FOR TODAY
Outside my window...there is some snow, but LOTS of ice...although the sun is out

I am thinking...that a snow day isn't so horrible (but ask me again at 4 PM)

I am thankful for...heat....it's -2 outside right now!

From the kitchen...I am making a cream puff ring for our ladies Christmas Tea tonight

I am wearing...comfy fuzzy pants and a long sleeved tshirt

I am creating...gifts for my parents for Christmas

I am going...NOWHERE!

I am reading...other people's blogs...I have been negligent lately

I am hoping...for a joyous Christmas, one where we realize how blessed we are to have what we have and to be together!

I am hearing...the sound of Becki typing next to me and the kids playing Wii

Around the house...things are out and it's fairly messy, the kids are home today, what did you expect??

One of my favorite things...the Christmas season, the music, the food, the anticipation....

A few plans for the rest of the week:Wrap up our holiday outings and events and then have NOTHING to do till Christmas!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This is us with Molli at her girl's chorus concert....it was wonderful!



For more see : http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

I am literally exhausted from two late nights in a row and restless sleep. so no more posting than to say that I wrote something :) More tomorrow....

Today is a big day. For a couple of reasons. The first is this beautiful girl....



This is my Molli. She turns 10 today. 10. Double digits. She'll never be a single number age ever again. There's something sort of sad about that. She has grown up so much. I wish I could freeze her...or fast forward to about 20 :) I'm gonna have my hands full with this girl, she's her mother's daughter. She is so smart (Gold Honor Roll for straight A's) sweet, funny, has a beautiful voice, and is so determined. I just adore her. Happy 10th my Molli bug.


The second thing is no small thing either. This evening my husband, parents, brother, aunt and Grandma are going to see this....



I'm so excited!!!! I adore this show and it makes even more fun to go with my family. Matt has never seen it so he's excited too. I just love that my parents gave us kids such an appreciation for good theater. We have been so blessed to have seen as much live theater as we have, not a lot of kids get to do that. It's just another reason I love my parents! So it's time to get all dolled up...which basically means I'll be wearing nice jeans instead of sweats :) Lots of details and birthday pics tomorrow!

I would post today but I am too busy staring at and kissing this cute boy....

So November was complete failure for me as far as NaBloMo went....ugh. I guess I still struggle with thinking that I have nothing to say. Nothing that anyone wants to read anyway. Well I'm going to try again for December. Be prepared for some complete nonsense as I will strive to post everyday which means who knows what will happen :)

November was full. Thanksgiving was...well, it was good. It somehow has lost it's "specialness". I'm not sure how that happened. I think part of it is that my family gets together every week for a big meal so Thanksgiving just seemed like another of those days. We have decided to shake it up next year....big plans for that!


The UPS man has learned my first name...that's how often he has been here in the past few weeks. I have fallen in love with online shopping. You can find EVERYTHING on Amazon. And I am not kidding about that. I love getting packages everyday and squirreling them away before the kids get home. Christmas is coming!!!

We got our first snow today. The kids were beyond excited. They were begging to go down to the bus 10 minutes early so that they could play. We'll see if they still feel that way in February.

Well off to turn up the Christmas music and wrap some gifts...till tomorrow!

There comes a time in the lives of men....or in my case, women...oh wait someone already wrote that...

Tonight I am contemplative. There is so much going on for me right now. Most it of I cannot, no, will not share on here....I don't trust who may or may not read this blog. But there's a whole ton of stuff that I am dealing with. Some of it is deep, painful and raw...some of it is stupid human games and silliness. It all feels heavy though. So today it made me take a long look at how I deal with stress.....

1. I talk to myself. Actually I talk to the people who I am mad at or who have hurt me. Except I do it in the mirror. And I am very mean.

2. I eat. Why oh why is this???? Why do I always turn to food like it's somehow going to make me feel better about myself? Yes, my Burger King lunch was delicious, but were the 12,000 calories worth it? Did it fix anything? No.

3. I cry. Not a lot, but there are moments when I feel so overwhelmed that I cannot help it. I used to think that crying was a sign of weakness.....now I know, sometimes I just need to let the tears flow.

4. I laugh. It's really bizarre....sometimes, the stress just makes me laugh out loud and by loud, I mean LOUD. People think I'm cracked out and try to commit me to the looney bin. I just get rolling and can't help myself....everything is hilarious.

5. I shut down. I go into a "coma", if you will. I slap on a happy face and literally shut down. No one can hurt me that way.

