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A Harsh Reality

Seriously, ladies and gentlemen, do I look obese? I must have a really skewed version of reality, because I know I'm overweight, but obese? At least that's what my new Wii Fit tells me. I was actually just on the cusp of obese, but obese nonetheless.

Starting today, I am on the Wii Fit workout regimen. I pledge to do 30 minutes 6 times a week. I set a goal to lose 20 pounds in 6 months. That's more than 10% of my body weight, yet sounds doable. Losing 20 lbs. still puts me in the overweight category, but at least I won't be obese anymore.

Labels can be so depressing sometimes. I don't want to focus on the negative labels, though. I'm also a Mom, a Wife, a Feminist, a Friend, a Neighbor, and an Idealist. Along with a new body, I hope to have a refreshed outlook on my life beyond my exterior.

The Ghosts of Christmas Past

Well, Christmas is over. The presents are opened. Copious amounts of junk food have been consumed. The snow has all melted. The magic had faded. . . or has it?

The kids are playing with their toys. Colby is helping them play with their toys. The house will be filled with the sounds of children on break from school. They have so many new toys and clothes that every day for at least two weeks will seem like a day of surprises. I also got some great gifts, which I will enjoy for the next year and far beyond.

I am reminded that another year has nearly come to an end. My babies continue to grow despite my objections. My husband will spend yet another period of time far away. I turn 30 in 2009. Christmas, with all its joys, is also a time of melancholy. The ghosts of every meltdown, harsh word, and screaming fit reappear. I always promise never to let it happen again, but, alas, I am weak. So, as I look back at 2008, I will remember both the joys and sorrows, the do-overs and the have-to-do-it-agains. I wish for nothing more than health, safety, and a reunification of our family.

The magic of Christmas will survive all year long, and let's hope that we all survive, too. Not just survive - thrive!

Christmas With the Siebrandts

Today we went to Seward for Christmas with the Siebrandts. We ate turducken, opened presents, and played in the snow. It was freezing cold, but the kids still wanted to go out for a little while. We played Guitar Hero, and I must say that my drumming is improving. The three oldest are staying in Seward until Tuesday, so Soren will be here with us getting a good spoilin'.

Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Sorry - Can't Hear 'Em Over the Yelling

Carols are the stories of Christmas put in tidy words and happy sing-songs. We love to hear Sinatra, Elvis, Dean Martin, and Harry Connick Jr. sing the old holiday favorites. I don't think carols were meant to be the arsenal of sibling rivalry. Take for example Santa Claus is Coming to Town. My children have decided that, "Santa's making a list, he's checking it twice, and you won't be on it!!!!" is great for making your sister mad. I hear choruses of Jingle Bells from Evelyn so much that even Brody has to tell her that, "bells don't ring if you sing about them all the time." They can insert each other's names into songs to make them insulting, i.e. Bro-dog the Red Nosed Reindeer. This, of course, is met with the refrain of, "You're a mean one, Mr. Dade the Grinch." Not all that clever, but still insulting none the less.

So, as you enjoy carols this holiday season, be creative. Think of ways they can be used to either taunt or insult someone you don't like. Or maybe someone you do like but you just have a constant need to start a fight with.

Doo, Doo, Doo Lookin' Out My, er, Front Window

Okay, so my title is lame. We got lots of icy rain last night, so the kids didn't have school. It was supposed to be their last day before winter break, but I guess they got an extra day off from Santa. :)

I scraped and scooped half of the driveway this morning. The school called at 5:45 am to tell us that classes were cancelled, so I've been up since then. So has Soren. She spends most of her waking hours fussing if she's not being carried, like she's still 6 months old or something. I took the gate down from our front steps, so today is practice going down the steps day for her. So far, so good. I'm hoping to avoid any major falls or head injuries, but the gate is getting to be more dangerous than helpful. She climbs up onto it and shakes it until it starts to slide away from the wall.

The kids had a great time outside. I think maybe we'll attempt to scoop the other side of the driveway after nap. We've got to get some energy out before Smackdown comes on tonight. Yes, two fun-filled hours of wrestling. Check your local listings. . . or not.

