I like Jaden's hair like this

I guess they passed the comfort test

I got a chance to work on another blanket. I put all of the kids down for a nap, and Nathan left to go to a doctor's appointment. I had about 45 minutes of peace. I took advantage and worked on the blanket that Jaden wanted me to make for her. I have one side of fringe complete, but I had to put the blanket down when Morgan woke up. I threw the blanket on the ground and ran into the room to catch Morgan before she woke up Jaden... Whew!! That is always a challenge! (I have Jaden and Morgan in one room and Josh and Rebekah in another). So, I got her out of the room, and she proceeded to lay down and fall asleep on the blanket!!! So, I guess it got Morgan's seal of sleep approval.

I just love this picture

There is something about Morgan's face in this picture, and the position of her arms and fists that just makes me laugh. Everyday at 5:30 PM, we go outside in the front as we wait for Ms. Esther to come to pick up the kids. I tell the kids that they have to stay by the plants (that way they are far away from the street). In this picture, Josh had just killed my elephant ears plant. He just pulled the little ears right off. Morgan looks like she is so mad at him. Hahahahaha!!!

Why didn't I think of this sooner?

The messes have gotten worse and worse and WORSE, as you might imagine with 5 kids constantly in to something. I, finally, got tired of picking it up by hand, sweeping, or bringing out the vacuum every couple of hours... So, I asked LeCount to pick up a hand vac. I got to use it for the first time yesterday. It was a miracle!!! Then, today, Jaden, Rebekah, and Josh all fought over who got to "play" with the vacuum!!! Wow!!! They can pick up after themselves, if they think it's a game! Hahahahahaha!!

Jaden's thoughts on boys

***Special note to readers- please remember that Jaden asks herself questions, and then, answers herself. It is not a typo. I asked one question that led to this conversation with herself***

Me- Jaden, Bryson is coming over. Is he your friend?

Jaden- Yes. But, Jaden, Bryson is a boy. I know, but boys know how to marry girls. You know why? Why? Because boys listen to girls, and that makes them beautiful!

Wow! These blankets are really easy to make!

These blankets are great! I had a chance to start one last night. I worked on it for about an hour (off and on). Then, this morning, I was able to finish it up. This blanket is for Mercy in Zambia. Their winter happens during our summer, so I will need to send it right away. Now< I can start on another one! Yay!!! Maybe tonight- We'll see...

This is what I want to be doing

I bought some fleece fabric to make no sew fleece blankets for my girls and my sponsored children. Here are the instructions, if you would like to know how: http://www.allkindsofbabystuff.com/no_sew_fleece_blankets.html So, I bought several yards of fabric. On Friday night, I started on this soccer ball blanket for Henry, and I finished it up on Saturday morning. I have several other cute prints that I am doing for all of the girls, but I don't have the time to do it right now. I hope to have some free time during the week this week because this is something that I really enjoy doing for ME! Plus, I get to surprise all of the kids with a handmade blanket. The idea popped into my head when I heard about an organization called Project Linus. It is a group of people that get together to make quilts and blankets for needy children (children in the hospital, homeless, etc). Here is the link to that organization, if you are interested: http://www.projectlinus.org/ In fact, it doesn't cost any money to participate. The organization already has donated fabric, and you can pick up quilt squares to put together a quilt at home. Then, you bring the blanket back to them for distribution. Of course, the fleece blankets that I am doing are not for Project Linus, but I thought I could get in some practice making these. I may wind up helping out this organization, too, when I am done making these other blankets. It is 100% non-profit, so it's nice to know there isn't some "big guy" over the organization making money off of your hard work.
I will post more pictures of the blankets as I finish.

A long winter's nap

I have so many things that I wanted to do this weekend. I think I will still get a chance to do some of them before the week starts back up. However, I am still watching these kids. As soon as they leave, I am going down for a long nap~~ The 2 kids did not go to sleep until midnight, but they got up at 6:30 this morning! They are still going strong, but I am worn out!!

This time last year/ My, how fast they grow!!!!

Green Living Family Festival

Getting their picture taken for the news.
Solar wind- you can buy one for your home.
Morgan was checking to make sure that her friend Brynna was doing ok in the back of the stroller.
Morgan canoeing in the grass.
Bees making honey- They had honey you could buy there, too.

This was Jaden and Brayden favorite part!