6. And finally I heal. I realize that my life is not over, that I am surrounded by people who love and affirm me and I know I can get out of bed tomorrow. One of my favorite quotes is, "Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it". I cling to that....it's all going to be ok.

I am so excited!!! My friend asked me to do a spotlight piece on her blog!!! That means that maybe more than 3 people will read what I have to say :) I can't tell you how excited I am about it, it borders on OCD actually...so go take a peek! Read through her blog while you are there, she's an amazing writer and hilarious!!

No Missed Opportunities

There are times in your life when you can define it or remember it with a song.....this summer this was our theme song.....

You Capture
Halloween/ Silence

A day late for You Capture, but that's ok....

Silence first...when Matt gets home from work early and all the other kids are at school, this is usually what happens...silence....
A happy Bumblebee
My pumpkin girl

Molli as Molli Lou Who and Liam as a skeleton

For more on You Capture head over to I Should Be Folding Laundry

I am not happy. I had a post all written and done for yesterday and it didn't post!!!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!! *deep breath* Moving on....

Today is Thursday. I love Thursdays. Well ,Thursday nights to be specific. Why, you may ask. Well, I'd be happy to tell you. Thursday night is ladies night. Last year, I started going over to my beautiful friend Rhonda's house to watch Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. It became our ritual. It me, Rhonda, Tara, Jaymie, and Dana. We get together every week. It's not so much about the shows, although we love them. But it's become this tight knit group of women, a place we go to every week and can share whatever is going on. These women have become my confidants, my secret keepers, my friends, my joy. I can always count on them for laughter, sympathy, anger and tears. I have become a better woman because of them and I am so thankful for them. So here's to you ladies....I love you all and am honored to share my Thursdays with you!

Break out the drinks, it's almost time!!!!

It's Election Tuesday. I packed up my boys and headed out to vote. I was slightly nervous that there would be a wait and what would I do with my 6 month old and 19 month old??? But thank heavens there was NO line and we were in and out in five minutes. Everytime I vote I am always stunned that I am allowed to do that! What an awesome country we live in. I will say that even after being all patriotic I will be so glad when this day is over and all the ads and phone calls stop!!!

I am so thankful today....thankful for heat, for hot water, for food, for my family and my van. It may sound silly but it's just been one of those days where the very simple every day things seem overwhelming. I am so grateful.

My sweet Liam is giggling at me over the top of my laptop while I am writing this so I will go and snatch him up and smother him with smootches now :) But I will leave you with a recent favorite snapshot of mine. Till tomorrow.....

Here we go.....I'm gonna post every day this month. I swear. :)

The past few weeks have been busy for us. We're finally into a pattern of school/work/church. I LOVE having five kids in school. It's been great having just Liam at home. I've started babysitting for my friend's adorable little boy so it's tons of fun with my two little boys here. It's definitely a change!!!

I'm so excited about what our family did last week! We decided to sponsor two kids from Compassion International!! The boys picked a young boy and the girls picked a girl!!! I can't wait till we get their pics in the mail so I can share their precious faces with you. I love them both so much already! We sponsored a girl named Fia and a boy named Arnoldo. My kids are so excited to write letters and get to know all about these two young kids. They've asked if we can send them clothes and toys. It's so exciting to see them excited about giving. We've got some things cooked up for a different Christmas this year, but I'll save that to share later. :)

Tomorrow is election day and I am SOOO glad! Not only will I have the privilege of going and helping to choose our leadership, but it means that my home phone will FINALLY stop ringing every 5 minutes with calls!!!! Hallelujah! So don't forget to vote tomorrow!!!

ORANGE

This week's challenge was so fun!

For more on You Capture, go to I Should Be Folding Laundry

Man, I suck.....I am on the computer EVERY day! How is it that I cannot remember to blog??? It's not like I don't have anything to say, good grief, Matt tells me to stop talking at least twice a day!!! Note to self: find a way to remind myself to blog

I'm getting excited :) Tomorrow morning I leave with my mom, Aunt, and Grandma to head to Frankenmuth and Birch Run over night. This is the first time I am going away without taking Liam with me. The first time that Matt will have all six kids on his own. I know he'll be fine, he's an old pro. But I'll keep my phone on loud, just in case :)

I started my weight loss program (again) on Monday. So far so good, although I did have a McChicken sandwich yesterday. But I did exercise...so that helps right??? How I wish there was just a fat cure....but I suppose that wouldn't help change my mindset about food and my relationship to it. It would help if I didn't love sweet stuff so much. Oreos, candy bars, Twinkies....um...I'll be right back :)

AAAHHHHH!!! So frustrated with myself! I do well and post a few days in a row and then completely forget to post for two days!!! That's it, I'm setting a reminder on my phone to remind me.

