flu struck again..... Poor Lainey:( she has thrown up for 12 hours now:( so, no Easter service for us. Our day has been spent doin a crazy amount of laundry. Hopefully all are well for our drive to pick up Angelynn tomorrow!

Being home gave brad and I some time to finish some rearranging projects and that has been nice. A good fresh start for spring!

None of us feel fabulous, which is too bad cuz our beautiful bountiful basket was full of yummies and I have tons of strawberries as well! Maybe tomorrow:)

He is risen!

Discipline...more discipline...and love

My role in this family has lots of facets. My least favorite (up there above dog poop scooping, garbage gathering, and putting clothes away) is discipline. I dislike having to be "mean" to my kids.

My mother used to say "this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you" right before a spanking. Her swats were swift and stung, but she always hugged me afterward. I never understood that until I had to hand out my first swat. :/ my father never spanked me (that I can remember), even though I'm sure I deserved it many many times. All he had to do was tell me how disappointed in me he was and I felt like a total failure. I can even remember avoiding him at all costs in my teen years when I knew he was going to have a "talk" with me. (I could tell how serious the talk was going to be based on how he mowed the yard...riding mower = gonna be ok, push mower= uh oh I'm dead).

Different parents have different parenting styles, different ages require different tactics, and difference kids respond differently to each tactic, parent and style. I have 4 VERY different kiddos with wry different personalities. I am by no means a pro, but I try my hardest to rear kind, respectful and self sufficient children.i feel strongly that children need structure an chores and accountability. So, that being said, here I go!

The last 24 hours have been full of situations that required me to be "mean."
Laine has quite a temper. When she doesn't get her way she can really flip out. Screaming, shaking and throwing a real fit. Last night and this morning she had these fits... The consequences?? Time out... This occurs in her bed as it is the only place the monkey can be contained. This seems to work, for now, but I'm sure that will come to an end. She gets hugs and kisses after time out. Landon, he's a much easier one, usually. Normally a time out works, and he occasionally gets a swat. Today he got a swat:( he was refusing to get dressed, eat, listen, just about anything he was asked to do he said no. Post swat, he got a huge hug and an "I love you" he responded with "now I know you don't love me." This made me so sad. I'm hoping after school he and I can have a few moments just us. Angelynn, oh Angelynn. She is as stubborn as they come. She has a mean mouth on her when she is mad. Last night she got caught playing game boy and listenin to her iPod after bed, (they got confiscated), she was snotty this morning and had to be forced to take her morning medicine, (7 days of no electronics) and she refused to do her tidying and left er flat iron on when she left (no idea what I will do abt those when she gets home.) so, I hugged and kissed her goodby and told her I love her. She still was seething over her lost privileges.

Man! These kids! Thankfully since then it has been a calm day. Laine played on the trampoline with me, I folded and put away 3 baskets of clothes, swept and mopped the kitchen an bathroom and snuggled Benny. Laine says " I sick o you mama" " kiss mine Owie", so I think it is nap time:) boy do I need it!

A little crime fighting goes a long way.....

Holla! It's Monday! Seems a weird thing to say huh?!? I'm reminded today how blessed I am to be a SAHM. While most are groggily meandering to work I am fighting bad guys with "the crushinator" and "Lainey iron man". I am "spider mom." Benny is along for the ride on my hip doubling as my shield.... He giggles as we run around the house and duck behind counters. Angelynn thinks we are weirdos as we run down stairs to make sure the bad guys haven't gotten her! It is fun to have all 4 laughing as we play.

Today is catch up day after a busy meet weekend. Angelynn has opted out of practice today as they're hosting a late one and she is worn out. She is anxious about her Missoula trip this weekend and excited for her shopping outing with aunt jewel. So, today we will eat some from pot Mac n cheese :(http://crockingirls.com/recipes/cheddar-mac/)
and try and get some housework done.

A few more fun things this morning:
Landon excitedly helped pack his lunch and Angelynn was in a fabulous mood smiling and laughing with me. Laine is dressed to the 9's. I think it may be a busy day!

Another season is finito!!

Being a gymnastics mom requires a lot of commitment. As most know, Angelynn (aka pinky) has been a competing gymnast for a few years. She just wrapped up her level 5 season with the billings gymnastics school. She works very hard and performs under pressure! Competition has a whole side with it that few know about.. First, fundraising!

Meet fees range, but this year it was roughly $750. (This does not include practices, equipment, or travel expenses. So, each year we sell wreaths etc to raid those funds. Second, travel!

Each week all three smallies and I run into billings and back 5 times a week. Then there's travel to the meets (we went to Helena (2x), Bozeman (2x), Missoula, billings, and rexburg (angel went with another family). Some trips were just me and pinky and Benny and some were all of us. Car rides are fun with 3 kids under 6 years;) we pack lots of movies and snacks and of course the breast pump lol.

