Not wishing to die anymore

Don't be alarmed I was just deathly ill and wishing for the end. Now I am just weak and slightly nauseated(maybe I am pregnant) don't worry it's just the flu. My eyes keep twitching, lack of sleep, although I did go to bed at 8:30 last night. We all did. I had Blake on the floor in my room and put Sam in his room because at that point he was the only one besides Skip that wasn't affected. As I read him a short chapter of a "Magic Tree House" book, I could see he was becoming the "BUGS" latest victim. I brought him in my room on to the love seat to sleep{Which he didn't} I needed everyone close, I was just as weak as them, and Skip was assigned to Claire, so we were all settled in. { Oh ya, Jack was in his bed weak and tired but through the worst of it. He had slept all day.}

Sam was getting worse and he knew it .I could hear him praying fervently to be healed.{My children do allot of praying out loud and I mean loud when they are sick it's pretty much like begging to the Lord really loud and with all sincerity, a real come to Jesus moment} after about an hour and a half of this and me checking on him, from my bed. He finally said,"Mom can I have a Tums?" I said,"Honey I'm sorry but that won't really help, you are going to be sick." He said, "Mom I prayed and Heavenly Father told me that if I took a TUMS I would not get sick." How can you argue with someones personal revelation? I got the TUMS. Then after I gave it to him {he did check with me to make sure he wouldn't get sick from it} He was quiet for a while and around 11:00 he said,"Mom do you think Dad could give me a Fathers Blessing? I mean I know that no one else is here to help him so a Fathers Blessing will be fine." again how can you argue with this. I hoped Skip would be up to this and of course he was. I did have to wake him up and get him out of Claire's bed. He gave him a wonderful blessing of peace and rest. I prayed too, not out loud but in my heart that through my little Sam's faith he could be healed or at least not throw-up. He went to sleep and slept through the rest of the night and never got sick it was truly a miracle. He is still a little weak but he never got really, really sick like the rest of us.

I know you might think this is crazy but I named Sam "Samuel" from the bible it means "heard God" and Sam listened and heard God. To me this is what I pray for my kids to have testimony builders and this was definitely one of those times and he knew it.

Day two of "The Super Bug"

This will be quick and no pictures I promise. I really think that when you become a mother the Lord should give you super antibodies to fight off even the toughest super virus. I think it is so unfair to be incredibly sick(I won't go into detail, but it does include various bodily.... you get the idea) And have all of your kids, but one, incredibly sick too. I mean someone who can barely move without fainting from being weak and dizzy shouldn't have to clean up after someone with the same problem but couldn't get to the bathroom quick enough.{thank goodness for wood floors}. Do I sound bitter? OK, maybe just tired and weak. Really though, don't you think a mom could catch a break. I had so many plans..........

No Phone

We are renting and the house we live in sits on some land that is being developed into a subdivision. The workers continually cut, dig up , and tear through my phone line. ( Not to mention my water and septic) This is the eighth time in six weeks. I want to scream at them. But no, I have been polite . The phone co. is getting frustrated with them too. Three times ago the phone guy, let's just call him Frank (That is his name and I do have his personal cell phone number which I used today) Frank decided, since it was pouring down rain the best thing to do with my phone line was to go up( the ground was saturated and not easy to dig in) So up went the phone line into the tip top of the trees(they grow them tall here) Well these guys today ripped it down. I don't know why???? You would think after all my polite conversations they could at least come and tell me so I could call the phone Co., They sure aren't going to do it. No,No, No.... I have to wait tell I go to make a call to see that I have no Phone. The last time we didn't figure it out for four days. We had about a dozen voice mails. People didn't know what to think...... I might just jump on one of their loaders and go crazy.

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream.....for ice ceam?

After a weekend of total chaos and getting ready for "Enrichment Dinner " I was feeling a little guilty. On the way to our Co-op I pulled into an Ice cream shop and surprised the kids with a treat. They were all smiles. I was too. Sometimes in the middle of a hectic day it is nice to take a little breather. Thanks to KaLise for making my day less hectic towards the end. This is my schedule for the day: After being up til 2:00am making a Relief society jeopardy game for the enrichment night I was up at 6:30 to put the finishing touches on the decorations, then into the shower and eat{ take a lot of B-complex} I started getting the kids in showers and baths at 8:oo and then to eat breakfast in shifts{ Why baths today? Hey it's bath day, so we bathe} We had everything ready and in the car by 9:20 and us in the car and on the way to Joannes because I needed more gold tulle for the decorations. Luckily the store was not to busy at 9:45 so we zipped in and out( I even was able to make all the cuts I needed to at the store ) The kids love the fabric store, NOT! We were on are way to the church to set up at 10:30 ( we had to make sure that we had priesthood there so we could be in the building and KaLise's husband came to the rescue, Thank You Mike. We wouldn't be able to set up with out him) Everything set up by 11:15 we are fast. It looked really nice. Then we got some food{Chick fil' a} Fast food is never fast with four kids and honey for their chicken, very messy. Now we are off to Co-op with 20 min to spare{ surprise the kids with ice cream treat} I talk to KaLise and tell her that how between 4:15 and 5:30 I am going to make 50 cream puffs. REALLY!!!!? I have it all planned out in my head. Yes I am NUTS. I didn't want to burden anyone else. KaLise was like "NO WAY Laurene I will take care of it! " So between 4:15 and 5:30 I was able to feed my kids and hold my crying desperately tired Claire. Then Off to basketball practice. All the kids had to come because my sitter was out of town. They did OK sat on the bench and looked at books. After practice, on to enrichment,late, but there in time to lead the games{FUN, FUN,FUN} We did have a good time lots of laughter. After, practice for a musical number for Sunday's Relief Society meeting then finish cleaning up the gym and off to Wal mart in the pouring rain for cereal and diapers. I finally get home at 10:15. Talk to Jack{ who is supposed to be asleep} , Talk to Skip, wash my face{ no those winkles are permanent they won't come off} Go to bed! AAHHHHHHHH...........