****Green Living Family Festival - A WFAA Family First Event!April 26-27
Enjoy the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary's Green Living Family Festival April 26 (9-5) & April 27 (1-5). Saturday will be a WFAA-TV's Family First Day in the Community with News 8 personalities and fun giveaways, and KLTY Radio will be on-site Sunday. Browse dozens of green-friendly vendors, enjoy treats from The Great Outdoors, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Smoothie King, listen to the sounds of nature and some special musical guests and take part in many children's activities including a free petting zoo, inflatable slide and get the chance to see our new Animals of the World, A Conservation Exhibit. ****

Visit with over 28 “green” vendors; get ideas; purchase some of their products and services

Enjoy refreshments from the Heard Concession Stand, The Great Outdoors Restaurant, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and Smoothie King

Take the kids to the free Ponies & Pals Petting Zoo

Get your face painted by the students from the McKinney High School National Art Honors Society

Enjoy a 25' long inflatable slide

Visit the Heard's new “Live Animals of the World Conservation Exhibit”

Take a hike on any of the Heard's 6-miles of hiking trails (guided tours available; times TBA)

Enjoy interactive live animal talks (times TBA)

Shop the museum's store and purchase some plants remaining from the Heard's Spring Plant Sale

Browse the indoor dinosaur and snake exhibits

Saturday
Meet News 8 Personalities – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hear the Nationally Renowned Author of “It's Easy Being Green,” Crissy Trask, speak on “Waste and Consumption” from 11 a.m. to noon in Laughlin Hall. Afterwards, purchase a signed copy of her book.

Enjoy an “Eco-Sensitive Fashion Show” hosted by REI on the WFAA main stage 12:15 p.m.

So, that is where we went for fun.

What was I thinking?

Well, everyone who has stayed on top of reading this blog knows that we need money. We are doing several different things to make that happen- including torture :0) After a long week with 5 kids, I have lined up a weekend with 4 kids (my 2 and then 2 others)... So, there is no rest for the weary. The kids will be here in an hour. I plan to take all of them to an outdoor activity, and then, we will come back for nap time. The 2 kids are spending the night, so I will be keeping them until 11AM Sunday. I have a migraine, so that is really the last thing that I want to do... But, our "work" is not Monday through Friday- It is 7 days a week. LeCount works on Monday through Wednesday, but then, on Thursday and Friday, there is merchandising for him to do. Then, this weekend, while I watch the two kids, he has a theater check both days. He won't get home on Sunday night until 11PM, and he has to get up at 4:30 AM Monday morning. I have to wait for him to get home on Sunday so that I can enter his report on line. I will get to bed around midnight, and I have to get up at 6AM Monday morning. I wonder why I have had a migraine every day this week? It is exhausting, but what can we do? I have something relaxing and exciting that I want to do. I actually started on it last night after the kids left. I will be posting another blog to show you what I am up to with my free time :0) Now it is off to the shower, and I need to get the clean sheets on the beds for the kids. I will probably have pictures of our outing to post later, too, so stay tuned!!

Morgan likes to play mommy

Morgan is so excited not to be the baby anymore (well, sometimes...) She loves helping out. She feeds baby Nathan, and she will get him a diaper when it is diaper changing time. She even pats him on the back to burp him. She can be so helpful... Then, in the next few minutes, she wants to be the baby and sit in my lap at the same time, or drink a bottle. I think she is taking it all very well for a 15 month old!!

Busy week

We have had a busy week. Since the camera wasn't working well, I didn't even get a whole lot of pictures. I think I may have figured out the problem. I got a new data card. The salesman at Micro Center told me that all of the brands of SD cards were the same, so I bought a cheap one that I had never used before. It was a disaster! I am going back to the brand I can rely on SanDisk. I can't miss out on getting all of the pictures that I want in a day!

I took the girls to get their hair done on Wednesday. Baby Nathan came with us, but he just watched :0) The girls have 5 braids each on top. They are done just like french braids. They turned out really cute, but one of the rubber bands in Jaden's hair (the one right on top) broke before the day was out... I don't know how to french braid, but I think I am going to have to learn really soon. That one braid needs to be fixed... I wish I could take care of it myself! I will make another post in a little while. There is a lot of catching up to do!

For anyone that has kids 3 and up...

Now, I am calling all kids- your own kids or relatives, or friends kids. I started the chapter of Kids Care Club awhile back, and we are just getting it off the ground floor. The chapter is called "Kids Can Change the World". We are small right now, but I hope we will grow a little. We are looking for works of art by children... drawings, paintings, any kind of paper art that we can use to sell to make money for our service projects. Also, any children that would like to join us in selling these works of art, and then, doing the service projects, just let me know. If you have some art, just mail it to me, or let me know, and I can come get it. Thanks!

Baby Nathan is here!

