Mid-Winter Break

This week was Mid-Winter Break- whoever heard of Mid-Winter Break? I swear these kids never have school. Tyler took off work Monday so it was nice to have him home with us. Sunday evening we got some nice, fluffy snow so with Tyler home Monday we decided it would be a good day to go sledding- we hadn't been yet this winter. We went to Snowy Ridge Park which is literally a park meant for sledding with one giant hill. Going up the hill was extremely challenging since there was a layer of ice under the snow. I never made it all the way to the top and the one time I took Penny half way up to Tyler I slipped and fell a ton and pretty much slid down on my bum going back down. I am not coordinated enough for slippery ice. All the kids but Lucy had a ton of fun. Penny had to basically be forced into going down the first time but then she kept want to go again and again. Lucy went a few times but hated it each time- she did not like getting so much snow in her face. I ended up just pulling her around the bottom of the hill and that made her happy. Especially since she just sat on the sled eating snow. All my kids have inherited my Grandma Palmer's love of eating snow.

After sledding for the short bit that we lasted, we decided that Chick-fil-a was in order for lunch so we went to the mall in Troy to get some. There is always a huge line at this one and this is a mall that is too fancy for play places so it was a rough wait but I still got complimented on what a beautiful family I had so they must not have been too crazy. After gorging ourselves we dropped by the Lego Store and Tyler was nice and got all the kids Lego Guy key chains. Steven and him both got Minecraft Steve ones. Lucy got a Wyldstyle aka Lucy one. Then Ben got Lord Garmadon and Penny got a little girl with butterfly wings that she declared was the new Penny.

On our way back from the mall a Subway ad came on the radio that involves the word "Bro" a lot. As of late this word has been Ben's favorite and as I tried to say something during the ad, Ben immediately shushed me because he wanted to listen to it. I couldn't believe he shushed me for a radio ad.

Tuesday is cheap day at MJR so I decided to take all the kids to Lego Movie 2 since me and the girls still hadn't seen it. It was pretty fun but seeing it right after I had lunch was probably not the best idea. I got pretty sleepy near the end and may or may not have dozed off a couple times- so embarrassing. Still everyone enjoyed seeing it and it was good to get out.

That was pretty much all the excitement for our break. Tues, Wed and Thurs I was too lazy to borrow the car so we spent our days at home. We were still dog sitting so we had routine walks with Mia but that was about it and honestly it was ok. The kids for the most part got along really well and the days didn't drag too much. There was even this nice point where the kids were all jamming to the soundtrack to "Lego Movie 2" and making fingerprint art while I cooked dinner. I realized just how lucky I am so I decided to document it so I could remember this happy moment. 

Friday Tyler was off work so I took advantage of that and went to the SOS to get my Enhanced driver's licence (Michigan's DMV). It was awful. Even with their new get in line app, I ended up waiting about 2 hours. But once they process all my paperwork I should get my new, fancy enhanced licence which means I can go by land to Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas and Caribbean. This is good news since we are planning on taking Grams to Niagara Falls when she comes and the Canada route is much shorter than the US route. 

Friday night we went on a date to the temple. Recently I have been going through my blog to put together some books for the kids and it has been a reminder of how tough things were. It was tough when Tyler was gone all the time, it was tough when the girls were little, it was tough really until we finished moving and settled into our current home. At the temple I felt an immense gratitude for the life that I have and for Heavenly Father's help through all those tough times. We really are in a good spot right now. We have a home, Tyler has a job and was just given a raise, my kids are older and more independent. Life is good.

Saturday the girls got some much needed haircuts and then we went to the Detroit Historical Museum. After many days with no outings we needed to go do something fun. It was not crowded at all and it was a nice little museum to visit. The kids had a good time. The only unpleasant thing was when the kids decided to do a BINGO that required them talking to some Vendors that were there selling stuff. The Vendors were there in celebration of Black History and my white little kids and my kids awkwardness with strangers made the whole thing super uncomfortable. Other than that it was a good time. They had this fun maker station where the kids got to make rockets and stoplights. 

Valentines Week

Sunday was Steven's actual birthday so he got to start out his day with opening presents and eating Lucky Charms. He got a lot of awesome things this year. Tyler and I got him a MP3 player (with some music loaded on it), a speaker for it and a book with 5000 Awesome Facts. His Brady Grandparents gave him $10 and the Oregon Trail electronic game which he immediately got to playing- I'm pretty sure he liked it more than the MP3 Player. And his Hatch Grandparents got him a Fitness Tracker watch. It's actually a pretty cool watch and I am thinking I might want to buy one for myself.