I had to borrow a prompt from NaBloPoMo for this morning....what was the first play you ever saw live?

Ahhh, the memories, well first you should know that my parents were both theater majors in college so I grew up with HUGE influences toward theater, musical theater specifically. By the time I was five, there weren't many musicals that I had not seen. Most of my earliest memories revolve around theater and musicals. When I was five, we lived in Pittsburgh PA. My dad was working as a lighting designer for the Pittsburgh Ballet Company. He was allowed to take my brother and I backstage to watch the company perform the Nutcracker Ballet. I remember it being so big, larger than life. The show was breath taking to watch, the costumes were magnificent and the music - unforgettable. What really made my night was when my dad took us to the dressing rooms afterward to meet the dancers. (at this point, I was dead set on becoming a ballerina!) I met the girl who danced Clara who was just a little older than me. And then, I met the Sugar Plum Fairy. She was breath taking, tall, thin and sparkling in her costume. I was speechless. Then I looked down. She had removed her ballet slippers already and her feet were horrific; black and blue, bleeding and swollen. She noticed me staring at her feet and said "The price you pay for being able to dance." AS we walked to the car, I told my dad that I had changed my mind about being a ballerina. Princesses have perfect feet. :)

FACES

This was a fun one, because there are some faces in my life that I love....

Silly Faces

Handsome, grown up faces

Dirty, little boy faces

Sleeping baby faces

And even grumpy faces....I even love them....well most days!

For more on You Capture visit here

What a gorgeous day! 80 degrees in October! It made watching a football game a tad warm, but who can complain?? I think I may have even gotten a sunburn! WOOHOO!!

Today was Jonah's next to last football game of the season. I was searching for a "Play" theme for the day when I realized I was sitting watching one! Jonah has really come alive as a player this year. I think the new coach has helped a TON! Jonah's skills have improved and he seems much more engaged in the game. His attitude has matured as well, not getting so upset when they lose, etc. I love watching him play. I will admit that I still cringe when I hear their bodies colliding on the field. That sound of crunching helmets and pads worry me a bit, but I feel such pride watching him. What an awesome young man he is turning into.

We also "played" today at my parent's house. We helped Dad close up the pool for winter. Sad day. Means summer is really over. And, of course, you cannot close the pool without a final jump in. So my crazy husband and 4 big kids plus my dad and brother took the final plunge of the season with the water a crazy 59 degrees! It was a fast jump!!! With that, we said good night to the pool. We'll miss it.

A full day of play today with the Kurtzs :)

a fast post today as I have a lot to do...

We are having friends over for dinner tonight. We haven't done this in SOOO long and it feels so great. This family is in our small group at church and we have committed to having dinner together every Friday night. Obviously, there will be weeks with things going on and we won't be able to, but we're gonna try. Now off to try and make the house presentable....see you in a few weeks! LOL

What a day! I had to take my Thomas man to get his four year old shots. I was a little worried given his past behavior at the doctors (ie, refusing to get on the scale, not letting the doctor touch him, etc.). We made a quick stop at Walgreens on the way and I let him pick out a drink and a candy (hey, I'm not above bribing!) and told him that if he was really brave at the doctor, he could have them. Well, he did amazing. He was so good and did all the required things. He even did great during his shots...it was great. As great as watching them stick needles into one of your babies can be :)

Thursdays are my most favorite days of the week. Some people like Fridays, but Thursdays are my most favorite. I know you are curious now :) Thursdays are when I have ladies night. I get to escape as soon as Molli is done with Girl Choir and head to my girlfriend Rhonda's house. There are 5 of us that get together every week and watch Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. It's not so much about the shows as it is hanging out and being together. It's my night to reconnect and feel like something other than a mom. I look forward to it every week and count down the hours. So my PLAY for the day is my ladies night adult play time!!!

Oh I've failed already! Just got out of the habit of blogging so blogging every day has escaped me. Especially the last two days where Liam has been cutting ANOTHER tooth and it has been miserable. No sleep, nothing getting done, just sitting with a crying baby trying to stay sane. Last night I really hit a wall. Usually I am fairly patient as a mom. But after no sleep and no relief from the crying, I just wanted to run away. Let's face it, I still feel that way this morning.