Late addition: I shouldn't be sharing this story, but humor dictates that I must. I was having the kids do some exercises just to get some energy out. I asked Brody if they do any exercises in P.E. He said they do the "12 count burpee." Okay, show me. He begins, "One, two, three," while doing jumping jacks and toe touches. Then, all of the sudden he goes, "Oh crap, I think I pooped my pants!" Who says exercise is good for you? Sidenote: no poop in the pants. I think we should change the name to 12 count fartee.

Breakfast: the Most Important Meal of the Day

Here is a description of the breakfast table at our house on a school day: three kids with waffles or cereal in front of them talk nonstop about who has the stinkiest butt while a barely awake and coffee craving Mom says in her loudest whispering yell (??), "Be quiet and eat! Your sister is still asleep!" Quiet ensues for, let's say, 5 seconds before Brody's mouth is again spewing random insults and kindergarten knowledge.

Crap, I'm in the middle of a rant and Soren wakes up. Great. Well, I got a whole hour without her. Evelyn didn't stop talking to me long enough for me to hear a word of my DVR-ed ER episode, but I guess that's what Moms call a lunch break.

Update: I just finished mopping the kitchen floor. The floor is still damp. Jefferson just proceeded to barf under the kitchen table. This is the story of my life.

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful . . .

We finally have some snow, and the kids took full advantage. Evelyn tasted snow from just about every place in the yard and driveway (hopefully none yellow or brown). The boys "shoveled" snow off the deck and chased each other around the yard. All in all, it was a good day. Here are some photos of the girls' fun, and Evie's rosy cheeks.

For some reason, Evie is convinced that Santa is going to be arrested and put in jail. She says that if he, "goes to jail, he'll never be able to come over again." I really need to turn off the Law & Order in the afternoons.

Winter Break Breakdown

This is the last week of school before Winter Break, and the kids couldn't be more excited. Mom, on the other hand, isn't exactly thrilled about 3 weeks of boys home from school. At least in the summertime they can ride their bikes and play outside. If our arctic weather has anything to do with it, I will have 3 weeks of nonstop noise and craziness inside.

In anticipation of winter vacation, I am officially asking any and all volunteers to take one or more children for a few days over break. My oldest three will pretty much go anywhere with anyone, especially if there are chips or ice cream sandwiches involved. My stepmom has already volunteered, thank goodness. She at least has a big enough house that if you dump all the kids in the basement you can't hear them from upstairs.

On a lighter note, Brody and Evelyn played America's Next Top Model last night. Evelyn was the model, and Brody was the designer.

Picture Day Revisited

We took a trip to the mall today to get the kids' photo taken yet again, this time with our nephew Ethan. They did a really great job, despite the fact that Soren has a fever. This was the third time they've made the trip to JC Penney for a photo shoot, and Soren pretty much looked the same in all the photos: pissed.

We're having a lot of issues with Dade's impulse control right now. He has none. Even when he takes his medication, he's still our most difficult child. He is certainly helpful around the house, but I often find myself unbelievably frustrated with his behavior and lack of control. I'm open to any suggestions. . .

Bath Night Again

I've found a simple solution to keep Soren occupied in the evenings when she is crabby: put her in the bathtub. First, she takes a bath with Evelyn. They play and make a mess and hopefully no one poops in the tub. Then, she takes a bath with Brody. He washes her and takes care of her. It gives me a chance to clean up supper, but I think Brody is on to my plan. He said, "Why do I have to have a bath every night?!" I told him that he stinks, that's why. Yet another lie I tell him to make my life easier. Like when I tell him the batteries are all gone or only Daddy can fix that so we'll have to wait til he's home.

Dade did his homework while he sat on the crapper today. Nice.

There's Something About Soren

I've noticed a few things about Soren lately. Besides the fact that she's undeniably the most beautiful one-year-old on the planet, she's also quite quirky, perhaps my quirkiest child.

First of all, she always wants to wear the same pajamas, as you can probably tell from our photos. Maybe they're just cozy.