Start Rough..... Rough End

I said hopefully and that was wishful thinking! Skip was quite sick with major cramping in his stomach. We were not sure what it could be so we took off to the emergency room at around 5:00am. Skip ended up with the stomach flu Luckily { It could have been worse } The rest of the day ended up pretty good, we got through our studies and laughed. I also went out with some friends to the movies and ice cream, that was a highlight... on the way home however, I was pulled over again{ I know slow down } this time not so lucky... I received a ticket. .........Chocolate makes it all better. Thanks Suzie!

Another Busy Day

Another crazy Day, I think I am over scheduled. Teaching this drama class is fun , but it comes in the middle of the day and last till 4:00. Claire does not get a nap and we all pay the price. Plus sense I have stellar parenting skills, and plan everything down to the "Last Minute" my kids don't get a proper lunch. They are starving and so I stop at a quick mart and get the "Lunch of Champions " { Doritos, wheat thins, vanilla sandwich cookies, and just an after thought, bananas} all is quiet and happy in the car. Next we zoom to Beth's house not only is she watching my kids while I coach Jacks Basket ball team, she has whipped up a warm meal complete with dessert for my visiting teachee, and has healthy food for my kids to eat. I've said it once and I will say it again Beth you Rock! I then move on to deliver the meal as Claire screams "Go Home mommy ,Go home" all the way there. I take her back to Beth's all the while thinking I don't want to coach I just want to hold my baby and cry with her. I drop her off she screams more and off we go to practice. I coach in street shoes that have chunky heels, my feet are killing me, the practice goes well and we are back to Beth's house. I find out Claire is fine and has been playing and having fun the whole time. We leave after a brief visit, get home about 8:20pm and proceed with our bedtime routine. they are all in bed with lights out by 9:00pm. just in time for Skip to get home from work. We made it through. Tomorrow will be a little slower. Hopefully!

"Prepare Every Needful Thing. ..Not Quite"

We dropped off Skip's parents at the airport this morning. The boys screamed from the car we love you as they walked through the door, unfortunatly I don't think they heard. We had an awesome time with them. You can see from previous post that we had fun.
I am so glad that they came. I started preparing for their visit by making list and organizing things. Yes I am an A type. Let me give you the run down; I started by thinking where should we have them sleep. Hmmm we have only three beds and two bedrooms {we actually have three other bedrooms but they were stuffed with boxes and stuff} so what to do. CLEAN UP! Lazy.
I decided to clean one of the other bedrooms. While in Las Vegas, Skip got a great start on one of the rooms. When I got back I went through boxes that were left and most of it went on the floor in my room (my kind of organizing when in doubt put it on Moms bed). We did get it cleaned out. Then moved Jack's bed, queen size, into that room. I then proceeded to iron all the linens that went on the bed. So when you come and stay with me you can be assured your sheets and comforter will be wrinkle free { I like that in a sheet, no winkles. Sleep on the floor if you have to} JK(: hehe. I'm telling you Type A thats me. Next I ran some white towels though the dryer,making sure they were fluffy and smelled great , then added some fresh curtains {thank you Beth, she saves the day yet again}. the room was comfortable as I could make it. I really wanted to put a rug in there because the wood floors are so cold, no such luck. On to the bathroom. I had Jack clean it and then I did a deep clean with bleach {I know so ungreen but hey I LOVE the clean smell of bleach and I Know it's clean} It looked good and smelled good. The rest of the house got a thorough cleaning with the help of my little and big helpers. There was some clutter and again moved to my bed {I know where do I sleep} The better question is when do I sleep or WILL I EVER GET TO SLEEP!! A question for another post. Back to the house, thursday night I ironed all the slip covers to the dining room chairs, cleaned off my bed and went to sleep. The next morning I got up and realized the dishes hadn't been done the family room was very cluttered and the trash needed to be taken out. {I had gotten home late and was upstairs ironing, so of course I thought Skip would take care of these things, I mean these are his parents coming, but he was busy watching "Lost"} We needed to be at the airport at 9:45am and I needed to clean all these things , plus dress, feed, comb hair,and get coats for my kids, not to mention get ready myself. We were running late, I was mad and I was speeding to the airport I called my in-laws and said we will be 10min late. I was wrong, about two miles from the airport as I was talking with Skip trying to let him know I was frustrated in a nice way { I was screaming on the inside and I guess it was coming through my foot} I noticed the flashing lights behind me.Busted!! The officer was very stern and not smiling. He asked me do you have a reason for driving so fast (80ish) I started to say something then said I have no excuse, there is never a good excuse. Then he asked for my licence { Yes I did have a current one} but it was from Colorado. Busted again! Ma'am he said" How long have you lived in Virginia?" Me "Over a year" Him " Do you have a reason why you haven't obtained a Virginia licence." Me "I have no good reason for this, I can give no excuse" all the while he is looking back at my kids. He walks back to his cruiser {I have always wanted to use this word in a sentence; sounds cool say it "His cruiser"} The boys now begin to question me; are you going to jail, what will happen? I say, trying to use this as a teaching moment, I am going to get a ticket thats what happens when you break the law, mommy broke the law now I will get a consequence. I will have to pay alot of money. Just then the officers comes back. "Ma'am "He says" You may not be concerned with the rest of us on the road but, please think about your kids and drive slower" he walks away. No lesson. I proceeded to get Grandma and Grandpa. { This whole week I have been nursing a cold and trying to keep a migrain at bay}