Since he had his birthday party the day before the rest of his birthday wasn't super exciting. He went to church, played with his gifts all afternoon and then I made his favorite "white noodles" for dinner.

Monday was not a great start to the week. First I broke a hand held mirror. Then I forgot my wallet when I took Tyler to work and the gas tank was almost on empty- luckily I made it back to the gas station later without running out. There was also a laundry mishap where one of Penny's red dresses turned all the boy's white shirts pink. I also started my period that morning. I haven't had a period for 4 years thanks to my IUD so that was not fun. That afternoon I had a sub job and somehow I got lost taking Penny to my friend's house. My friend lives super close and I've been to her house many times. My brain was a mess.

The sub job itself turned out ok- no major behavior problems or mishaps but it was for kindergarten so it was definitely exhausting. By the time I got home it was decided that we were going to go out to eat for dinner- try to end the day on a more positive note. That was a good choice. We went to Steak and Shake and it was a really nice outing. Everyone wolfed down their meals and drank up their shakes. Afterwards we hit Burlington Coat Factory so Tyler could replace his white shirt I ruined. While there I decided to get myself a new winter coat. I felt so guilty because there are other things that are more needed but I haven't got a new winter coat since moving here so it is nice to finally shake things up.

Tuesday school was cancelled yet again because of icy roads. Tyler was also told he should work from home because of the roads. Around lunchtime I needed to pick up groceries and thankfully the roads were alright by then. It was pretty fun trying to crack the shell of ice that our car was enclosed in before I headed out though- it literally felt like shattering glass. For being yet another day with all the kids at home, it actually went pretty well. That afternoon we watched "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" because the kids were intrigued by the puzzle of that movie I had done. They really seemed to enjoy it and are still singing that lovely "oompa loompa" song.

Tuesday night I had Bunco and did not win any prizes BUT I did laugh until I cried over some funny labeling of my flamboyant rolls. I mean if I am not going to win I might as well roll my dice with style right!? A less silly and more neat thing that happened is that someone was looking for a sub super last minute and I immediately thought of my friend Caroline. Afterwards she was so grateful and said it was exactly what she needed after a rough day- I know that was not my thought but inspiration and I am so grateful I listened.

Wednesday morning Penny finally had her new speech class- it kept getting cancelled from all these snow days. She was super nervous at first and even started crying when we got there but when I came back to get her she was super happy about it at all. She said she liked this class way better and had lots of fun. I feel like it's already helping too- I've seen a little progress with her saying the c/k sound. 

After her class I got busy preparing for her Valentine's Day Party. I had invited some friends over from church to celebrate Valentines Day. I had posted it on our FB site and thought maybe a few people would come but 13 kids RSVP'd to come. I was super anxious about having 13 kids plus their moms in our small home but it ended up not being too crazy and the kids had a lot of fun. I think the fact that 1 kid was a no show and then there were 2 moms that brought their kids as everyone else was leaving helped some- made it a little less crowded. So as annoying as it was to have these people come when I thought the party was done, it did alleviate the crazy. The kids all decorated Valentine's Bag, exchanged Valentines and decorated and ate heart cookies. I got lots of compliments on the heart cookies I had made so that was flattering- I'll definitely keep using that recipe.

Thursday was Valentine's Day. The night before I made the kids each a Valentine and though I rushed them a bit, I still feel like they turned out pretty cute. So in the morning I gave them each their Valentine and their "love" gift. The girls got fingerlings (which were on clearance but now I see why- they make some pretty annoying noises). The boys each got 3 Minecraft Minifigures.

After opening gifts I made the kids some heart pancakes which they gobbled down because this time I didn't make them pink. Last year they were so disgusted that they were pink so I knew better than to do that again.

That afternoon was Lucy's class party which I was once again in charge of. Coordinating with her teacher is so challenging that it is really making me not want to help with class parties EVER again. Plus this time she wanted to just get cash donations which meant I really had to do everything since I didn't have a sign up genius for help. I also got a super last minute email that one of my activities wasn't going to work because it involved taste testing Conversation Hearts which apparently have gluten. Because of one gluten free kid we had to do a last minute change to taste testing Skittles. Anyways in the end it all went really well and the kids had a lot of fun. And I am super relieved that it's over. The big bummer is that I didn't get any pictures this time because I was too busy running one of the stations. No proof of all my work.

Since I had made heart cookies for Penny and Lucy's party- I ended up with some leftovers so I let the kids all decorate one. But they were all so sugared out from the day that not one of them was able to eat their entire cookie after decorating it- it was a first!

