6 Things (A Boring Thing #4)

I have a little ritual I do almost everyday.

I won't usually eat lunch until I can actually sit down and enjoy it. Let me tell you, it is REALLY hard to sit down and enjoy lunch when you have 3 small kids fighting over who gets to sit down in the heart chair, and bouts of yelling things like "Mom, I wanted my sandwich cut into 4 triangles, not 4 rectangles!", and "Mom, I don't like peanut butter any more. I only liked it for last week!", and "Mom, Macie keeps stealing my food!", and "Mom, Macie's making tooting sounds with her mouth!", and "Mom, Abrie's chewing her food again like a loud donkey!", and never ending choruses of ABC's sung at full throttle... really, I could go on and on... and on, but I won't (for now anyway).

After I'm done trying to maintain the chaos I call lunch time, I lay Macie down for her nap and search for a movie that will keep the other two kids entertained for as long as possible and then I BREATH.

Everyone now. Take a deep cleansing breath with me.

Breath in. Breath out.

Breath in. Breath out. (This is not to be confused with the song Machinehead by Bush)

In with the good, out with the bad.

You are one with body, mind, & soul. Feeling centered. Feeling free.

Ahhhh, much better!

When I finally have a chance to catch my breath and get a little peace and quite, I will then sit down and eat... kid free and uninterrupted. I usually don't answer the phone either while I'm eating. It's my time to sit and well, do nothing... It's great!

After I'm done eating lunch I will chill a little bit longer with my two best friends; Diet Coke & dark chocolate.

They have always been good to me. They have always been there when I needed them, except on the occasion that I forget to go to the store. Then I turn to my other friend Amy who has often times helped me out by supplying my addiction to caffeine with Diet Coke. There is nothing worse then needing a caffeine fix and not having any caffeine in the house.

Unfortunately, the peace and quite doesn't last long. My 15 minutes of Zen is quickly interrupted by more screaming; "Mom, Abrie's breath smells like poo!" and "Mom, Kaleb says he's going to shoot me!”. I quickly clean up my stuff and go back to my life of playing referee. Lunch time's done; short, sweet, but oh, so good!

Until next time,

Namaste

Playing, Peeing, Puking, & Stinking

My lack of blogging lately has been due to Nate's new obsession for this game.

I bought it for him last Thursday and we have played it every night since then. I have successfully kicked his trash at this game for first 4 nights, but the tables have turned and now he's spankin' me (not literally... take your mind out of the gutter). I should have quit the game while I was ahead, but the thrill of victory consumed me (I can't help it, I'm competitive by nature). The last game did not end pretty. It brought out all sorts of nasty.

Now the game is put away in the closet until I can re-strategize and again claim victory. Be afraid Nate, very afraid.

Other happenings;

Macie is starting to potty train herself. She's a huge fan of going pee-pee in the potty. It's amazing how entertaining bodily functions can be to a 1 yr old. I took this video of Macie while chillin' on the potty. Please don't mind the partial nudity.

Allow me to translate;

....A B, A B E F G (.........inaudible........) A B, A B, E F G, H I.....up a, up a in the sky, up a, up a in the sky. Up a, up a, up a sky. Up a, up a, up a sky (.... inaudible....) eeeee,eeeeee!

(or something like that). We like to spice it up around here with a little ABC's & Twinkle, Twinkle.. thrown together.

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Abrie had the stomach flu last night. Honestly, the girl threw-up about 20 times plus from 6:00 pm to 3:00 AM, setting the record I'm sure for the most times puking in a 8 hour period.

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My house reeks like something has died, which probably just means that I need to do the dishes. I can't wait until I have a dishwasher or a maid, which ever comes first.

Back Off Ladies... The HAIR.IS.MINE!!

In the previous post I mentioned that Nate was voted best hair in high school. How could I possible leave it at just that? Inquiring minds need to know. This needed to be taken a step further and photographic evidence needed to be supplied.

Was it Nate's wit and charm that got him the ladies? Was it his perfect white teeth and his masculine jaw line that made the girls melt like butta'? Or perhaps it's his beautiful hazel eyes and the I'm so good it's naughty look that made all the girls say- you had me at hello? No, don't let all of that fool you. It was in fact... the hair.

I would attempt to explain the art of the hair, but I cannot. How could one fully understand the art of the hair without out truly experiencing it themselves. It is an experience I had only hoped to have in my high school age. But alas, all I experienced was the art of the bangs, which didn't get quite the same response I had hoped for from the boys (please refer to the picture below).

See what I mean? Although this picture is hot in it's own unique, sweet spirit kind of way; it did not get me the boys... I know that must come as a shock, I was shocked as well. Point proven, the bangs were not as effective as the hair.

Check it! This picture is straight out of the year book. See what I mean about the- I'm so good it's naughty look. The look on his face is screaming you know you want it! Honey, you couldn't be more right . Notice the poor boy to the right of Nate's picture... he did not have the hair, but I'm sure he had a sweet spirit.

This is the workin' it by a ladder pose... gets the girls every time!

Man, I am so hot for Nate right now!

6 Things (Thing #3)

This is something that not even my husband knew about me and when I told him he didn't even believe me. Now odds are you're not going to believe me as well. I got a letter in high school.

Ginnie, you can't letter in *making out!. Yes, I am aware of that. If that were the case I would have lettered multiple times. I actually lettered in academics. Why else would they have hired me so fast when I applied for a job at Payless Shoe Source? Was it for my excessive knowledge in their cheap line shoes? I don't think so. It's all because of the letter baby.

