Update

Bradley is sick. He had a headache today and Motrin wouldn't take care of it.  You definitely know Bradley is sick when he covers his entire body with a blanket, including head, while Phineas and Ferb is on. I'm determined to take my children outside tomorrow. The weather has been nice enough to have the windows open and that has helped freshen up the house. I am very ready to not have sick kids.

Today I hung out in my room again. I ran downstairs about every half hour to make sure George wasn't eating dirt out of the indoor plants (he was, so I put the plant outside) and to see if Rachel needed to go potty. Going up and down the stairs qualifies as my cardio exercise. Today I finally dug into my closet and got out all the Christmas clearance stuff that I bought in December after Christmas, and I wrapped it up for next year and packed it in boxes. I feel productive.

I also did 6 loads of laundry. I was on my own today. Normally the kids sort their clothes into four loads on Thursday morning. My rule is that all clothes must be turned right side out before being washed. If they aren't, it is their responsibility to fold those items. It's a pet peeve of mine when I fold clothes and I have to turn them right side out. It can double the time to fold. I usually fold all 4 loads of kids clothes in a half hour (about one TV show) on Thursday evening. Anyway, I sorted the clothes this morning and it made me appreciate their contribution to the laundry.

That's about all that is exciting today. I'm going to go clean the downstairs now because we have someone coming to look at the house on Saturday. I hope they are forgiving of disasters. I hope the appearance of our house looking as if we are in the process of packing/moving, might be incentive for them to give us an offer because it looks like we are serious about moving.

I took no pictures today, so here is a random picture:

I took this picture at a Carl's Jr. in the middle of the dessert in California in September. I just thought it was really cool that a Carl's Jr. (a small fast food restaurant) had that many sinks. There were even 3 more in another part of the bathroom. I think there were like 14 toilets or something. I just thought that was awesome.

And while we are talking about Carl's Jr., I'll also post this picture which was outside the restaurant.  It really makes you want to eat there, doesn't it? Wait a minute.....maybe this is why I didn't get pregnant the past few months. It's all Carl's Jr. fault, but not really because they totally warned me.

Must add picture with people.
It's hard to believe that Sarah is only 15 months younger than Bradley.  She has a lot of growing to do if she is going to catch up to him in height.  So when I refer to her as my "petite" little girl, you can see what I mean.  She's seven years old and still waiting to fit into a size 6x. She probably won't play basketball much, but she will probably make a great Tinkerbell at Disneyland.  One of my kids has to get a job at Disneyland when they grow up, so we can take our grandchildren there for free. 

Sickies

I'm here. I just have 7 sick kids with some sort of icky flu virus. Not the throwing up kind. Just the kind where you get a fever and feel really yucky. I have to admit I kind of enjoy the alone time. I've been hibernating in my bedroom trying to stay away from the sickies. They pretty much sleep, and sit around the family room all day. I throw some food on the table and they can go get if if they want. Most of them don't even feel good enough to eat that much. Here is the order of illness:

Friday - Emily
Sunday - Sarah (Notice the totally random alliteration.)
Tuesday - George and Rachel
Wednesday - Wendy (Notice the totally random alliteration.)

Now I'm really thankful my name is not Thelinda because it would surely guarantee I would get sick tomorrow.

Bradley? I can't tell if he is sick or not. He had a slight temperature (99.something) today and a headache, but it doesn't seem to have hit him as hard as the others. He said his head only hurt when he shook it or banged it on something. He's always been my child with the bionic immune systems. It's must be all those vegetables he doesn't eat that keeps him healthy.

I took Emily to the doctor last Friday. I thought she might have strep, but she didn't. That's good, I guess. I kind of wish it was something fixable with an antibiotic so we could be done with it. My husband and I are super paranoid and are constantly washing our hands and dousing ourselves with hand sanitizer. I'm starting to apply it up to my elbow. It's only a matter of time before I rub it over my whole body.

We eat meals in shifts (parents first) so we don't have to be around the sickos. I kind of feel like a horrible mother, but I just really don't want to get sick because I had this type of flu 2 years ago and it was quite miserable. I'm also just getting over a some nasty cold/bronchitis thingy that I've had for 3 weeks. Urghh to winter! I'm ready for Spring. Although Spring brings other ailments like mosquito and gnat bites. Those are terrible too because I have a very appetizing chemistry for those bugs! (Whic h reminds me of a story I'll tell at the end of this.)

I took this on Tuesday. I thought it was cute how George managed to find a little piece of blanket on the floor to snuggle up to. 

This is Wendy taking care of her sick little brother. It's no wonder that Wendy ended up getting sick too. George just looks pathetic.

This little guy probably took like 10 naps today. I'm glad he's able to sleep. There's no sinus congestion, so that's a good thing.

The sick crew watching Spongebob, except for Rachel and Emily who were sleeping.

Ok, so the story I was talking about.....  One of the first years we lived in this house we worked in the yard in the Springtime and I was attacked by gnats. I probably had about 40 bites or so, maybe more. Usually it takes about 12-24 hours for them to start itching on me. Well, I went to bed that night and was itching like CrAzY!  I couldn't handle it. So I got up in the middle of the night and went to my trusty computer and Googled "how to stop bug bites from itching" (or something like that) and I found a nifty little trick. Some website said to put Scotch tape over the bites. So that is exactly what I did. I ripped off about 40 pieces of Scotch tape and stuck them on each of my bug bites. I can't say it worked perfectly, but it definitely relieved most of the nuisance and prevented me from scratching them.  When my husband woke up in the morning he looked at me strangely and asked "Why do you have tape all over you?"

It makes me itchy just talking about it. The worst ones are the ones on the soles of the feet or the tops of the toes. I scratch until I bleed. What's totally not fair is that my husband hardly gets touched by them. They must know that I'm not a native. I really hope this flu bug passes over me or I've totally ignored my children all week for no good reason.

Artwork

One of my favorite parts of being a parent is cleaning up at the end of the day (wait.....let me finish because it's not the cleaning part.......) when the kids are in bed and finding their artwork that they randomly draw during the day. I found these the other day.  They made me happy.

#1

 

I'm not sure who drew this one.  It has characteristics of Emily, Bradley, and Sarah's artwork.  I'll have to ask them in the morning.  Sometimes they do combined efforts. It looks like the large-nosed stick figure has a tail.  Or at least I hope that's a tail. Maybe it's a kickstand.

#2 

This is definitely Sarah's.  I don't dare ask her what the picture is depicting in fear she might say "You." I mean, I know I've given birth to seven children and all, but this seems a bit exaggerated, don't you think? The top of my head is not balding either nor are my legs twisted backwards. It looks like a chunk of hair is in the process of falling off (under left arm) while anonymous illustrated girl dances. It's too bad the scan doesn't correctly show the flourescent orange dress.

#3 

This is Sarah's.  I think it's a subconscious fantasy of hers that she might be tall one day.

#4

Dancing Bananas?  They must be popular because there are stick figures flocking to see them. Not sure who the artist is, but probably Sarah.  Sarah spends many hours drawing.

#5 

I'm pretty sure this is Sarah's. I think it's a Dancing Queen Snowwoman who really likes Christmas. I don't know for sure if it's of the snowman species, but the three tiered body, coal-like mouth, and gnarled tree branch fingers were my clue.

I can't wait to see what I get next week....

Merry Christmas!

My husband's sister lives in Scotland.  She mailed us Christmas gifts in December.  They finally arrived this past week.  I guess there were some weather delays?  I'm just glad they weren't lost.  It was fun having a little Christmas extension.

The kids got books.  We look forward to reading them.

I think Scots like rhyming.

We haven't read this one yet to know what the instructions are for.

Emily got Island of the Blue Dolphins.  I always mistake this book for the plot of Blue Lagoon.  Definitely not the same plot.  The book is much less weird and totally appropriate.

Mommy and Daddy got some stylish winter attire.

I think I look pretty hot in my new hat and gloves, even with the infant in my armpit.

