Good Morning

Wow I feel great! I got up and got the kids off to school and then went back to bed. Brian put a movie on for Kylie and told her to let me sleep and she actually did. I was 10:00 am before I finally rolled out of bed. So it's a slow start but I'm feeling so refreshed!

Alive but busy!

I will get back to blogging soon. I'm trying to finish up my Christmas shopping and get a book read for book group tomorrow. Along with the never ending housework, cooking, and many other things on my to do list there are never enough hours in the day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving. We are enjoying having my dad here with us and had a wonderful dinner and a relaxing day. So much to be thankful for but no time for a real blog post tonight. My dad and I may hit a few Black Friday sales in the morning so I really should head to bed.

We survived and we miss them already

Believe it or not we miss them already. Bradley is bored and Kylie shed a few tears that she misses her cousins. Mike and Wendy have some great kids and it was a good experience to get to know them better. Although I think they were all pretty happy to see their mom and dad again.

On the way home from church today I told Preston his parents would be back tonight and he said good because he was forgetting what they look like. I reassured him that he would recognize them when he saw them and he certainly did.

It really wasn't that bad and I would honestly be willing to watch their kids again. It was slightly chaotic at times but overall it was a good experience. And of course we haven't forgotten that there is the added benefit that they are going to watch our kids for a week.

At least someone had fun...

Emily did enjoy sitting on Rhonda's lap.

1 Hour of sheer Torture!

Want one hour of sheer torture? Take 9 kids to McDonald's playland. It was pure insanity. Even worse it cost $40 for the experience.

McDonald's was crazy busy. Playland was packed. The lines were long, the service was slow. One of the 6 happy meals managed to jump off the tray and on to the floor before we even made it to the table.
We got everyone to the table and then the real fun began. Trying to figure out which happy meal belonged to which person. Another thing to note I should have ordered them all chocolate milk instead of trying to fill all their drinks. Everyone wanted something different: orange, sprite, rootbeer, sprite and rootbeer mixed, powerade, water... Just trying to sort that out was a nightmare. Brian was sent off to take care of the drinks while I sorted out the food. Then of course there was an urgent cry of I have to go to the bathroom! Again Brian came to the rescue and ran the child to the bathroom. Chicken nuggets and hamburgers ended up on the floor. I should have remembered that these were my brother's children and therefore I should have ordered PLAIN cheeseburgers in the happy meals.
Why can't they just put the same stupid toy in all the happy meals instead of giving some kids one toy and other kids a different toy. I ended up buying another happy meal because someone had already opened their toy and didn't like it. McDonald's wanted $1.75 to buy the right toy. Are you kidding me? $1.75 for a piece of junk! Since I had a child upset that their fries had been eaten while they were in the bathroom I figured I'd just get another happy meal and then I'd have the toy we needed, the fries we needed and a hamburger for me since I'd given my hamburger to the child whose hamburger ended up on the floor.
Bryce commented that he was surprised I wasn't insane after that trip.

I guess I should have learned my lesson after my trip to Target with 5 of them. But with Brian along and Brett, Bryce and Kim who are all very helpful I didn't imagine it would be quiet as crazy as it actually was.

Next time we watch someone's kids we'll just order pizza and stay home. Or I'll go pick up happy meals and take them to the park to eat.

Now let's just hope we didn't pick up some awful germ eating in the crowded, dirty playplace!

Bassinet Derby?

This afternoon brought a lot of fun for the kids as they entertained Emily by putting her in the bassinet. Emily was in heaven. They put a pile of toys in the bassinet with her and rolled the bassinet around the garage.

Please ignore Kylie's uncombed hair and interesting get up. Shauna gave her some hand-me-downs that included this shirt you can color on and then wash. Combined with the lining from a pair of roller blades as shoes it makes for an interesting get up. And yes Emily is in pajamas at 4 in the afternoon. She was dressed this morning but found her sleeper in the pile of clean laundry and insisted on wearing it. Since it was fairly cool in our house it seemed like a comfy cozy thing to wear so why not.

Warning! Leaving your children in my care may result in permanent damage!

WARNING: Leaving your children in my care may result in unforeseen injury. Children may be returned permanently damaged.

Kylie came running in the house hysterical that someone had got hurt.

Once the bleeding was stopped it was time for interrogation.
Did you hit the rock? No I landed on the ground.
Did Kylie push you? No I was swinging alone.
How did it happen? I was swinging and fell off.
At least there was no fowl play involved.

But why couldn't it have been my own child who got hurt?
Not that I wish harm upon my own children but I hate when someone else's child gets hurt on my watch.

Thankfully it looks a lot worse than it is. Head wounds tend to bleed a lot and there really wasn't that much blood. After a few minutes he was up and playing again.

If you are going to get a scar I guess the back of the head is a better place than most. At least hair will cover it up.

