With Six you get Eggroll

   When my 13 year old son was in preschool, they had a special "Moms" day.  The class sang us a song and showed off the many skills they had learned getting ready for their big step into Kindergarten the following year.  The teachers had asked all the little ones to draw a picture for their mom expressing something she does for them.  I peeked at the others drawings as they were passed out and read aloud.  Mostly stick figures with flowers or something resembling a sink with dishes or desk with a computer.  I was anxious to see what my little guy had thought of when prompted to remember the numerous tasks his mother (ME) did for him daily.  (dishes, laundry, no I got it!... making food!! He loved dinner time!)  They held up his drawing and read the description. (they had written on the bottom what he told them it was)  "There was a man and he exploded."  The picture was in all black and looked exactly like something had exploded on...

    Can you recall your first memory?  I can.  It's an up close visual of my moms' ear. When I close my eyes, I can see it vividly.  I must be lying on her shoulder.  I still know what it felt like to play with her earring.  I can still smell the hairspray.  When I close my eyes, I can hear her singing.  She had a voluminous alto voice.  I can still hear her playing the piano.  Her style was definable, with the runs and pretty extra notes played between the melody of the song and especially on the ending.  I can hear her silly baby voice talking to something tiny and cute like an animal or baby.  I can hear the tone of her voice when she was frustrated followed by the inevitable mom sigh.  When I close my eyes, I can see her fingers. Very nimble, flowing over the keys of the piano or painting or drawing (she was extraordinary at them all), or sewing.  I can see her shirt covered in flour or grease from slaving in...

     I recently read a quote that says. " In raising my children, I have lost my mind but found my soul."  This could not be more true about me.  When my first two kids were small I still felt a bit sane! I had control.  I was on top of things.  Now, I'm certain I have gone temporarily insane, and it seems this time of year shows that thought to be more true every time it comes around.       Back to school season is arduous and demanding.  It comes up on you so quickly.  We are lazy, relaxed, and remiss of the daily grind, then... WHAM!!  You abruptly realize, "School Starts In Two Weeks!!" I was happily enjoying my simple summer and now I have to cram haircuts, shopping, and open house meetings into the quickly approaching, limited days.  Not to mention the new fall sports season calendar.  Practices, games, shows.....it all starts NOW!       I'm caught between if relaxing all summer is a good t...

     Bubble wrap the dishes, clean out the drawers, it's time to move!!  UGH... moving.  All the boxes and dirt, clutter and organizing.  Making sure nothing is left behind.  Changing addresses and schools and Doctors.  Cleaning every corner, even some you haven't been in since you moved in!  Now add 4 kids to that chaos and you've entered a whole other dimension of craziness you wish never existed.  Many people hear about moving and just the thought causes their blood pressure to rise.  I, on the other hand, have grown accustom to the changes and get a bit of a thrill contemplating the newness of it all.      On average, an American moves roughly 11.7 times in their lifetime. (per a census taken in 2007)  Personally I am up to 12 moves in my 38 years of life.  Some as a kid (my opinion on the matter had no merit what-so-ever), some newly married (we must build the house, buy all the things, no matter the c...

      When talking with a group of moms you most likely become acquainted with the age of their kids (if you didn't know already), their usual gripes, and day to day messes.  I've learned recently that when I would hear two or more moms in a group have teens, there was an unspoken anxiety and I seemed to notice a glance of the eyes that they were understanding each other immediately.  At first, I thought they connected simply because their kids were in the same age bracket.  Now (with 2 young teens of my own) I realize they were actually saying things to each other that didn't need to be said out loud! " Oh, you too?" "These toddler moms have no clue." "Don't say anything about it, it will just scare them to death!" All this with just a nod and a smirk.  Moms of youngsters can also feel free to complain and brag and joke about their little ones running around because these kids have completely tuned them out. They are so immersed in their i...

    There I was, my heart racing, my knees weak, my throat dry, my hands trembling, and the thought of vomiting becoming more and more appealing.  I found myself in fight or flight mode.  Every eye was on me and the music began to play....I had practiced so many times, I knew what to do.  Focus Mandy.  I heard the notes I was waiting on to remind myself to take a deep breath, then I began to make a sound.  As I sang, my mind was desperately trying to figure out how to stop making the dreadful noise that was coming out and just do it like I had rehearsed.  Every syllable was shaky, every breath was shallow, the people were all still looking at me!  Now my brain was on autopilot as I sang the words while also discerning every expression on the faces staring back at me. Oh wait! That chorus seemed to come out ok, maybe I can do this afterall!  Nope... I totally messed that part up.... Finally, I was hitting the last note and standing perfec...

    Many of us have received the message or phone call that starts with, "I don't want to be a tattle tale or get your child in trouble, but I need to talk to you about _______(insert your child's name here).  I have heard my fair share of this phrase.  Not because my children are overly mischievous, just because of the fact I have multiple children and the probability of this happening is much (x4) greater.       I've heard it all.....he was playing a game we don't approve of, she was reading a book we don't allow our kids to read. (those are the easy ones) I've also heard....she was using inappropriate words, he got angry and yelled at my son, and she kicked my husband in a "tender" area!  Those of us who pride ourselves on being morally upright and protective parents never enjoy hearing from another parent whose company we would like to keep, that our child has been a bad influence. You immediately see red, want to take all their technolo...