So as far as PLAY goes this morning, that means that I playing hooky. Hooky from the dishes and messy living room and the millions of loads of laundry that need folding. Hooky from getting dressed and hooky from showering. Well...ok maybe not showering...a long hot shower sounds amazing actually. I'll take Thomas' rubber ducky and then it counts as play right? :)

So the theme this month for NaBloPoMo is PLAY...this is gonna be fun :)

As I was browsing their site, my eye caught this blog so I clicked on it. Where I discovered the most wonderful thing EVER.....

I was raised by two theater major parents....musicals were my life. I couldn't understand why in fourth grade that no one understood me quoting 1776....didn't everyone watch musicals all the time?? We just got this today in our first day of PLAY and it is AWESOME! Oh my word....so much fun!

So what are you playing today??

Friday morning numbers

1 crying Liam
3 loads of laundry waiting to be folded
10 baby bottles that need washing
4 Kurtz kids at school
9 hours till dinner with friends
10 adorable baby fingers that I love kissing
2 phone calls to make
6 beds to change
2839 texts last month (really? didn't seem like that many!)
84 days till Christmas!!
21 days till my getaway with my mom, aunt and grandma
3 winter coats I need to buy
2 light bulbs that need replacing
12 hair ties that I found on the floor this morning
1 lonely puppy who is missing his Bo friend
3 boxes of dog treats purchased to help appease said lonely puppy
3 football games left this season
1 happy Thomas playing Wii all by himself
and 1 still crying Liam which means
my post is over :)

Needed something light today, just don't have it in me to post anything else :)




1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
Car insurance, hate paying for something that you might never need

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
On board the Norwegian Pearl

3. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Eating junk food and watching a movie

4. How many colleges did you attend?
One

5. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now? -
It was right on my dresser

6. What are your thoughts on gas prices?
We have to have gas...

7. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Oh crud

8. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
I wonder if Jonah has stopped crying :(

9. Do you miss being a child?
Parts of it, like the no responsibility part

10. What errand/chore do you despise?
Anything that has to do with cleaning lol

11. Get up early or sleep in?
Hate getting up early but can't really sleep past 8

12. Have you found real love yet?
Real is a good word for it because it is very "real"; raw, tough and amazing

13. Favorite lunch meat?
Roast Beef

14. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
Some sort of candy bar...for the kids...sometimes :)

15. Beach or lake?
Aren't there beaches at lakes??

16. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
No

17. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives?
Neither.

18.What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Hmmm....someone handsome

19. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
No.

20. Ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
Yes, hope I NEVER have to do that again!!

21. Ring tone?
Well I have different ones for different people but my main ringtone is No Surprise by Daughtry

22. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
on a plane

23. Somewhere you've never been and would like to go?
Europe

23. Do you go to church?
I do

24. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
Gag me, neither

25. How old are you?
31

26. Do you have a go-to person?
My husband

27. Are you where you want to be in life?
Yes

28. Growing up, what were your favorite cartoons?
I hate/hated cartoons

29.What about you do you think has changed the most?
My weight

30. Looking back at high school were they the best years of your life?
NO!

31. Are there times you still feel like a kid?
Yes, when I'm in public with my kids I feel like people are thinking, "What is that 18 year old doing with all those kids?!!"

32. Did you ever own troll dolls?
no

33. Did you have a pager?
No

34. Where was the hang out spot when you were a teenager?
The Pizza Shoppe

35. Were you the type of kid you would want your children to hang out with?
That is a really interesting question...I'm not sure

36. Who do you think impacted your life the most?
My parents

37. Was there a teacher or authority figure that stood out for you?
My mom

38. Do you tell stories that start with “when I was your age..."?
LOL, actually I did just say that to Molli the other day

I didn't expect my post for today to be so raw....but it is....

Last night, our dog Bo was hit and killed by a car. We are simply devastated by the loss. My kids are broken hearted. It was a very tough night and morning for us. Sydney and Thomas didn't wake up last night so I had to tell them this morning which brought on a whole new wave of sadness and tears. Emma climbed into bed with me this morning, started crying and said, "Mama, I was just talking to God and I told Him that I will miss Bo so much but I will always have my memories of him in my heart." She is taking it the worst I think, she has such a sensitive heart towards animals, our pets in particular. It's interesting to watch the kids grieve, they all do it so differently. A pet's death, while never easy, somehow teaches us about death. Life is not certain, never guaranteed. We are going to bury him in the backyard this afternoon when the kids get home. So he'll always be close by.



Rest in peace our Bobo...we love you and will miss you much.

Can it be possible that I didn't post all summer? It hardly seems likely that I spent the entire summer without posting on my blog. I suppose I just thought my quick posts on Facebook were enough and that no one really cared about my blog anyway. But then I realized that I missed it. I missed typing long, incoherent thoughts into cyber space. And that's what brought me back here today.

Our summer was full of many things. Full of family, camps, fighting, camping trips, football, and swimming. I was very glad to see September 7th roll around. Jonah is in middle school this year *gulp* I have to admit that I was (still am) nervous for him. Middle school is no man's land. Every morning, before he walks down to the bus, I hold just an extra minute longer and whisper a prayer of protection and wisdom. The girls have settled well into the routine of school proving once again that our family just runs better with routine. And then last week my sweet Thomas started school. He goes to pre-K four days a week all day. I wasn't sure how he would do but he has flourished and just loves going to school. It has thrown me into an interesting stage of life. Now I have just my Liam and the little guy I babysit for. Sure makes it very quiet here. I have to admit I like the quiet :)

So now it's back to our busy fall schedules, football, girl's choir and church. Now please excuse me while I make some tea and sit and enjoy the silence!

It's summer....I've been re-reading some of posts from previous summers. Wow. This summer has been OK so far. We've been trying something new and it seems to be working. What is this, you may ask. Here it is...








These are our marble jars. Each child has one...well not Liam :) The five talking children have one. They can earn marble for doing various jobs or for good behavior. However, bad behavior costs them marbles. Their incentive is, once their jar is full of marbles, they can exchange it for one of three things : A date night with mom and dad (their choice of where we go), $20 cash, or a slumber party. It may seem silly but this has REALLY cut down on the tattling, hitting, and general annoyance things that seems to make the summer seem SOOO long! My older kids are really motivated to fill their jars so my house has been clean and the van cleaned out without any fuss. Somethings are still just expected of them and they don't earn marbles for those things, ie. the dishes and cleaning their rooms. But I am really liking this system. We've still had moments, don't get me wrong. But even a little less drama is helpful!!!

Next week we are headed to Lake Michigan for the week as it's Matt's vacation and we couldn't be more excited! Camping here we come!!

Numbers

Our Friday night numbers

4 children that just got off the bus
1 child sleeping (my Liam)
2 couches that are finding new homes tonight
0 places to sit in the living room right now
3 children attempting to talk to me while I write this
1 conversation at a time is all this Mama can handle right now
2 wasp stings that needed kissing when Sydney came in
1 daddy working on his van
1 three year old boy "helping"
3 large pizzas ordered for dinner
4 kinds of pop to be consumed with said pizza
1,000,000 calories in the aforementioned pizza
7 hours that Liam is sleeping each night
7 more days until my quiet days are filled with children 24/7
4 bags of clothes to take to Goodwill
8 loads of laundry to do
3 single baby socks that I cannot find pairs to
2 nervous dogs who are hating the storm
1 paranoid Mama who is walking around sniffing for smoke during the storm
3 girls giggling while playing Wii
1 mostly happy family gearing up for pizza and movie night!

What a day.....

I was up and moving early as I had to be at my mom's house by 7:45 this morning. The kids get on the bus at 7:40 so I was headed out at the same time as them. A HUGE lightning clap hit somewhere VERY close to our house and we all screamed and jumped. I've never heard anything like that! Then we started running late...Emma couldn't find socks, Jonah couldn't find his backpack...so I am hurrying everyone along and telling the kids to jump in the van and I would let them wait in the van at the end of the driveway as it was now raining. As I re-entered the kitchen, Molli said, " Mom, I smell smoke." I quickly told her it was nothing. I bent over to pick up Liam's carseat and saw smoke rising from the floor. I ran down to the basement and saw flames coming out of the dryer hose. I screamed for the kids to bring me water. Jonah remembered that there was an old fire extinguisher upstairs in the girl's closet so he ran to get it. He handed it to me and I couldn't get the pin out. So I yelled for more water. The water wasn't helping so I panicked thinking I should get the kids out and call 911. But then I thought, by the time they get here, the whole house would be on fire. I tried one more time to get the pin out and it came out! I quickly used it to put the growing fire out. Then I climbed up the stairs and crushed all the kids to me. This was a miracle day...