I guess something is still wrong with the camera :( Anyway, we had a busy day with 4 toddlers and a baby. Baby Nathan will have to get used to the noise that all of these kids make. When he first got here today, every time one of them screamed or laughed, he cried. Poor baby! He will get used to it... Of course, I haven't gotten used to the noise either, so maybe not :0)

Playing

We had a great weekend spending time as a family. Yesterday I took the girls to a trade show. It was fun to walk around and look at everything. They even had a place for them to play. I didn't get any pictures there because my camera was acting up. Whatever was wrong with it, it seems to be fixed today. Today we went to the mall for a couple of hours. We walked around, and of course, the girls got to play in the play area (that was really the whole point of our outing).

Tomorrow is Monday, so it's back to the warehouse for LeCount. I will be home with 5 kids this week- from here on out. Baby Nathan is starting full-time tomorrow. So, back to work :0)

Migraines and the Chiropractor's Touch

I went to see a chiroprator on Thursday. It turns out there is a structural reason I have headaches. I started treatment that same day, and I will go 3 times a week for 3 months. So far, I have had 2 treatments. I will keep you posted on the success of the treatment. Meanwhile, here is an article about it:

The pain of a migraine can be so searing you may as well drill a hole through your head. Then again this was the remedy of choice 3,000 years ago when evil spirits were thought to be the culprit behind migraines. While modern-day treatments have changed, the mystery behind the condition remains.
One popular theory: Migraines result from a chemical imbalance in the brain. Often a trigger, such as certain foods or hormones, can cause blood vessels to dilate in the brain. The vessels become inflamed, thus irritating surrounding nerve fibers. The nerve fibers then send messages back to control centers in the brain, which continues vessel dilation, thus kicking off a vicious cycle of violent pain.
There are plenty of drugs that combat migraines, though no magic bullet exists. Some studies, however, show that alternative treatments can complement mainstream medicine. A study from Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Bloomington, Minnesota, compared chiropractic manipulation with amitriptyline, an antidepressant commonly used to treat migraines. The study found that chiropractic healing was about as successful as the drug.
Chiropractors believe that some migraines originate in the spine. Often a misalignment of the vertebrae, or subluxation, can irritate the nerves that travel the length of the spine to the brain. This misalignment makes a person more prone to chemical imbalances in the brain. Some researchers say that realigning the vertebrae—a chiropractor's specialty—relieves the pressure against inflamed nerves and can in turn relieve the headaches.
For migraines caused by subluxation, chiropractors recommend gently stretching the neck—rolling and sudden movements should be avoided. To prevent subluxations, pay attention to your posture. For example, if you sit for long periods in front of a computer, move your body around frequently. Also, sleep on your side or back, and use a firm pillow that supports your neck. (taken from Psychology Today)

Enjoying the weather

We have really been enjoying this weather lately. Everyday after naptime, we go outside to play. I wish this weather could last forever. It sure is nice!!

Shoulder surfing

A definition from "what is": - Shoulder surfing is using direct observation techniques, such as looking over someone's shoulder, to get information. Shoulder surfing is an effective way to get information in crowded places because it's relatively easy to stand next to someone and watch as they fill out a form, enter a PIN number at an ATM machine, or use a calling card at a public pay phone. Shoulder surfing can also be done long distance with the aid of binoculars or other vision-enhancing devices. To prevent shoulder surfing, experts recommend that you shield paperwork or your keypad from view by using your body or cupping your hand.

The reason I am putting this information out there is to make everyone aware that this could happen to you. My card number was stolen last week, without my knowledge. Keep your card number hidden in your hand as you hand it to the cashier. People around you can easily get the number by taking a picture with a camera phone, and then, using the information to purchase items. It's bad because you don't even know when it happens. I still have my card, so I had no idea that someone was walking around making purchases with it. Yesterday, they tried to make a purchase of $500. Luckily, the bank called me and asked me if I had authorized the transaction. Now, I have to wait for a new debit card, and I hope the transaction doesn't go through because the money is not there. It just makes for a lot of hassle. Be careful out there!!

Play date

We had a play date today. Jaden, Rebekah, Josh, Morgan, and I met up with Esther and Nathan, Grandma Leslie, Aunt Carol, Nicole and Gavin, and Rachel and Tatum. The kids had fun for the 1st hour and a half. Then, we could all tell that they were hungry and tired. We left the play place at 12:30 PM, and I loaded all of my crew in the car- 4 car seats to buckle. I handed out their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips, and gave them all sippy cups full of juice. Every time we go on a field trip, I pack lunches for them so that they can eat on the way home. However, there is always a battle in their minds... Should I eat or sleep? With Josh and Morgan, sleep always wins out, and they fall asleep with their lunches still in their hands. It is pretty funny. I finally got a little clip of it: