Quick Takes Friday

1. Go read Antique Mommy's post. She talks about her and her husband's financial lifestyle and the choices they made that have put them in a good place. Read the comments too. Very encouraging for those of us trying to get it right.

2. Here's your chance to judge me as a selfish parent. We have two soccer games scheduled tomorrow. We also have a UNT football game. The game starts at 3:00, so tailgating has to occur before that. Usually the football games start at 6:00, so we can play soccer and tailgate. But obviously they did not want to schedule a night game on Halloween. Husband and I are hoping that the rain the last two days will have been enough to make the soccer fields too wet to play tomorrow. We are taking the kids to the football game, so it is not to get out of spending time with them. Our day would just be a little smoother and easier without throwing soccer in the mix. Because obviously we are trick-or-treating after the game. Our priorities might be a little mixed up.

3. It is cold here today. Husband says it is not that cold, but when desktop weather thingy says it is 49 degrees, I say it is cold. And I have to run errands today. Very generous people are giving us tickets to the game for the kids and I need to pick those up. And I'm making a snack for our Family Rosary night. And we're out of milk and cereal. But all I want to do is stay in my toasty warm house with my lazy clothes on for as long as possible. I'm contemplating making the drive to the fancy Wal-Mart with the Dunkin' Donuts to try again to get a pumpkin donut. That might make it worth getting out in the cold.

4. I bought a six-pound bag of assorted chocolates for Halloween. I got it at Costco two weeks ago. I think about half the bag is left. I might have a slight problem resisting Butterfingers and Baby Ruths. But there are plenty of Milky Way Darks because I am not sophisticated enough to like dark chocolate.

5. I am officially showing. Strangely enough, my belly seems to grow during the day, and then shrink while I sleep, and repeat daily. My tummy is barely noticeable first thing in the morning, but by evening there is no denying it is there. Weird. I will not plague you with pictures, since I documented my last pregnancy. If you want to know what I look like pregnant, look in the archives from August 2007 through February 2008.

6. Have you entered my giveaway? I'm giving away two brand-new games, perfect for preschoolers and young elementary kids. You just have to leave a comment on that post to be entered. Tell your friends (or don't, if you want to increase your chances of winning).

7. Happy Friday!

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Family Night Means Game Night **Giveaway**

We have recently begun a tradition of setting aside one night a week for a family night. Most weeks this is Wednesday night, as this is the night that has no outside obligations after 6:00 p.m. So far we have spent time decorating pumpkins, celebrating a birthday by playing at McDonald's, and of course playing games.

I recently had the opportunity to review two new games (see end of post for requisite disclosure) courtesy of MyBlogSpark and Hasbro. We got to play two games from the Elefun and Friends family of games. We have Elefun, and our kids enjoyed it until the trunk wouldn't stand up anymore. We also have Hungry, Hungry Hippos, which the kids love and I don't mind as long as they play it in their room (it is a bit noisy).

We got Giraffalaff Limbo and Scatterpillar Scramble.

Here is the official promo blurb for each:

GIRAFFALAFF LIMBO is the crazy new game of "how low can you go?" Spin the dial to try one of the 6 limbo styles: classic limbo, crab walk, crawl, giraffe walk, bend forward or backward. The game´s built-in sound will play an encouraging song as preschoolers try not to bump into Giraffalaff. If he´s knocked over, he´ll roll on the floor in laughter. The player that passes under Giraffalaff at the lowest level wins.

In SCATTERPILLAR SCRAMBLE kids will do their best to balance marbles in the hands of one very wiggly caterpillar. Kids will have fun dancing along to the music with Scatterpillar in this fast-paced marble game. The first player to securely place all 8 marbles in Scatterpillar´s hands wins. SCATTERPILLAR SCRAMBLE was named the 2009 Preschool Game of the Year by Creative Child Magazine.

Now onto some pictures and our personal opinion of the games.

We started our night with Giraffalaff Limbo. I didn't have the game setup prior to our game night, so the kids waited very patiently (or wildly and loudly, whatever) while I put it together. Assembly of the game is very easy, and once it is built you could just keep it that way, assuming you have a place to keep it.

Here is what it looks like, with a curious toddler on the scene:



We found that once we started playing, the giraffe decal was not working out. It weighted the Limbo bar and made it spin, which is not good when you are trying to keep the bar set. The bar rests on plastic leaves, and it was a little unsteady. There is music playing while the kids try to go under the bar, and if the bar is knocked off, the Giraffe laughs and that player is out. The game comes with a spinner that tells the players how to go under the bar. There is a crab walk, a bird walk, a traditional Limbo move, a forward bend, a backward bend, and a crawl. We changed positions when so moved, not necessarily when someone got out. The kids had a lot of fun with this game. I think it is best suited for kids 3-4 years old, due to size and and challenge level.