1. If we had been on time, I would have been out of the house before we smelled the smoke. I was planning on being gone all day so we would have lost the house.

2. We didn't buy that fire extinguisher. It was here when we moved in. And I didn't even remember it was there...Jonah did.

3. The kids and I were calm. And knowing some of my children, this is indeed miraculous!

God's hand was all over this today. His mercy and protection flowed here. I know He was here this morning, providing peace and wisdom. He is great and worthy to be praised!!!

I come here everyday, see my top picture of my five children and tell myself that Liam is a month old already and I do not have ONE picture of all SIX of my children. Hopefully this weekend!

So yes, Liam is a month old...hardly seems possible. He is the sweetest baby and we all just love him! He gave me his very first smile last night and, as if it were possible, he melted my heart even more. One person said you can't love the sixth child as much as the first.....that person never had six kids!!

Life continues on. There are 23 days of school left....dang it. But we plan to be busy this summer which I hope will help!!! For now, my sister is in town. She surprised us all with a visit with my new nephew! He is just darling and he and Liam have being getting acquainted....




Aren't they adorable??? So we are enjoying some time with her and my two aunts from New York are coming into town this weekend which should make for fun times! OK, going to hunt down my six kids and torture them with getting their picture taken, the joy of being a mom!!!

Time for an update! My blog has suffered, again, from my lack of computer time due to the fact that my arms are slightly busy holding my new little man! He is just as sweet as can be and we all adore him! The kids fight over who can hold him as often as possible, but I usually win. Gotta love the mom trump card! We had a few medical scares with him, some jaundice and a yucky cold. But he has recovered quickly and was such a trooper. It's been a little tough getting into the nightly feeding schedule, but we're working that too. He is so precious and I am enjoying every minute with him. We've had no jealousy issues with Thomas which we were a little worried about. Thomas loves Liam and is very helpful. So all in all, the last two and a half weeks have been really great! Here's some pics of our gorgeous boy!

Welcome to the world Liam Joshua Kurtz!!!! He was born at 11:41 AM on April 9th. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz and is 20 inches long! We had some trouble with his blood sugars (most likely due to mine!) so he has to be in the nursery with an IV which is hard being away from my brand new baby!!! But it's for his well being and I get to go down every three hours to nurse! Hoping we can be done with the IV by morning so I can hold him whenever I want!!!! More photos coming soon!!!

I am still here, I am still pregnant, I am still miserable......

My mom leaves tomorrow for California and I am very sad that she will miss Liam's big entrance....of course, at the rate we are going, I'll still be pregnant in three weeks when she gets back......

Just hopping on to say that I am still here, I come every day and check up on all of you. But I dare not post because I have vowed to not become one of THOSE people, you know the ones I mean. The ones who obsess over the end of their pregnancies and who whine and complain endlessly about how miserable they feel and how it will never end, blah blah, blah. So I choose to write nothing just in case my fingers get the best of me and it all comes spilling out!

By far, the best part of my week has been this:


This is my gorgeous new nephew, Benjamin Clancy Hoekstra. He was born on Tuesday, March 16 at 4:27 AM. He was 6 lbs. 15 oz. and is just darling. My sister is well and healing and loving being a new mommy. We are on the webcam as often as possible as he is in California and we won't get to see him in person till August. New life is so amazing and precious!!!

So I promise not to get into the habit of re-posting things I find, but this one made me laugh so hard today....and it's not even that funny! I'm just that hormonally unbalanced!!!





-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

-There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

-I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

-Bad decisions make good stories

-I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing stinks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the HECK are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

-Was learning cursive really necessary?

-LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

-I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

-Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

-Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

-How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

-I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent one jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

-Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies?"

-While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least KIND of tired.

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible...

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

-"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

-I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still do not know what time it is.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their glasses when they are safely on their head and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey, but I'd bet anything everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time.

-I wonder if cops ever get irritated at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay!

I was just re-reading my post from earlier this week. Oddly enough, I could have posted the EXACT same post for yesterday! Only yesterday I realized that it was time to do something drastic in my newly 6 year old daughter's life so that she would come to realize that her attitude and behavior HAD to change. So, as I pushed her out the door for school, crying and screaming, and as I watched the bus pull away from the driveway and my own hot tears started to spill, I knew what I had to do. I called Matt to get support in my decision which he readily gave. And then I waited. I waited for her to get home so I could inform her about her very near future.