She loves to pull all Evie's clothes out of the drawers and carry them around. She particularly likes the short-sleeved shirts.

She loves shoes, and as you can tell from the photo above, she even wants to wear them over her favorite footie jammies.

Whenever I want to take her picture, she lays down on the ground and says, "Cheese!" Why she lays down first, I don't know. Please don't tell me she thinks this is her best angle.

She likes to get out fingernail clippers, sit down, and "clip" her nails. She will also file them if one is available.

She gives everyone the same evil "stink eye" whenever they look at her. Anyone who knows her knows what I mean.

There are so many more funny things she does, but I suppose I must put the boys to bed. It's a special night of WWE Raw, so I'm sure that they'll be thrilled when I tell them lights out. Two hours of wrestling is enough for one night, right?

The Hoss Family Comes for a Visit

My friend Jessica and her family came to visit this weekend. They drove all the way from LeMars, IA. We went out for a lovely dinner at Famous Dave's, played Wii, did a little shopping, and tore down the ugly border in our kitchen. The kids had so much fun, especially Evelyn and Jessica's daughter, Lydia. They are only a year apart, and they had the most glorious, girly time. Evie is used to playing more with boys than girls, so it was a nice change. They played ballerina and princess and babies. Jessica's son Nathan loved to play pots and pans in our play kitchen.

Colby is at the Children's Museum with the kids, giving me some alone time. He's been really great with the kids when he's home on the weekends. He'll be in Kansas City this week doing some training, so he'll be a little closer but still far away.

Yes, Dade has a Knife

After I picked the boys up from school today, we needed to make a quick trip to the grocery store. Upon seeing the Amigo's restaurant, Brody promptly asked if we could go out for supper. No, we can't. This was met with the following from Brody, "You never let us go out to eat. I don't care what we have, I'm not eating anything you make." This is quite typical Brody. Colby says he gets it from me, but I don't think even I am that stubborn. I told him that could be arranged - he either eats what I make or nothing at all. He decided to eat.

Anyway, we had the typical Friday night meal of kid-pleasing junk food: pigs in a blanket with fresh veggies on the side. Brody and Evelyn washed the broccoli and cauliflower. Dade chopped veggies and put the piggies in their blankets with the cheese. Evelyn did some dishes, while Soren stuck her broccoli stem in the soapy water and licked it. Yum. While we ate, Soren played her favorite new game: stand up in her highchair and climb onto the table. Evelyn did what she always does: dip everything into her water/milk cup before eating it. And of course, the boys talked about wrestling as Friday Night Smackdown would be on in only an hour. I photographed our family meal preparation, but Brody took the photo of me with the finished product.

Colby comes home tomorrow, and out friends from LeMars are coming to visit. It's so nice of them to make the trip. Their kids are actually good in the car long enough to travel.

Mess

I'm sure most parents have seen this played out in their homes: the kids pull every single toy out of the toy box and then play with none of them. That's what Soren and Evelyn have decided to do just now, only moments before nap time. I guess picking up toys is as good an excuse as any to delay nap. Even the kitten was in on this mess.

By the way, I don't always dress the girls in matching clothes, but sometimes I just can't resist.

Time for Bed but Wrestling's On

It's 8:00 pm on Tuesday, which means wrestling is on tv. Which means my sons are now jumping off fake turnbuckles and accidentally kicking each other in the groin. They are running through the house making fake punching sounds and arguing over who gets to be Rey Mysterio. And, no, Brody is not wearing pants. He is wearing underwear though, so that's good. I just heard furniture being whacked in the living room which means the boys just lost their wrestling privileges for the night.

Soren periodically comes in the den to make a mess or try to break something while I type. The phrase, "I'm gonna put you down while I finish this," is often followed by loud crying until I pick her back up. The girls both have a hacking cough, the same that Brody had last week. No snot or stuffy noses, though.

I spent the day rearranging things in the house and throwing away some junk. I have to do this while Colby's gone because he is a horrible pack rat. I guarantee he'll never even notice that I threw anything away.

Well, another day over. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed.