Lightning Storm

We had a huge storm tonight. We were helping Brent's dad cater a wedding reception when someone told us that a storm was heading this way and that we should hurry when packing up. Right after we got everything unloaded after the reception the storm hit. What a blessing that was! On my way home while I was driving in the storm I noticed the sky was bright with all the lightning and that the thunder was constant. It sounded like an airplane was overhead that would never go away. Even as I'm writing this I still hear the constant thunder but luckily it's farther away. About 10 minutes after we got home the power went out. I lit some candles so the girls could do their homework, opened some doors to let the cooler air in, then went outside to watch the lighting. As I was sitting there, Brent eventually came out to join me. Then I noticed a neighbor family outside, then another and another. I was almost sad to see the power come back on about a half hour later because everyone immediately went into their homes. Now that they had their t.v.'s and computers, who needed neighbors to talk to? Even Brent and I went in right away. And what did I do as soon as I walked in? Come sit at my computer and blog. Maybe we need some mandatory power outages just so neighbors will start talking to each other again.

New Family Plan

I noticed over the summer that every one in my family eats like we are never going to see food again. THIS is a problem. Both Brent and I come from families who struggle with weight issues and I feel like I'm not being a responsible parent if I don't get a handle on this now. We sat our kids down Sunday night to introduce the plan:

Eat 3 healthy meals a day
No snacking in between meals unless it's fruit or veggies
Kids can have one small treat a day and adults one treat a week
Everyone has to exercise at least 30 minutes a day

We told them that we all need to help each other so we thought it would be fun to have a goal to work toward. I thought they would say Disneyland or money. No, my children think that the very best thing to work towards is...A DOG!

I am really really wanting to do this so if a dog is what will get my kids to stop eating constantly, then a dog it is. Stay tuned...In December (the end of the experiment) I may be posting our dog's picture.

Life is too fast!

I was just reminiscing about the time in my life when all my kids were home. Ah...those were the days! I was busy, don't get me wrong. I was babysitting A LOT of children along with my own but I loved it! I loved being able to bake cookies, do crafts, go to the park, take naps, watch children's movies and Teletubbies and Barney, make and then play with play dough, do little girl hair over and over and over (all the girls wanted their hair done every day), play hide and seek (my favorite thing when I was tired: I would find a really hard place to hide and let them look for me for about 10 minutes while I rested), run through sprinklers in the park with all of our clothes on, dig sand holes in the sand with the kids and then play like they were our homes, go over to my mom's or my grandma's and hang out, shop at Target with all the kids holding one hand on the cart so I wouldn't lose anyone, etc, etc, etc. I really really really miss those days!!! It wasn't easy. I even had to potty train four kids at the same time, but I loved playing with the kids and having time with them. I feel like I never see my kids anymore with school and friends and homework and sports and work. What I wouldn't give to be able to go back in time for just a day.

New Pet?

Nate got a call from his good friend Tanner D. the other day.

After a few minutes of talking he says:

"Mom, can Tanner borrow our fish tank if he gets a snake tonight?"

Me: "Sure. We're not using it."

A few minutes later: "Mom, can Tanner keep the snake at our house if he gets it?"

Me: "Uh, let me think on that...NO!"

I asked Nate today if Tanner ended up getting a snake. He told me no because his mom wouldn't let him have one in their house.

Most Relaxing Trip EVER

I have put off blogging about our Rocky Point trip because I'm depressed we are home and back to reality. Really, why do we have to have school and work and...life? I loved every single second of our trip. Our wonderful friends invited us to tag along with them and we are so so so grateful for the opportunity to get away from the stress of our business and just have a great time with great people. Let's see what did I do on the trip? Sit at the beach, sit on the chair on our deck overlooking the ocean, sit on the couch, sit on the chairs by the pool, and sit on the tubes on the lazy river. Now that's what I call a vacation! Thank you, McGraths! You are the best!!!