George got a sleeping bag.  It's awesome.  He's been waking up early in the morning because I think his feet are cold.  The first night he slept in it he didn't wake up before sunrise.  I have to admit I do secretly enjoy snuggling with George in my bed in the morning.  I might miss that.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This morning the kids came downstairs to find that Cupid came and left presents under the Valentine Tree. All the kids picked out their Valentine clothes (except George).

He brought a little glass mug filled with M&M's and hot chocolate.

We all wore our Valentine's Day socks.  Even Jason.  They are way too small, but I didn't have any his size.

Lunch

Dinner

Dessert

It was a great Valentine's Day.  Emily saved her clothes she wore today so she can wear them again tomorrow because that's when we go to Walmart and Target and get some clearanced candy.

Art Class

Bradley and Emily have been taking a six week art class.  It's a class where they get to paint, and that is very exciting for them because I never let them paint.  It's too messy and potentially disastrous.  It's a group of about 13 girls and 1 boy, Bradley. I guess most boys his age are playing soccer, baseball or basketball, but Bradley chose art class.

On week two they learned to paint a landscape.  This is a painting of a marsh.  In case you didn't know, this is Bradley's painting.  We explained to him that a small pencil signature in the bottom corner would be sufficient.

Dentist Day 2

When you have several kids you have to take them to the dentist in batches.  Today it Jason, Wendy, and Rachel's turn.  It was the first time for all of them.  They actually enjoyed it.  Rachel wasn't so sure, but she only had the dentist count her teeth, no cleaning.  I was afraid Jason and Wendy might have a cavity or two because they love bubble gum.  They chewed it almost constantly during Christmas vacation because Santa brought some Hubba Bubba.  I had to eventually hide it, but Jason seemed to be able to sniff it out and sneak it when I wasn't looking. 

We are finished and good for another six months.....or 2 years. It's my turn in March.  I have to admit I'm a little nervous they might find some cavities.  I think pregnancy has taken a toll on my teeth.

Jason getting flouride painted on his teeth.

Wendy opening wide.  Wendy was my child who didn't cut her first tooth until she was 18 months.  She was a very strange looking toddler, but she could gum just about anything.

Rachel getting all 20 of her teeth counted.  I wonder how much they bill my insurance for that.

The Dentist

I'm cheating this week and blogging while I watch The Bachelor.

Today I took the kids to the dentist.  It's been two years since we've been because one of those years we didn't have dental insurance.  The other year I don't have an excuse except that I was pregnant?  I don't know.  I really just don't like going to the dentist.  I don't really see a point in taking children that still have all their baby teeth because they are just going to fall out anyway.  But since we have decent insurance that covers routine check-ups 100% I thought we should maybe go. We were in need of some new toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Emily not liking the flouride.

Bradley waiting for his turn.  The hygienist said we were the biggest audience she's ever had.

Rachel had a front row seat. Sarah is 7 and hasn't lost any teeth yet.

They would only take 3 kids per day. None of them had cavities. We have 3 more appointments on Thursday. We will see how my two kids who love to chew Hubba Bubba and Double Bubble do.

Sadness

I went grocery shopping tonight and bought four gallons of milk. I only have room for four gallons in my fridge, so I needed to finish up the last 8-10 ounces of remaining milk from the previous gallon. I decided to make it extra yummy with two tablespoons of Nestle Quik. I thought it would make a pretty picture for a blog post. As I was scrubbing the gunk off my counter for an optimum photo shot of a tall glass of chocolate milk in my new pretty glass that I bought at Goodwill last week, I spilled it. It was sadness, but happiness that the glass didn't break. I still got a picture though, minus the satisfaction of the gulping. I was tempted to soak it up with my Bounty quicker picker upper paper towel and squeeze it back into the glass, like I do with my kids' spilled beverages sometimes, but I wasn't finished cleaning the gunk off my counters. I know I have four gallons of milk in the refrigerator and I could just make another glass, but I think I'll have some ice cream with Nestle Quik sprinkled on top instead....because I bought ice cream at the store too.

Sarah is Seven!