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MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE?

If you are reading this....keep on reading..important info coming up....ready?!

My blog is moving!  I have switched blog providers, so PLEASE take the time to click on the new blog link and save it to your "Favorites"!  (that would be on the top of your computer screen with a star beside it....and yes mother...your computer DOES have a favorite button!!!)

http://www.fourchickadeesandme.blogspot.com/

I will not... I repeat.... I WILL NOT BE POSTING TO THIS BLOG ANYMORE!  I will continue to leave it up for awhile, but it will be gone before long!

So be sure to save this link to the new blog:

http://www.fourchickadeesandme.blogspot.com/

See ya on the flip side!

I'm still here....

...I promise... I really am!  I might not be ALL here... but my fingers are moving and I can feel half of my brain working...so I guess that means that I'm still around!

I will be updating this blog soon... "soon" as in a week or so!  So check back then and maybe I will have something worth sharing!

Now... off to update my "house blog".  Check it out and you will see why I haven't been here very much lately!

Tsk..tsk...tsk.

I have been downloading pics and videos off of Madison's camera and just happened to come across this recording!  I have been wondering why Sydnee has been "acting out" lately....surely her big sister doesn't have anything to do with this?...surely she hasn't been prompted with teasing and encouragment...NOT MY SWEET CHILDREN?!?!?!?

Hmmmm...I think it is time for a heart-to-heart talk and some extra chores!

***Notice the arm sticking out to be hit and the little prompts of what to do....very clever Madison, like I would never catch on to this one!***

She's at it again....

Yep.. my darling daughter is back to blogging her silly videos and crazy ideas!  But why...OH WHY...does she record her videos in the DIRTIEST rooms of the house....her bedroom and our bathroom?!?!?!?!!? (I am going to get to that laundry pile one of these days...really, I am!)

Here is the link to her blog...sometimes I wonder if she is sane!

http://mymatz.blogspot.com/

 

Happy Birthday Madi!!!

Yesterday made it official... Madison is now 11 years old!  I can get all gushy about it seems like she was just born... how time has gone by so fast...on and on and on.... but I will spare you those feelings.  I will just say that it has been a pure joy watching her slowly turn into a young woman...she will be a great contribution to this world!

Friday I took treats to her classroom where she "partied" with all her school friends!  This can be a very silly age...as you can see!  Frosting anyone???

I think the biggest "gift" was a surprise visit from her Aunt Polly who drove all the way from KC to come for her Bday!  Sydnee didn't want to share this present!!!

Then it was time for some good ol' fashion spankings from the teacher....whoop!

Then on Sunday we went to Bartlesville and ate Chinese food...good choice, Madi!!!  Some of the gifts she received was clothes, Chinese checkers, boots, stationary/card set, purse, earrings, art set, books, balloons and lots of $$$$$!!!!!

I will end this post with Madison's birthday parties from the past...starting with the day that caused all this celebrating....

1st B-day: Winnie the Pooh Party

2nd B-day: Barbie Princess Party

   3rd B-day: Carnival Party

 

4th B-day: Rainbow Party

   5th B-day: Roller Skating Rink Party

 

6th B-day: Dress-Up Party

   7th B-day:  "Just celebrate at home cuz' my mom is to lazy to throw a party" Party

 

8th B-day: Cheerleader Party

   9th B-day: Pizza and Slumber Party

 

10th B-day: Girls Rock Concert Party

    These past years have been filled with lots of giggles, grins and great times!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE.....♥♥♥ We LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!♥♥♥

Win?...Lose?...

....who cares!!! We are all in this together!!!

Guess what game I'm talking about?  I'll give you some hints...

#1.  Most families probably have this game taking up more space than desired.

#2. Most parents are suffering from headaches caused by this game.

#3. Most children are pouting because their parents eventually take over this game.

Give up?  One more clue....

 

DING... DING... DING...YOU WIN IF YOU GUESSED.......

 

Ok.. I admit.. I'm not a big fan of the music... hate some of the lyrics.. but something about "thinking" you are really good at rockin' the night way...hmmmm... its can be so addicting!  Our good friend Tom gave the girls Rock Band for Christmas this year.  They were so excited, but they had to wait their turn to play!  My sister Polly and I soon became "rock band hogs" and played for 7 hours the next day!  Bad parenting...I know.. no need to comment on that part!  But ohhhh....we got so good!  We sailed through the songs... our egos became a little "cooler" with each beat...I was no longer a 30-something housewife, but a REAL MEAN ROCKIN' MACHINE... and then it dawned on me.

I'm playing rubber drums.  Not so cool after all.

Soooo... back into the hands of the children.  Sure, I belt out a tune every once in awhile, but I get much more joy out of seeing the kids play together.  Note the keyword...."play together".   My girls love to play games... but the one losing soon quits.. the one winning soon gloats... it is often more of a headache than a fun time.  Rock band is a little different... either you ALL win... or you ALL lose. 

My only complaint...I wish they would come out with a version that has songs more geared toward children.  But I guess jamming out to "Twinkle  Twinkle Little Star" kind of looses its rock appeal.  BUT.. I did run across this...might be something to look into! (click on pic for more info!)

 

One thing for sure... if my nephew Cody is in the house.. the windows are shaking with some serious guitar playing! ;-)

 

 

At this concert, Madison took on the drums.....