This last trip was to State meet in Bozeman, boo cats;) this meet is a big deal as all the participants have to qualify to attend. We left late , of course (at 6:25 am) and headed there. Lainey's movie player temporarily didn't work (she was very upset as she was excited to watch "cinderwewla" and "mada" (mater). As it wasn't even 6:30 I definitely hadn't had enough coffee to solve the issue. Luckily Angelynn was able to figure it out:) so, we continue down the road. Landon playing day's iPhone, laine watching movies, Benny blowing raspberries and Angelynn reading. (I might add these kids are road trip pros, we only stop if absolutely necessary. We pack our own food, limit liquids and we cruise along! I learned from the best road trippers ever, my folks. There was NO stopping lol. Ask me about the coffee can next time you talk to me haha!!) even Ben has his road trip snacks, mama pumps as we cruise and angel or daddy gives him a bottle. I get some strange looks from truckers, but hey, what can ya do?!

Once we arrive (10 min late :/. I loathe being late, but have had to relax about it once we had Ben. I was raised in a home where you were always 10 min early, on time was late and actually late never happened) we drop Angelynn to check in. We park and as we are getting the smallies out I realize something. Laine is still dressed in her frog Jammies. So, as I look through the bag of clothes we brought her my heart sinks, we didn't pack shoes!! Lol!! Ok, so we forego getting her dressed, and bring her in with crazy hair and frog Jammies:) oh well, what can ya do?! Luckily she spent most her time with dad. It seems her looking homeless is cute when he has her. When I have her and she looks wild I get disapproving looks. It shouldn't bother me but it does.

Our smallies survive watching the meet without any meltdowns and Angelynn and her team did awesome!! (14th all around for Angelynn and 2nd place team award!!) she ended the season with get best all around scores and a happy heart!

The drive back was uneventful, besides a set of vanishing Wendy's gift cards. Y mom have us some that I keep for special occasions, I pulled them out, we got to Wendy's and they had vanished. We all searched the car and they were nowhere!!! We paid for our snacks and headed our. The cards magically appeared a few hours later in the snack bag, weird!!

By now it is 2:45, we are finally home!! Yay!! Moo and Big (still in frog Jammies) run around the front yard playing with sticks, Angelynn showers and relaxes and Benny and I snuggle and he eats and eats and eats!! Dad finds homes for some of our overflowing garbage can:/ (remember we missed garbage day?!)

All in all a successful day.:) however, we discovered our wii isn't reading discs anymore :( which made big and moo sad as they were excited to play swords:( we will have to get it looked at.

Brad had a chat with the neighbors about their dog that barks ALL THE TIME! I a hoping that remedies it because I'm about to start plotting ways to quiet them myself!

We all slept hard after a big day. All besides Benny :/ he kept me up as he needed me. Daddy took over abt 4:30 this morning so I could rest too.

Church was great! Angelynn looked gorgeous and took incredible notes, Landon loved being w Miss Patty and big and Benny did great in the nursery. Oh! I forgot to mention, laine dressed as princess Tiana for church lol. That kid! Now it is finally rest time. Lainey is snoring next to me, it is wonderful!

Looking forward to the next few days. Worried about Thursday's approach as Angelynn is headed to msla for Easter with her dad. She's excited for a shopping day with her auntie:) love that kid, sure will miss her for the few days she is gone!!

Happy Palm Sunday y'all!

Small victories!

As parents we all have to celebrate little victories. That came in the form of being on time today! 5/5 days this week we made kdg line up!!!! I usually miss it at least once (or thrice) a week. So yay!! Everyone got to school on time with lunches in hand and ready to face the day!

Today is advisory (home room) pics for Pinky. She dressed super cute and had me do her makeup. Unfortunately, I missed the photo opp:( so I will post another pic of her looking fab. (Phone was M.I.A.. Turns out, laine had it and was taking a video of Ben, will try and attach that too:)

Angelynn has State gymnastics meet in Bozeman tomorrow, Go BGS!! I emailed a few of her teachers so they could wish her luck. If you want you could wish her luck here, on her FB or via her cell:)

Besides all that it has been a quiet day with a few chats with family and tidying the house. A blowout baby diaper and the realization that I had better wash diapers as both kid's will have nakey bums here if I don't! Albeit cute, a little messy;)... Laine got a bath and a Mani/Pedi. A really quiet day! Looking forward to breakfast for dinner (going to try and make BABA's famous eggs) and pancakes. :) both are family favorites.
I will leave you with a few Lainey gems:
Mama I wuv you too!
Mama where's mine makeup?
Lainey holds Benny.
I sick of you mama you's betta holds me.

On the brink of crazy....

Wow! What happens when sleep is missing?? Insanity is what happens! Ben was up again all night. Either it is a growth spurt or something! This was paired with the appearance of Moo in my bed at 3 am. Most nights I would be forced to man this alone, but not last night:) Daddy was here to help! He's in town all week for training. It is a blessing but also tricky for all to get used to!