Still Alive

3 days and counting. It's all downhill from here. It's almost the weekend and we're 2/3 of the way through. However the novelty has worn off and the kids miss their mom and dad. We have a paper on the fridge that had nine boxes and we've crossed one off each day. I think it helped tonight to show them they have almost made it. Just 3 more days and we're planning on going to McDonald's on Saturday which they are all looking forward to. Why do kids love McDonalds? Seriously why?

Hump Day

Half way done. Seriously it's really not that bad and I'm honestly willing to do it again. I think I have it easier with 9 kids than it would be to just have 4 young kids. My older kids are so much help. Plus if I need to run an errand my older kids can babysit so I can get away. I remember the days of young kids and having to pay a babysitter or load up all the kids to go somewhere. Those days seriously sucked compared to life now. It's so nice to be able to run to the library or store alone even if it is only to return a book or get a gallon of milk. Sure makes a difference in my sanity.
I did keep Kim & Brad home today. They both have colds. Colds that are not bad enough to keep them home on a normal day but colds that are a great excuse to get to stay home and play with their cousins.

Granola Bars & Brownies

Dear Mike & Wendy,
My apologies for the way your children have eaten this week. One especially strong willed child seems to think that the only edible foods are granola bars, chocolate milk and brownies. We've gone through several boxes of granola bars and 4 boxes of brownies so far this week. I decided a week of granola bars and brownies won't kill him so I've opted to not fight him on it.
I hope hot dogs are classified as food. Emily loves them. The only time she has fussed at all since you left is when her hot dog was gone and Tanner still had one. She wanted his and she wanted it bad. Thank goodness they are on sale at Wal-mart and even better I have coupons for them!
We have had spaghetti twice already this week and will probably have it once more before you return. Spencer thinks it's the best food in the world and I think he ate more than anyone else. At least that can be classified as healthy.
Hopefully you agree that Skittles and M&Ms make fabulous rewards for being good. Brett was disappointed yesterday when he came home and the entire bag of Skittles was gone. I'm not so good at resisting when asked by sweet little boys if they can have some more candy.
Emily found a bowl of leftover Halloween candy someone left on the ground and devoured the remaining Smarties. She was in heaven and there was no way I was going to take candy from a baby.

Frazzled...

Today I know why it is we don't have 9 kids. You should have seen my house when Brian got home tonight. It was a disaster! I'd been at the doctor with Bryce and the kids had been home by themselves. At least the house was still standing and no one was injured while I was gone. They had obviously had a lot of fun while I was gone. Thank goodness Brian came home and got them all busy cleaning up their messes. He even did the dishes and handwashed the pans that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher :-)
I attempted an outing with the 5 youngest today. Just getting their carseats all in the car was enough to wear me out. I have so forgotten what it is like to have young children. Taking 5 kids age 6 and under to the store was not the wisest decision I've ever made. I really can't complain because they are all great kids but once was enough for me. It isn't possible to fit 5 children into a cart. I think we are staying home for the rest of the week.
Oh and great news....Bradley came home from school not feeling well and has a fever. Wonder who will be next?

Miraculous?

9 kids in church and we didn't have to go out once! No one even left for a drink of water or to go to the bathroom. We don't do that well when it is just our 5 kids. Kylie usually goes out at least once and often twice, first to get a drink and then to go to the bathroom. We weren't even late but were actually at church 5 minutes before the meeting started. I even heard most of what was said during Sacrament meeting.
Do you think we'll be as lucky next week? I'm not counting on it.

We read scriptures at 7:00 and Tanner fell asleep while we were reading. I put Emily to bed when we were done and sent everyone else downstairs to watch a movie. Other than getting a few drinks of water and giving Brett a practice spelling test I've had peace and quiet for the last 2 hours. Pretty amazing.

9 kids for 9 days

Day 1 is done! My brother and sister in law are heading on a week long cruise and we are watching their 4 kids while they are gone. So far so good. It's 8:30 and all 9 kids are downstairs. Although they are no where near going to sleep they are at least settling down and watching a movie. They are great kids and my kids are loving having them here. Kim is an angel and has helped out all day long with the youngest Emily. My other kids are also being quite helpful and have entertained the 3 boys. Tomorrow we'll see what church is like with 9 kids. Wish us luck!

Adventures in Couponing

I'm having so much fun couponing. The only problem I have now is I have no where to put anything else. I cleaned out my fridge and freezers today. I finally got the food Shauna had been keeping in her freezer for me to fit in my freezer but there isn't much space left. I have coupons for 2 free turkeys from Albertsons. We'll eat one for Thanksgiving but we need to eat enough food from the freezer so I fit the other turkey in the freezer.