See, as she was planning her 6th birthday weekend, she very much wanted a friend party. The thought of cleaning and cooking and enduring 6-7 six year old girls seemed completely overwhelming to me. So I suggested an alternative. I offered her the chance to have 1 friend come and spend the night and then the following day, we would all go to Chuck E Cheese. I despise that place, but it seems to make my children SO happy! She jumped at the chance and the friend was chosen, invited and had accepted. As I sat crying Friday morning, I knew that she must lose said sleepover and subsequent Chuck E Cheese adventure. I also knew that she would NOT handle the loss well, but there didn't seem to be a choice. She really needed something radical to show her that her actions and choices about behavior have consequences. I called the friend's mom and she was most understanding. Then I waited. I heard the bus pull up, thankfully Matt was already home and ready to back me up. She came in and was all excited about when we were leaving to pick up her friend. I took a deep breath, sat her down, and told her. The cries and yells began in earnest and kept up for quite some time. I had expected this so I wasn't too undone. She fell asleep early, exhausted from the crying and when she woke up this morning, she was fine. I reminded her this morning that we wouldn't be going to Chuck E Cheese and she hung her head and told me she knew and she knew why. So maybe, just maybe, we're turning a corner.

Plus the sun is shining and it's 45 degrees out....who can be sad or down on a day like that?!?!?!?

OK, I'm sitting here crying so I will blow my nose and start with the positive....

- the end of this pregnancy is near. Not near enough, but near. I am fairy miserable, finding it near impossible to complete even the simplest of tasks, not sleeping, and struggling between my constant craving of sugar and my blood sugar levels! I said to Matt last night, "I hate being pregnant, at the end!" He lowered his book and said, "Honey, then why have you done it six times???" Touche`.

Oh wait, this was supposed to be the positive stuff....

I have an ultrasound on Tuesday to take a peek and see how big our little man is. I haven't had one since our 18 week one so I am anxious to see him again! He's very active and the kids think it is hilarious to watch my belly shift and roll as he tries to take over yet another square inch of my abdomen :) My beautiful friends have decided to throw me a "Sixth baby party", I refused to let them call it a shower as it seems a bit silly to throw a shower for a SIXTH baby! But the thought was so sweet and I am looking forward to celebrating Liam with them on Sunday. And eat cake, of course!

Spring is near. I can feel it. This is the third morning in a row that I have awoken to sunshine. It's coming just in time!

So why am I crying? Well that would be my youngest daughter, Sydney. Tomorrow is her birthday, the big 6. There were times, honestly, that I wasn't sure she'd make it to 6. And lately, that feeling has been even stronger. We've slammed into quite a season with her of backtalk and disobedience and drama and it has been so tough. I'm not sure if it's because I am pregnant or what, but for some reason, she pushes a button in me and it undoes me. I tend to be somewhat patient with our children, but where Sydney is concerned, I lose it. I have zero tolerance for backtalk. well for all of it really, but I just snap. She makes me want to lash our irrationally. I know this is just a season, but boy, am I ready for the season to change!!! So as I pushed her out the back door screaming this morning, I sat down and just cried. I know there is a lesson here....just trying to find it :)

Ah, well I feel better now.....blogging can be so therapeutic and I really couldn't fit all this onto my Facebook status :) I'll leave you with a picture of what I found outside my bedroom door the other morning. Thomas is excited about Liam!

I was blog hopping this morning and usually my first stop is MckMama"s fantastic blog. She had a post on there about big families which was hilarious and oh so true. And as we are getting ready to embark on child #6, we are officially a big family :) This was written by Matthew Archibold.....





Why big families are easier:

Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.

Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.

Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.

Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent. (this is SOO true in the Kurtz house!!)

Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.

Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.

Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)

Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.

Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.

Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.

Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.

Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.

Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.

Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.

Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.


All of this rang so true for me this morning. It's hard to hear "Wow, you have your hands full!" or "Are they ALL yours??" all the time and not feel like I've done something wrong by having our big family. Then I read something like this and know that my kids will be ok, they'll always have each other and having a big family is one my proudest accomplishments!!!

Another Thursday, another post :) This time I'm watching the wind whip the snow at speeds of 30 mph while I sit sipping my latte. It's freezing this morning!!! Not that I can feel it in here!