 

 

And Abbie led the band with her vocals... which sounds more like..."hmmmmm...ahhhh...ohhhhh yeah" since her reading is still in progress!

 

   Until she gets bored with all those"ohhhs" and  "yeahs" and gives the fame to the dog....

They keep going.. and going... and going...

Today my kids played.  They played hard.

We took full advantage of the sunshine and fresh air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight I realized that there was complete silence in the house.  I tiptoed to the bedrooms, just sure of myself that I would find 4 little sleeping angles... all tucked snuggley in their beds.  After all, they had such a energy packed day!  Yahoo!!!... a night to myself.

Ohhhhhh Nooooooo.... not these 4 little monkies!  I not only found empty beds, but this.....

 

 

 

   

REMINDER TO SELF:  Silence is not always a good thing.... and I buy to many bows!

19°

Brrrrrr.. it was cold outside today!  The girls didn't have school and they were literally bouncing off the walls... seriously, I have a small hole in the sheetrock to prove it!

As much as I dread the words "Mom.... can we please go outside and play" during the winter days... I had to carefully weigh my options....

1) overlook my despicable feelings of bundling each kid up in at least 3 layers of clothing...listen to the bickering of who's gloves are who's....actually taking the 30 minutes to find the gloves so they can be fought over...finally zipping up the last zipper and hearing the infamous words "I gotta go pee now!"....and then having to do it all over again (this time in reverse) when they have been outside a full 10 minutes and decided that I was right.. it actually IS cold outside!

2) or.....literally go insane!  My brain was starting to buzz, so I thought it might be in my childrens best interest to get some fresh air, regardless what the job entailed.

I choose option #1...maybe that already makes me insane, so perhaps I should have stuck with #2!!!

Mark had a few things to do at the house, so we decided to tag along and let the girls go "ice skating" on a little water hole not far from the house.  It isn't deep, so we thought that would be a safe way to let them have a little winter fun!  What we didn't think about was that there would actually be snow on top of the ice!  Duh!!!  So there was very little "ice skating" going on.. but they still had fun stomping around!

 

Callie and Abbie spent most of their time making snow angels and climbing on tree limbs that they have never had the chance to explore since they are usually in the water!

 

 

 

 

Madison was determined that she came to slip around on the ice... and she was going to make sure that is what she done!  She got an ice scraper from the truck and got to work scraping the hard snow off the top of the water.  By time she was finished, her toes where starting to get all tingly and she convinced herself that she was indeed suffering from frostbite! I guess the fact that her snowboots are 2 sizes to small has nothing to do with that?!?!? 

 

Sydnee was just happy to be outside and content to follow her sisters around!  I think she could have turned into a popsicle and still try to convince me that it is not to cold to be outside all day!

 

 

Well.. we survived our little outing... came home and warmed up with some hot cocoa! Then it was back to bouncing off the walls again... and scattering a trail of toys and dress up clothes behind them!

I just got word that there is no school again tomorrow.... I'm smiling...really, I am.

Guess What???

No Excuses!!!!

One thing I am determined to do is to start feeding my family (including myself!) healthier meals!

Of course, this means lots and lots of salad!  I am a lucky mother... my older girls L♥VE salad.... Mark L♥VES salad...and I can choke one down if need be! So why don't I fix them more often?!?!?... because I HATE making them!  I hate all the cleaning, chopping, dicing, shredding....in and out of the fridge!  I hate the time that is takes to get stuff ready, especially if it is only for myself... is one little bowl full of produce worth all the trouble!?!?

So.. while grocery shopping the other day, I had a lightbulb moment!  One I am sure most households have already had... I never denied being behind times!  So I quickly pushed my cart to the plastic container aisle and stocked up! 

And I did it... today I took the TIME to do all that chopping and dicing that I so dread doing... and created myself a little mini salad bar!  My plans is to keep it filled up with different things at all times!  Now there is no longer an excuse for eating all those fattening (yet so very convenient!) foods!

Here is what my little mini salad bar is full of now:

 

 

 

I think I will add some peppers, corn/black bean mix, sprouts, diced ham and a few other goodies next time I go grocery shopping!  Here it is all tucked neatly away in the fridge:

  I had to try out my little convenient contraption for lunch today.  I must say.. it was super easy and more importantly... very yummy!

Sweet Victory!

Throughout the last 10 years, we have always had a hospital bill to pay!

BIRTH: of Madison ($$$)

SURGERY: for Madi ($$$)

ER TRIP: for Madi- High fever/dehydration ($$$)

ER TRIP: broken Leg for Madi ($$$)

ER TRIP: re-broken Leg #2 for Madi ($$$)

BIRTH: of Callie and Abbie ($$$+$$$) No... you don't get 2 for the price of 1!!!

SURGERY: for Callie ($$$)

BIRTH: of Sydnee ($$$) 

ER TRIP: for Abbie ($$$)  Involved a shopping cart, hurt hand and ripped off fingernails!!! Eeek!

ER TRIP: for Madison-cracked elbow ($$$)

(I think that may be it?!?!)

So month after month for YEARS I have paid a hospital bill.. and today was a day of victory!

See the remaining balance left after this last payment?.......

Yep.. thats right..... $0.00 remaining balance...WooHoo!!!

My first thought after signing this last check was "Thank goodness for insurance and no-interest payment plans!!!!"

Now all I have left to do is wrap up each one of my kids in bubblewrap and stockpile the birth control!!!