Some of our eating habits have changed since I started couponing.
Yogurt - We now eat a lot of yogurt! I didn't use to buy yogurt very often but since I've been able to get it for free or for just pennies I just haven't been able to pass. I've got at least 75 containers of yogurt in my fridge. Good think most of it doesn't expire until December!
Cheese - I've been getting cheese for $1.50 a lb. Who can pass up a 2 lb brick of Tillamook cheese for just $3? I just didn't realize how much cheese I had stocked up on until I cleaned out the fridge and freezer. I've got at least 25 lbs of cheese. It's a good thing it keeps for a long time! Time to make some nachos.
Freezer Pizza - My kids love freezer pizza and since I've been able to get them for less than $1 and sometimes even free we've got at least a dozen pizzas in the freezer. Makes my kids happy and me too because there is so little mess.
Cereal - Brett recently estimated that we have over 200 boxes of cold cereal. I think we're nearing 250 boxes now. At less than 50 cents a box and often closer to free I just can't pass it up.
Brownies - Who can't resist a box of brownies for less than 50 cents. I really don't need any more brownies but since they were only 25 cents a box today I got another dozen boxes.

The list could go on but I'll quit boring you.

I think I've now got a year supply of food we actually eat. It's hard to know exactly how much food that would be for our family of 7. I'm sure there are a few things I need more of so I need to get take some time and figure out what I still need to stock up on.

I went a little overboard on a few things. I got boxes of Kleenex 3 for a dollar and I'm sure I now have at least a 3 year supply of kleenex. Has anyone ever tried to accumulate a year supply of toilet paper? Do you know how much space it takes to store a year supply of toilet paper for a family of 7! I'm not sure I have a full year supply of TP but I don't know where else to keep it. I guess in a bind we could use kleenex!

I've learned there are lots of thing I don't have to pay for: shampoo, conditioner, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, candles, lotion, deodorant, chapstick, cold medication. As long as I'm not picky on the brand there is no reason to have to pay for these ever again.

Several people have asked me where to start so here is my advice:

There are 3 things you need to do if you are serious about starting to coupon.
#1 - subscribe to multiple copies of the Sunday newspaper - there are great coupon clipper deals out there and it only takes 1 coupon each week to pay for the paper. Not a week has gone buy that I haven't found coupons for things I buy regularly anyway. Then when matched with sales I'm able to get so many other things for free or really cheap.
#2 - get a printer that you can refill the ink yourself. It's so easy and really cheap! I would have literally spent over $200 dollars on ink cartridges in just the 2 months I have been seriously couponing. I've been able to get my computer paper for free with rebates and I have not yet had to replace a cartridge despite having refilled my black cartridge almost a dozen times. There are tons of coupons available to print online from smartsource, redplum & coupons.com plus directly from companies themselves.
#3 - Find a couple of websites that give you all the great deals for couponing in your area. For here in St. George I love:
Couponing to Disney Coupons & Disney together - what could be better!
Utah Deal Diva
The Krazy Coupon Lady - One of my favorite sites
Pinching Your Pennies - Has a great forum for finding deals by state
and
Grocery Smarts
There are dozens of great sites out there. Start with a couple that feature stores you shop at. All the sites I have found that I like are listed on my blog list. Find one or two that work for you and get started!

Taking over the world?

So Brett the evil scientist found that his smarts were beyond measure. So he wanted more, so he decided to take over the world. So he went to Obama and he made him surrender and took over the country.
Then, with his army of US soldiers, he took over Canada. When he took over Canada he had even more soldiers he could use. So he went over and took over the rest of the world.
Then he wanted even more, so he took over all the planets in the solar system.
When he did that with his new Jupiterian technology he then could fly to near by stars.
Then he took on the rest of the universe.
The End

Hopefully Brett won't read this post or he'll make me delete it. I just found this little story in the office and decided it was too cute to just throw away without first typing it up. Apparently the kids were doing some creative writing while I was shopping earlier this week since I found several "stories" on scraps of paper. I should have kept them and typed them all up but I already threw the other ones I found away.

This picture has a story

This Picture has a Story
Here are the rules:
*Open your first photo folder.
*Scroll down to the 10th picture. (if you dont have 10 in that one, then go to the next folder that does).
*Post that photo and the story behind that photo on your blog.
*Tag 5 friends to do the same.
Easter morning 2003 in our back yard in Lacey, WA. Wow it's hard to believe the kids were ever that little!
I tag:
Christi
Amy
Wendy
Elise
Andi

Go Land on Someone Else

Seriously we've had our share. No more sickness. We're done and don't want anymore. Not wishing illness on anyone but GO LAND ON SOMEONE ELSE!
Migraines
Flu
Strep
Stomach Flu
I think we've had about everything we can get.

Party Time!

Yesterday Kylie had a birthday party. She had 6 friends and lots of fun. Here they are decorating cupcakes. Then it was party games and presents. It's sure nice to have big kids to help out! (Thanks Shauna for lending me your camera so I could snap a few pictures)

Happy Birthday Kylie

Our baby turned 4! She was so excited for her birthday. What was her favorite thing? Everything! She is not hard to please she loved all her gifts and her pink cake. She's such a happy girl it was so fun to celebrate her birthday.