Princess and Monster said this was their favorite game. Princess liked it because of the motions and the music. Monster liked it because he won!

We next turned our attention to Scatterpillar Scramble.



This is more of a skill game, and the box says for ages 4 and up. All of my big kids could play it, but I would say the focus it requires is more suited to 5, 6 and 7 year olds. Each player (4) has what is essentially a set of tweezers to grasp the ball and place it on one of the caterpillar's hands. The goal is to get all seven balls in place first. While doing this, the caterpillar is wiggling and squirming and playing music, so balls get knocked off and fall down. The game suggests a couple of variations on game play. I personally enjoyed this game very much, it requires hand-eye coordination and grownups can play along with the kids. Setup is very easy, and it all goes right back in the box. Hasbro thoughtfully included two extra balls of each color in case you lose some (they must live with small children too).

All in all, these are both fun games. The Giraffalaff Limbo is not perfect, but is still fun and can be played with no rules for hours by the preschool/toddler set. Scatterpillar Scramble is fun for all ages, in my opinion.

**WIN IT**

You can win both of these games! Just leave a comment telling me what your family's favorite game is for one entry. You may gain one additional entry per day for Tweeting the giveaway, just come back here and let me know you did it. I will draw the winners next Thursday, November 5. Tell your friends! Get Christmas shopping done at no cost to you! If you don't win, go here and print a coupon for 4 dollars off any game before December 31!

Disclosure: This giveaway and review was part of MyBlogSpark. While I received the games for free, I was not paid to write this review. All opinions are my own, unless otherwise indicated, and I was not required to say anything positive or negative about the games. What you read here is from me, being honest.




Saggy jeans on toddler optional.

The Cuteness is Criminal

Seriously, how can I resist that?

After reading the comments on yesterday's post, I feel I must add some clarification. I did not mean to judge any specific woman or set of circumstances. I think what I was ranting against was the entire attitude that we as women lose our identities and lose control of our lives as soon as we have one child. Does our life change immeasurably when we have children? Yes! Of course! But that does not mean that we must give up and quit trying. When we as mothers portray parenthood in such a negative light, are we encouraging other women to be mothers? Or are we instead feeding into an image perpetuated by society in general that parenthood is all bad and no good? I just want women to think about the choices they are making and the things they are saying about parenthood. I'm all about keeping it real and being honest about the struggles, but I don't think that means we can blame our children (in most cases) for things that really are not their fault at all. My readers are far more charitable than I am, so go read their comments to get the dose of perspective that I missed.

Pardon Me While I Rant

Okay, let me just say I am sorry that what I have to say may hurt some feelings. I'm really not writing about one specific person, I promise.

Moms--stop blaming your children for your failure to get dressed and put some makeup on before you leave your house! I'm watching Rachael Ray this morning, and they are making over couples. One of the women says that since she has kids she just doesn't have time to get dressed to go out. Give me a break! Who is in charge of these kids and the time management? You are!

I'm not saying we should all be wearing diamonds and heels all the time. And I'll even admit that yesterday I wore my yoga pants with a long sleeve t-shirt to run errands with Husband. But it was not because my kids kept me too busy to get ready. It was because I was being lazy and didn't feel like wearing jeans and cute shoes and so on. If you're going to wear athletic gear, fine, but acknowledge it is YOUR choice, not the fault of your children!

I have five kids, and only some of them can get mostly ready on their own. But, when I leave the house I don't look like I fell out of bed and walked out the door. I make time in my planning to get ready. If that means I start getting ready an hour and a half before we need to leave, so be it. Does it really take that much more time to put on jeans/pants and a cute, fitted top with some flats or boots? Or a tank and skirt and flip-flops in the summer? My makeup routine takes less than five minutes. Maybe I'm skipping some essential steps or something, but I feel pretty good when I walk out the door most days.

Obviously there will be days when even when you plan to get ready, your kid will puke on you or spill their milk all over you and you only have time to grab a different shirt. We all have bad days. I'm just tired of listening to adult women say that small children control their lives to the point that they can't figure out how to spend twenty minutes getting it together on most days. Maybe I am more sensitive to this because I feel an extra obligation to look put together and "with it" when I am out with all of my kids. People are mean, and I don't want to give them any fuel to question our family choices, so I feel like I need to look nice so people aren't thinking "Boy, she sure has let herself go, maybe she shouldn't have had all those kids" and whatnot.