We are back to cold world, Thomas and Sydney are sneezing and coughing their way through life. These seasons seem especially long these days, could be my pregnant self just being grumpy. Speaking of pregnant, I seem to have slipped unknowingly back into the first trimester. Gone are the days of energy and productivity. It seems to take all my energy to drag myself from bed in the morning and get the kids off to school. My housework is suffering horribly and I am just too tired to care. On an exciting note, my girlfriend stopped over yesterday and surprised me with the very baby swing that I had wanted and clothes for Liam. It totally made my day. Hard to believe that we are 85 days away from meeting our little man!!!

And I am totally and completely frustrated with Frito Lay as they are WEEKS late getting the W-2's in the mail. GRRRRRR!!! We are usually done and filed by now and waiting anxiously for our deposit. Yet we sit every day, watching for the mailman praying that this will be the day that he brings us the golden ticket. UGH. Remember how patient I am?!?!?!?!??

Well my precious time is up, time to collect Thomas and head home.....till next week!

I've decided that there is something therapeutic about taking my laptop to McDonald's once a week and drinking coffee and spending some alone time. I admit that I am one of those people who doesn't like to be alone, must be why I have so many children :) But these times are completely enjoyable. Whatever shall I do when our internet is restored at home? Perhaps I'll keep up the tradition and make Thursday mornings my blog time, since I can't seem to get to it any other time!

The end of January is in sight!! Which means one month closer to Liam being here! I will admit that this pregnancy has been full of worry for me. I don't know if it's because I have had 5 healthy, beautiful kids and I think I'm tempting fate or what. I think part of it is because there are women around me that are losing babies and having a hard time having them. I am trying to put Liam in God's hands and know that He loves him so much more than I ever could and therefore will take care of him. It's just been a wild ride emotionally for me. Matt commented on my belly last night saying, "Wow, Liam is BIG for 5 months!" I rolled my eyes and reminded him that I am SEVEN months pregnant, not FIVE! "Oh yeah," was his reply. Oh brother!

So maybe it's just winter or maybe it's a pregnant thing, but I have lost all energy or gumption to get anything done! It's so very frustrating after having a great window of being so productive. I'm praying for it's quick return!!

Hoping today is W-2 day today....come on Mr. Mailman!!!

Seeing as my last post was before Christmas, I guess it's high time for an update :) Not that there's much to update, believe it or not :)

Christmas was really great. The kids were SHOCKED and delighted with their gifts and even though there were MUCH less gifts, they didn't care which warmed my heart. They got some great things, including a trip for my three oldest to see Beauty and the Beast the musical with my parents. Their first real theater experience...ahhhh....there's no going back now! I'm seeing many trips to Chicago in our future. How I pray they inherit my (and my parents) love of theater!! We rounded off the holiday week with a trip to Highland and a visit with Grandma and Grandpa Kurtz. Much fun was had, much Wii was played and many laughs were laughed :)

Now into a new year!!! Our pastor called us to fast and pray this month....as I cannot fast from food due to my little Liam (shucks!) we decided as a family that we would fast from the internet and cable in our home. It has been rough (well the internet part for me anyway!!) Not having immediate access to NECESSARY things like Facebook has been a challenge, but I suppose that is the point! It has created much more family time and much easier transitions to getting ready for school and bed. The kids ask occasionally how much longer we have to wait for "channels" to return....but they are surviving as well. So how am I posting this now, you may ask? Well, I've taken Tuesday mornings as my own and, after I drop Thomas off at school, I head to McDonalds for some coffee and some alone time, with my laptop :) I don't consider this cheating, the challenge was for me to not have it in my home where it's too easy to lose hours on the computer. So live on Tuesday mornings!!

I am feeling pretty well. I was surprised to be having some Braxton Hicks contractions already over the weekend. Guess everything speeds up a bit with your 6th pregnancy and old age :) Having a baby at 30 is so much different than at 22 :) Liam is getting bigger by the day it seems and the kids are loving feeling him kick and punch. Jonah is so excited to have another brother! We're all anxious for his arrival!

My favorite part about January I must admit is it's TAX RETURN TIME!! This is our favorite time of year, besides Christmas. This year holds no cruise, sadly enough :( But Matt and I are escaping to GR for a romantic overnight for Valentine's Day...well kind of. It's also when he'll be getting all his equipment for the Isle Royale Expedition. But I'll take the fancy hotel and the chance for us to get away alone before Liam joins the tribe, even if I have to endure Bill and Paul's!

Well time is up! Back to the land of no internet :)