Friday was a good day to recover from a busy week. I finally got a workout in and Penny finally was able to do a reading lesson. An added bonus was that I squeezed in a nap!

Saturday morning I went to visit the sister that I minister. She is a sweet lady and it was nice catching up with her. I am always impressed with how she was able to become a doctor while raising three children. She's amazing! 

Afterwards Tyler and I decided to take the kids on an impromptu trip to the zoo. The temps were only in the 20's so we just hit all the indoor exhibits but it was just nice to get out. The only stressful thing was that the kids kept insisting on "skating" on the ice that was all over the grassy areas- made me so nervous. They fell so many times but somehow no broken bones or bleeding.

This week my inability to say no has left us dog sitting for a friend. We were just going to leave the dog at the friend's house but when I realized we would have to go over 3 times a day to check in on the dog I decided we should just try bringing her over here. After a rough Friday night where Tyler ended up sleeping downstairs with her, we had a traumatic Saturday morning because she kept jumping up on the boys (and thrusting herself at them). Now that we've had her for about a day she has calmed down a bit and doesn't jump up awkwardly on the boys anymore. I am hoping things will continue to be better. But I am not a fan of the dog smell and I am definitely still not a dog person and have no plans of ever owning one.

Job Worries, Drops of Awesome and Lego Birthday

This week started off with the stressful possibility of Tyler being laid off. General Motors was laying off 4000 people and unlike the first rounds of lay offs that they had in December these ones were much more random and according to Tyler no one was safe. On Monday they were laying off people at a building nearby and Tyler heard his building would be the next day so he spent Monday night super anxious and unable to sleep. Tuesday morning he watched as 8 of his friends who sit in his area got laid off. Shortly after that stress, he was told that his job was safe. It's funny how we take some things for granted, like jobs. I am so grateful that he still has one!

After the relief of finding out that he still has a job I got to volunteer in Ben's classroom. Once again Ben's teacher complimented Ben on his excellent writing skills- this time he did it in front of the whole class, using him as an example of awesomeness. He got super red and embarrassed and it was really cute.

When I finished volunteering we met my friend at Arby's to celebrate her birthday. We go there a lot and the same employee always seems to be working there. He's super awkward, makes a lot of eye contact and wears a plastered on smile but he's just part of the experience😜. At the end when they take your name, he tried to remember mine. He thought it was Jessica- close enough, ha ha! I love our Arby's lunch dates though, good food and good company.

Tuesday night my friend Stefanie came over and we worked on a puzzle (a super awesome Willy Wonka puzzle that I got for $3 at Hobby Lobby) and watched "Crazy Rich Asians." It was my idea of the perfect Girl's Night- puzzling, socializing, silly movie and yummy junk food- and I didn't even have to leave the house! Every time I hang out with Stefanie I feel so grateful that we moved next door to her family 5 years ago.

Early in the morning Wednesday we got some freezing rain so school was cancelled due to icy roads. It was a really LONG day- I could tell the kids had had their fill of being stuck inside with each other. So much fighting. 

Thursday the kids had a half day and I knew I did not want to be cooped up in the house with the kids again so we headed to the library for the afternoon. It was a good choice! My neighbor, Stacie, happened to come to the library shortly after us with her kids so my kids got to hang with hers and I got to chat with her and it ended up being a real nice outing.

Thursday night was RS Enrichment. I had a bit of a terrifying drive there because it was super foggy but I survived. There was a nice motivational speaker about "Drops of Awesome." It was about how often we think something positive about ourselves, we allow a negative thought to sneak in after it. Instead we need to hold onto those positive thoughts- those drops of awesome. It was a good message. At the end she asked people to share some of their drops of awesome from the day and my heart started to beat fast (like it does when I feel like I need to share my testimony). It seemed weird that I was feeling prompted to boast about myself but I think that was Heavenly Father's way of showing me that he notices me and he notices the good I do for my kids- and that maybe I should stop beating myself up so much.

I spent Friday making lots of cake for Steven's birthday (we needed lots of layers to make a Lego Head) and babysitting for a friend. Then that night I had another Girl's Night in- this time making a puzzle with my friend's Corinne and Chalsea. 2 nights of puzzling with friends in one week makes for a great week!

Also Friday I discovered that Lucy has a sugar addiction problem. After seeing a finger indention in a cake I confronted her and she informed me that I should have put it higher where she couldn't reach because she just couldn't help herself. Then the next morning we notice that she had been snitching some frosting (it was gray so kind of hard to hide the evidence on her lips). She lost some jewels for that one. I am pretty sure that sugar addiction came straight from me.