This house has three full bathrooms and we only use two of them. I have never even used or cleaned the one on the third floor. The bathroom Jack cleaned has one of thoe sliding tub doors. One of the doors is broken so we never move it, this is a point I forgot to tell his Dad, of course it fell off the moment he tried to move it. Skip's Dad decided they should use the bathroom on the third floor (the one not cleaned with Bleach. )He was right, it was better for them, but then he wanted to clean it. No Way!
So I cleaned it while they were here and they much to my dismay, I find out later they used a dish towel from the kithen in the bathroom as a hand cloth. I gave them fluffy towels,and hand towels, I thought. I also forgot to give them soap. I am failing as a hostess. Lesson, be more prepared.
We did have fun though.

The Never Ending Morning

Up all night with a coughing and crying Claire -Skip tried to give her Motrin 3 times,but she refused -finally I went in at 1:30 and forced her to take it -Then she cried and I held her- In and out of sleep for five hours of coughing and crying- Skip sleeping soundly- Skip leaves at at 7:45- I am somewhere between sleep and awake when Jack and Sam decide to have a tickle fight, complete with screaming and laughing at the top of their lungs {Blake sleeping in the bed next to them} I don't want to talk or move for fear of waking Claire, they finally do that- I get up mad {should of prayed, but I went out on my own-not advisable} Blake wakes up too. He is crying saying his tummy feels weird, I pray that he is just really hungry (not likely) We run to the bathroom, I offer crackers hoping my really hungry theory is right (I should be so lucky) we go back to his bed to rest, he throws up, meanwhile Claire is down stairs in her highchair crying because she doesn't like the oranges I gave her-she throws them on the floor-All the while I am trying to get the garbage out and Jack and Sam to brush their teeth, comb their hair, and start on math (I end up yelling) They don't want to because today is a holiday. I say I realize that but we have taken more holidays than I care to say. [plus when is my Holiday] Blake is crying again....Wipe up Claire,give her Play dough and run up stairs--sick again-- Clean him and the pan up -Grab the upstairs trash and dash downstairs just in time to see Claire pitch play dough on the floor. Pick it up- give Claire crayons-Take two bags of garbage outside -get Jack on math- Sit down with Sam work on song- Blake crying again--Sit with Blake for 10min, he is asleep- run to use the restroom- While gone Blake is sick all over his bed and himself- Jack brings water and towel- Throw Blake in the shower, clean him up- run and get fresh clothes- put Claire on the couch- give in to Blues Clues

(Trying to break this addiction,I think Claire and I need a twelve step program) Get Blake dressed, put him on the couch with towels and blankets- run upstairs put Blake's laundry in-back down stairs, now Jack and Sam are watching Blue's Clues---I give up!!

Oh did I mention, changing two diapers, getting Claire dressed, three more bags of trash, washing hands like twenty times and eating a healthy if not tasty bowl of Kashi cereal.

In case you are wondering Claire is down for a nap( crying) Blake is laying on the couch(moaning) Sam is playing Lego's( which he will be ripped away from to read to me in just a moment, Groaning) Jack is reading his scriptures(done with Math,Piano,and worked a little on his Egypt paper, Smiling)








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Drama, Basketball, parties, Oh My!!

Three Hours of teaching Drama and an hour of basket ball practice and one late night girlfriend dinner party,and one huge migraine later{TO BED WITHOUT WASHING MY FACE}. I need to slow down. It was sure fun though!