After no sleep, and not enough coffee it is time to get all the kids out the door. Hmmm it is 7:20, no Pinky and Moo is having an absolute fit about the muffins we are eating for breakfast. (Pinky is supposed to be upstairs at 7.) Once Pinky arrives she's in a mood as well:: awesome. For those of you who either don't have Tweens/teens or it has been a while, tween fits mimic those of 2 year olds with impressive vocabulary to cut you to the core. Once I reel that in I realize in terror that I have missed the garbage collector :/ (family of 6= full garbage can). Crap.... Now what am I going to do?! I stand in my driveway in my mommy sweats and about cry. Oh well, I will have to figure something out. I finally load my kids (including pokey moo) and head to school. 4:5 days we are on time woot woot! Pinky sees the sign (remember "thanks for bringing your kids on time") "mom is that sign for you".... Grrrr. "No honey it isn't but it should be." And along we go. I drop off Pinky, late as she needed to refocus and head home. As I refills coffee I notice laine has a banana, um where did she get this "meena." Aha! She has found it from pinky's lunch:/ so, I reload the littles, throw an extra I love you note in the bag, and head out the door to deliver said lunch. Yes, still in my mommy sweats.... Finally, coffee! I enjoy my coffee, while watching cars 2 for the 8 billionth time, tidy vacuum and eat lunch with big big, all whilst wearing a tiara. We are princesses today!
As nap approaches Big big decides we will sleep on Baba's bed (the bed in the guest room where my parents sleep). Ahhhh peace! Thank goodness for nap, I would die without my siesta! Once the littles are down I scan the online garage sales, find a big girl bed for laine and snooze myself...while nursing Benny.... He's gookid and will only sleep while nursing right now...and yes he eats cereal.. It just doesn't help. Now I wait for the frantic loading of snacks, pickup of kids and we head to take Pinky to her last gymnastics practice before state meet....
What adventures await?? Lord only knows lol.

ahhh! where to start

Where should I begin? This blog is going to be an attempt at sharing this crazy life of ours with those we love and hopefully share a laugh and the trials of parenting with you all.  So, just in case you do not know, I am Jenn.....the gookedist mommy of all...

Cast of Characters:
jenn- aka mama
brad- aka dad
angelynn- aka diddo, si si, pinky
landon- aka buddy, moo, brother (the creator of all special nicknames and words)
laine- aka big big, bug, princess
benjamin- aka benny,

Furry friends:
izabella- our corgi
nakita- our boxer
bubbles- landon's fish
alyssa and friends- angelynn's fish
meatball face- the cat

Alright...so here is a quick view of what kind of choas we have here;)
I am a full time mom (previously a social worker, and someday hopefully again).  Angelynn is 13, Landon is almost 6, Laine is 2 and Ben is 5 months. My husband, Brad is a railroader (a signal assistant and soon to be a signalman to be precise).  For those who are not familiar with the railroad it is an interesting way to have a family. The last two years Brad has worked 8 days away (and by away I mean like states away) and 6 days home, followed by 5 days away and 2 days home and now it is anywhere from home every night to gone 4 days home 3, or gone for 2 weeks at a time. SO, when I say I am manning the fort, I mean it! It is me and these wonderfully crazy kidlettes and our furry and finny friends. Did that even make sense?? Anyways, most days are like any of yours, and somedays it is a full blown circus. 

Today for example:

I sent my kidlettes off to school.  For the first week in months I have dropped my kdg boy off on time 3 days in a row. (This issue will be revisited time and again I am sure.)  This kid, bless his heart, moves like cold syrup.....so we are late.....a lot...... There is now a sign out front that says something like "thank you for getting your kids to school on time."  If I manage a full week I am going to dance next to this sign! Anyways, I dropped him off and Laine and Ben and I head to the local grocery store..who am I kidding, it is walmart.  I loathe walmart, but I have a big family and they are the most cost effective..... So, I load Big Big into the ergo pack (why her and not ben??? cuz that is laine for you), and carry Benny in on my hip and into the infant cart.  We do our shopping and this of course includes buying bread.  I get the great joy of seeing a lady friend at the store.  As I get five minutes of adult interaction Laine proceeds to need out of the pack, gets into the cart, starts peeling coupons off some tanning lotion and proceeds to stomp my bread :/ seriously kid?! She thinks this is funny.  Luckily I am a pro at this so I shake the bread and bang on the bottom and it comes back to life (sorta).  This was a great trip to the store....

It is early out day, every Wednesday is early out... this makes life hard. I have to put the little ones down to nap super early. Today was the usual struggle.  However, Laine insisted on first fixing my hair and throwing my nose ring across the room.  This was followed by her desperate need to snuggle meatball face.  Nap finally happened with a nursing Ben on one side, Laine on the other and Meatball Face on my face...btw.. I hate cats.......

We wake up, go get Buddy.  We fly like taranadons back to the car and head home for "clean your room wednesday."  Everyone cleans their rooms....sort of.... while mama tries to get the house in order before Dad gets home...We have dinner, devotions and skype with my folks. 

Now, the kids go to bed at 7 (8 for Angelynn) and I get to try and make Ben sleep.  He hates sleep.  He would rather nurse for hours on end.  This is new. It kills me.  Btw did I mention I live on coffee?? Duck Dynasty is on tonight....I love that show...that and NCIS.  I am excited to keep sharing with ya'll and it only gets more interesting so try and bare with me. Bare? bear?  Man, college was a long time ago....