Saturday morning was Steven's 11th birthday party. He invited his two friends Max and Evan over and they went to see "Lego Movie 2" with Tyler and Ben. Afterwards they all came back and we had pizza and cake. It was my favorite kind of party- not crazy and stressful at all and I think Steven really enjoyed it. For the cake, Tyler copied the head of the Lego minifigures Steven was giving his friends. I really only meant for him to copy the gray skullcap on the one I gave him and then do a regular Lego face but he ended up copying the whole thing- too bad I had given him Max's minifigure and not Steven's. Still awesome though- even if Tyler thinks it's the worst one he's done. 

ColdER

On Monday the weather was predicted to bring 5-8 inches of snow throughout the day. Since this could cause the roads to be pretty bad by the time school ended they made a preemptive decision to cancel school. The predictions came true and we ended up with 8 inches of snow so it was a good thing that they decided to cancel. After the snow had accumulated I made the kids go outside and play in it. They had fun digging in it and making snow angels.

I also had the joy of shoveling it that night. It's crazy how much less I mind shoveling now that our driveway is at least half the size it used to be. The snow was also fluffy and light. The only trauma is when I came back inside and found out that chaos had ensued while I was outside. As I came inside I heard Steven say to Penny: "I didn't tell you to bite her THAT hard!" And then I see Lucy smack Penny. I don't know what game involves biting but it is now banned from our house.

Tuesday the kids went back to school and I got to enjoy a normal day. In the morning we had Penny's speech class. Afterwards I asked the teacher how she was doing and she told me that it wasn't going well. Penny being a year younger than all the other kids meant that they all needed to work on different skills than her. I had a feeling that this would be the case so I wasn't super surprised. They have now moved her to a Wednesday morning speech group with kids that have similar needs. The biggest bummer of this was that she had finally made a friend- now she is going to have get acclimated to new people all over again.

After her class we headed to Ben's class to volunteer. It was a fun time of editing papers. Ben's teacher also informed me that he has been doing really well with his writing and recently got a 97% on a math test. It was nice to get some positive feedback on Ben. I am proud of him!

When we finished at Ben's class we went to Tropical Cafe Smoothie since she had earned a date with me for filling up her jar. She ended up getting a "pink" smoothie and has already told me that she wants to get another pink smoothie when she fills up her jar again. She's addicted.

Wednesday and Thursday the weather went colder than it has been in decades- I think the lowest we got was -15 and with the windchill it was a real feel of -45. These freezing temperatures meant that school was cancelled so the kids and I took advantage of that and did not leave the house even once on those two days. 

I might have gone stir crazy if friends hadn't come to visit us. On Wednesday I had a friend and her 4 kids come over in the afternoon. We worked on a puzzle while the kids all played and it was really a fantastic day in.

However that same friend came over again on Thursday morning and it was not nearly as fantastic the second go around. It was quite chaotic and stressful. Her youngest managed to get in the bathroom upstairs and totally mess it up- towels in the toilet, pieces of toilet paper everywhere, feminine pads ripped apart. Later on her son jumped on Lucy's bed and broke one of the boards. Then her older son accidentally bumped the box of puzzle pieces and spilled them into our couch- things tend to fall into our couch and never return. Then their was the incident of the floor vent cover being pulled off and a ball thrown in it. Also her kids totally raided our snack cupboard and emptied it out. So it was a rough get together. I think she was having a rough week herself though and that's why she wasn't super helpful in all these incidents. Remembering this helps me not to get too frustrated with all that went down.

That afternoon I had two other friends come over. Things were a little stressful with them. The one friend has an infant and the other one has two kids, one of which feel asleep on her lap most of the time. It was refreshing to have some socialization without the chaos so the day ended on a better note.

Friday the temperatures warmed up enough that the kids could go back to school. It was still only -5 when I took them to the bus stop but at least I was able to drive them there since Tyler left to work a little later that morning. Sharing a car is such a pain. After school on Friday we decided to take advantage of free first Fridays at the Cranbrook Museum. It was so nice to get out of the house with the kids and roam the museum. We also encountered a beautiful sunset over an icy/snowy lake on our way there. Once there they all behaved surprisingly well which meant we actually got to read some signs and learn stuff. It was a good outing.

Saturday night Steven and Ben had their Blue and Gold Banquet. It had a fun Western theme and the food was chips and chili. Usually our family ends up alone at a table but this time we sat with the Bloomfield's which was a nice change. Highlight of the evening was when Steven got to cross over the bridge and receive his Arrow of Light. This was good motivation for Ben- he now wants to earn his Arrow of Light (mostly because he thinks the plaque is awesome).