In the end, though, I feel put together when I look put together. Taking the small amount of time to get ready makes me feel ready to get things done. I think sometimes I am more patient and gentler with my children when I feel good about the time I took for myself before leaving the house. That might be shallow, or sad, but whatever.

So, Moms, you are worth the time it takes to get ready and feel nice. Stop blaming your children for your failure to focus on yourself for a little bit. You can be a Mom who loves her children and serves them to the fullest and still take time for yourself. You (and your family) deserve it!

My Girls are Cute

So I'm not the Mother of the Year. But, here, finally, are some pictures of the birthday girls and a picture of Butterfly in her super cute outfit with the little hooded top.



Holding her Webkinz, favorite gift for both girls (thank goodness they are cheap):





And the two big girls with their shared gift:



Happy Thursday!

I'm Not Dead

I doubt any of you really thought that, but just in case, here I am to bore you with some drivel and prove my alive-ness.

Husband has been home for sick two days. He has a sinus infection. I was worried it was swine flu. I've been sufficiently alerted to the risks of swine flu for pregnant women, and with no vaccine currently available, I may have been freaking out a bit. But he just has a boring sinus infection.

Apparently when Husband is sick, I get really tired. I took two naps today! All we've really done is trade places and take turns making sure the kids don't kill themselves or burn the house down while the other person is sleeping. He has to go back to work, I can't keep being this lazy.

Also, in other news, I have discovered the joy of the yoga pant. How could I be so far behind the times? I don't know, but I am. Anyway, I have had capris that were in the yoga pant family, and of course my share of pajama pants. But these are the first real yoga pant I have owned. And now I know why women want to wear them everywhere. They are fitted and sleek and comfortable and with a cute, fitted long-sleeve shirt they look pretty perfect. So now I will have to resist the temptation to wear them every day. I must remember that I also love my jeans, and wearing shoes other than sneakers. In the meantime, should anyone be at Target and feel the need to send me a little love, the Champion double-waist yoga pant Fitted Regular, size small, in gray, would be perfect. ;)

Aren't you glad I am still here to share with you my inane ramblings?

Quick Takes Friday

Hello! The logo for the weekly carnival won't load. I won't let it get me down though.

1. It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood! So beautiful that it is criminal that I am sitting in my house instead of enjoying the outdoors. We have had endless days of rain and gray skies, and it didn't really bother me, but then seeing the glorious sunshine today reminds me of what we've been missing. Today is just one of the days that reminds me why I love living in Texas. Blue skies, bright sunshine, slight breeze=gorgeous!

2. I am a bad mom. Two of my daughters had birthdays in the last week and I have neglected to post a thing about it. Partly because I'm too lazy to upload the pictures, but also because I'm just lazy period.

3. Tomorrow is UNT's homecoming. And this is a make-or-break game for our team. And it will be gorgeous tailgating weather. But, we won't be tailgating. Due to all the rain and wet we have many soccer games to make up. Two of those games will interfere with tailgating time. We will be lucky to make it to the game in time for kickoff. Kind of a bummer, but that's life I guess.

4. We have a slight dilemma. Our two big girls have been sharing shoes for soccer and softball, because practices and games have never overlapped. Until now. They both have a game Monday. Princess says she is not going to play softball next spring, so we don't want to buy her new shoes. And IndieGirl can wear Princess's shoes, so it seems silly to buy her shoes. And she says her soccer shoes hurt her feet. I don't what we're going to do, but we'll figure something out that hopefully does not cost any money.

5. We are discussing a family Christmas present. I am a fan of the family Wii, Husband is on the fence. This is partly motivated by a realization that my kids really don't need/want any more toys. They all just had their birthdays and I had a hard time thinking of ideas for gifts when asked. We would need extra remotes and I would want a couple of extra games. If we do this, the game time will be limited to the weekends and family nights, and will never be played alone. But Husband is not sold on the idea. For those that have Wiis, tell me why we should or should not get it.

6. I am officially uninterested in the baseball postseason this year. Any teams I had a mild interest in following are out. First round sweeps are boring. I'm disappointed, since this is usually our favorite sports time of year.

7. It is Friday! Yea!

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I Saw a Rock Show

So the big concert was last night. I was pretty excited to be heading out to do something different from our normal date nights. We rode with friends, so they handled the traffic, and we just split the parking. My anal side came out and we left for the concert early in anticipation of lots of traffic, and that was good. Of course, our biggest delay ended up being the slow service at Jack-in-the-Box before the show. Understaffed the day of a huge event is not smart.

Anyway, we arrived at the stadium (Cowboys Stadium, a.k.a. Jerry-world) and walked in. We had to walk up a lot of ramps because our seats were in the upper section. When we sat down, this was our view.



It may not be clear from the photo, but that large green thing was right smack in the middle of our line of sight. So we could see the band on the video screens, and we could see them when they walked around the stage and came towards the back, but we could not see them directly. That was kind of a bummer. We thought the stage looked pretty lame, but once U2 was on, it was actually very cool.

As I said, we were sitting in the upper section, and this proved to be a bad thing for sound. We were above some of the speakers, and the way the sound was mixed, we heard a lot of noise, but not necessarily music some of the time. This was most disappointing during the Muse set. I was really excited to see them, as we have been listening to the band since our college days. The lead singer has a very unique voice and it really makes the sound complete, and we just couldn't really hear him at all. So, if they were to tour again on their own in a smaller venue, I would definitely want to see them again, and hopefully have a better experience. However, our friends sitting in the lower seating area said the sound was great, so it was definitely our seating location, not the music, that was the problem.

We waited around for about 45 minutes for U2 to come on, and as soon as they did, the vibe in the stadium was electric. I have to say, they are just cool guys. From their entrance to their exit you feel like you are getting a great show. The sound was still not great, although it was better than during the Muse set. Of course, their style of music at times is very different and the vocals were just clearer. They opened with three songs from the new album (Get on Your Boots was very cool) and then went into Mysterious Ways. They played a lot of older stuff throughout the set, and the crowd definitely responded to that in a big way. Sunday, Bloody Sunday was in the set list and Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Where the Streets Have No Name was in the encore. The second encore was the best part of the show, in my opinion. They played One, Amazing Grace, and Where the Streets Have no Name, and maybe something else I'm not remembering. We are glad we went to the show, but agree that we would probably not see them again unless it was in a smaller venue. The stadium is just not ideal for this kind of thing, I don't think.

Still, it was fun and the people watching was, of course, entertaining. Husband and I had a great time hanging out together, pretending like we were back in our younger days.

Nothing Interesting to Say

I feel as though there should a new post up, but I am struggling with the writing these days. And am also t.i.r.e.d.

Here are some bullet points, most of which are not related at all.

• We had a fun family night last week, and I am going to write an actual post about it, but not yet. I have pictures and everything, but I am feeling overwhelmed at the idea for some reason. Also, we will have another family night this week where we try out some games I was given to review. My post on that family night will include a giveaway that could take care of Christmas presents for one or two kids in your life, so come back, despite my mediocre writing these days.
• U2 and Muse tonight! Perhaps this is part of the reason I can't write anything. I'm giddy with excitement to be doing something different and to get a date night with Husband. We had two different couple nights planned last week before I was beset with illness. And my patience with my children is nonexistent today, so a night out seems to be a necessity.
• Scottoberfest was a success. Our annual fall family birthday celebration was this past weekend. As usual our kids were spoiled with presents and our responsibility for fall clothes was greatly lessened thanks to the generosity of family.
  
• If anyone reading this is pregnant, what is your doctor saying about the H1N1 vaccine? My doctor's office was NOT recommending it as of a week ago, but I have also been made aware that 1 in 3 pregnant women diagnosed with H1N1 this year have died from it. Scary. I'm skeptical about the vaccine because it is so new and has been rushed through, but maybe that is no big deal. What do you think?
• Finally, I think our kids would totally love it if we dressed up for Halloween. I'm not fun and I never do this kind of thing. Who can Husband and I be? I thought about being Jim and Pam, but Husband shaves his head, and I have short hair, and I don't think our kids would know who we are. We need cheap, easy suggestions.

I'll try to write some real posts this week.

Shattering the Illusion

Can you shatter an illusion that has probably already been broken? We shall see.

This week is parent-teacher conference week at our school. The kids get out at 1:00 every day, which doesn't interrupt our routine at all, except when it does.

I had two conferences on Monday, so Husband graciously allowed room in his schedule to meet me at school and take the kids home so I could meet with the teachers in peace. These conferences were for IndieGirl and Buddy, and I expected them to be fast and easy, but there was some time between them, time I did not want to spend in the hall with five kids. Including a little girl missing her usual nap time.

Anyway, to make a long, boring post, longer and more boring, yesterday was the conference for Princess. It started at 1:30, so 30 minutes after school got out. However, there was no way I was going to take five kids home, get them out of the car, and then load them back up fifteen minutes later. So we congregated in the hall outside her classroom, waiting for the teacher to be ready.

And there was the beginning of my doom.

Not five minutes into the conference, and Monster poops in his underwear. Ugh! Thankfully there is a bathroom in the classroom, so I go in there with him and my bag and change him and clean him up and try not to think about how gross it is, all while the teacher is talking to me through the door. I should mention that Princess was pushing Butterfly in the stroller in the hall, trying to keep her from screaming and disturbing other conferences going on. Buddy and IndieGirl were supposed to be sitting quietly looking at books. But looking at books apparently means walking around and being noisy in their dimension.

So, Monster is cleaned up and changed and I'm avoiding thinking about the dirty underwear crammed in a sandwich bag in my purse as I listen to the teacher tell me my daughter should be taking more AR tests. Except that it turns out she has taken all of them so far and the teacher didn't have the complete report in front of her. Now, as a woman at a conference with five unruly children, I should cut her some slack perhaps for her lack of organization, but I didn't . I was very frustrated by all the topic jumping and paper shuffling. It did not go well with me. Oh yeah, while we're figuring out what report we want to look at, Monster pees on himself! Yes, less than three minutes after I changed him into the only dry clothes I had, he pees everywhere! Could it get any worse?

I sent him to the hall to be sad. I made IndieGirl sit out there with them. I assured every child that when we got home it was nap time/quiet time, because Mommy needed quiet time in a BAD way. I gathered from the teacher that Princess is smart and doing well. She needs to practice her math, which means I need to get my act together. The teacher didn't seem too bothered by all the commotion, but I was completely frustrated. It was not my finest parenting moment.

So, if you were thinking my kids were angels and I never feel like I'm losing my mind, rest assured that I feel that way as often as not. My kids are well-behaved, but they are kids and they have bad days like the rest of us.

And I have already told Husband that I will never go to another conference with all the kids again.

A Plague on Our House

We only have one house, so I can't actually quote the Bard.

I was stricken with the flu last Friday. I had a nagging cough and finally decided to see the doctor on Friday. I didn't have a fever (I rarely do), so I didn't think it was the flu. We did the test anyway. Sure enough, flu was paying a visit. Due to my delicate condition, Tamiflu was not an option. Nope, fluids, rest (yeah right) and Sudafed and Tylenol were to be my only relief. I didn't feel too bad till late Friday afternoon, and then I felt pretty miserable. I thought I felt better Saturday morning, but I was deceived. I muddled through the rest of the day and was asleep by 9:30. Would have been earlier, but Husband was away and I had to put kids to bed and so on. The worst part of it all was that I had to miss taking the kids to see Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3-D. It was their big birthday surprise. Husband says they loved it, and there are many cool movies coming out in 3-D. We'll have to go again when we are all well.

No one in our family has had a flu shot, except Husband, who got one Saturday.

And so Butterfly was stricken with a fever yesterday. A fever that did not do too much to slow her down, mind you, but a fever nonetheless. Some Tylenol kept it manageable, but when she woke up at 4:00 a.m. burning up I knew a visit to the doctor awaited. While they did not give her a flu test, with her symptoms mirroring mine, save the fever, the doctor put her on Tamiflu. And the pharmacy was not kidding when they called it liquid gold. I think I could buy gold for less than I paid for ten precious doses of the stuff.

So now we wait and see if the rest of the family falls ill. This weekend is supposed to be Scottoberfest, and now we will not only be keeping a wary eye on the weather (rain all week could make for a crowded house) but also on the rosy faces of our children. Husband and I were supposed to enjoy dinner with old friends of his before seeing one of his all-time favorite bands tonight, but he had to go solo. I couldn't ask a sitter to expose herself to our germs, even if Butterfly is her usual charming self, most of the time. But nothing will keep me away from Muse and U2 next week, mark my words.

Be well friends, I'm convinced germs are spreading via the internet.

Best Birthday Ever (when you're 6)

Buddy turned six yesterday. To say I was unprepared for the day would be startlingly accurate. I had no cake, no presents, no plan. We were supposed to have soccer practice and softball practice.



Husband and I met up at school and had lunch with Buddy. I brought him a turkey sandwich from his favorite sub shop, that he calls The Train Place. Their sandwiches are delicious. He felt very special to have his parents and his little brother and sister as his lunch guests.

After lunch we made a quick trip to the store for presents and cake. Buddy wanted an Aggie cake, I guess in honor of his Grandpa. This kid is so easy to please. A sheet cake with poorly iced lettering (made by me, from a box) was all he needed. He got a Webkinz (Jack Russell Terrier), a Spider-Man shirt, and a Star Wars coloring book. At the end of the night (after practices were canceled due to some timely rain-yea!), he declared it the best birthday ever. And I may have choked up a little. He's so sweet and kind and really turning into this fabulous big boy.