Ginnie, you need to have killer grades to letter in academics. Believe it or not I had pretty stinkin' good grades through high school. Now elementary & junior high? that's a completely different story. The way I was going my Mom probably thought I would end up on the streets or working the pole... good thing I didn't grow up in Vegas (Halla' to my LV friend, who fortunately isn't working the pole either).

Ginnie, did your friends know that you were a nerd? No, I tried to keep that hidden behind a facade of sarcasm and a "too cool for school" attitude.

Did it work? pffft... of course! I had you all fooled didn't I?

This just goes to show you that you can be blond, have terrible grammar, **cheat your way through spanish and still letter in academics. Don't worry, the shock and disbelief you're feeling at this moment is normal. Just remember this was a long time ago. By now, after having 3 kids, my brain has officially turned into mush and all that I've been left with is a vast knowledge of things like;

• How to change an explosive diarrhea diaper and keeping the poop contained just in in the diaper (which can be very difficult to do).
• 4 toy cockroaches can be swallowed and then pooped out whole with out causing the digestive system to back up.
• How to change a child's diaper that has major pee leakage in the middle of the night and doing it with out them waking up.
• Poop if smashed into the carpet will smell for weeks.
• Fabreeze is great for masking the smell of poop.

How sad that all my knowledge now deals with fecal matter. But hey, it's not like knowing the Pythagorean theorem is going to help me change a diaper, now is it (to be honest, I can't even remember what the Pythagorean theorem is).

*Dad don't worry, how could I have time for making out when all my spare time was spent reading my scriptures and saying my prayers. And Nate don't get worried when I say making out. We all know that you were the one with all the ladies. I mean who could blame you? You were voted best hair in high school. With a hair like that you're bound to get a few good make out sessions. It's OK, I don't blame you... I blame the hair.

**It's true, I really did cheat my way through spanish and I don't feel a whole lot of remorse, which means I am not yet truly repentant. I already knew everything I needed to know... ¿Donde esta el banyo? and ¿Biggie puede calibrar usted eso? (Where's the bathroom & can you biggie size that?)

The Chullet

There were certain things I promised myself I would never do before I had kids; one of them being to not ever let my child sport the mullet (actually for a child the correct term would be a chullet). There are only certain people that can pull of the "business in the front, party in the back" look... say for example bus drivers and road construction workers, but a little girl with a chullet? Hmmm, not so much.

Well Macie's ever growing chullet was starting to wear on me. Each day I would tell myself that I really needed to cut it, I had a promise to live up to. So the other day I was quickly giving the kids a bath and I had an impulsive moment. I grabbed the scissors and cut Macie's hair. Now what qualifies me to cut my child's hair? Well, after many failed attempts of cutting my own bangs as a child I'm asking myself the same question. It was an innocent attempt, just not well thought out. It's really not easy to cut a toddlers hair, let alone a toddler in the bathtub.

I would rather not explain the rest of the story in attempt to keep the rest of my dignity intact. So for now the story is that Kaleb cut her hair. And now for the pictures, prepare to laugh at my expense.

Macie I'm sorry Mommy ruined what little hair you have. You have a great little personality though, at least you have that going for you.

When Nate came home I was slightly worried to hear his reaction... more out of embarrassment then anything else. This was the response I got.

"Wow.... Did Mommy botch your hair?" ,

"It's very pretty... your Mommy's crazy!",

"Did Mommy shave the back of your head like she shaved the back of her head?" Yes, it's true I shaved the back of my head when I was in 7th grade. It was a stage of self exploration and trying to find out who I am... It really helped. I learned that I'm not the type of person that can pull off a partially shaved head.

Nate's last response was, "Ginnie, you should really have someone professional fix that". Honey I am as professional as they come. Do you know how many years of bang cutting experience I've had? And not all of them were failed attempts. Where's the faith?!

Kick 'em While They're Down...

or in this case- throw a laundry basket at 'em while they are down on the ground unsuspecting and watching TV.

Abrie wanted me to take a picture of her lip to put on my blog to show everyone, especially her Grandma's & Grandpa's. So Grandma & Grandpa this post is for you.

Hi Grandma & Grandpa-
Do you remember I told you about Kaleb throwing a basket at my lip? This is a picture of my lip.

And here is a picture of me so you will know who's lip that is.
I Love you! Love, Abrie

6 Things...(Thing #2)

1. Now we can first start out by **blaming my parents for naming me Ginnie. That's what happens when you have 8 kids- you kind of have to scrape the bottom of the barrel with the last kids names since you've already used the good ones. For example; by the time Nate and I have our 13th child we will probably have to name it Bonquesha if it's a girl (to stay true to our new roots in Philly) or Pubert for a boy (because that name just rocks!). If by the slightest chance I become famous between now and child number 13 I'll probably go with Apple or Tomato.

I once had a substitute teacher mispronounce my name during roll call calling me guinea... I was not amused. Every one else was though. Every now and then I'll still get the occasional guinea pig (you know who you are).

In high school people use to always call me genie in a bottle (thanks to Christina Aguilara). Usually that phrase was followed by- where's my 3 wishes?....funny, huh!
This must be said in your best Forrest Gump voice. Jennay, I might not be a smart man, but I know what love is... Yes, this one is a classic. Some things just don't die with age.

And finally... No, Ginnie is not short for Virginia. I'm glad we could clear that up.

Oh, and thanks to me, every one's new favorite name to call me is now ginjohn (I take full responsibility for that one)

Hey it could be worse. My parents were going to name me Taleece. **Mom & Dad I really do like my name...no worries, I still love you.

6 things you're probably better off not knowing about me

I'm writing this assuming that there is something I haven't already divulged about myself, which is doubtful...very doubtful. I will give it my best effort and in the process try to keep you entertained, which is doubtful... very doubtful. And since I talk way too much this has now turned into a 6 part series... Aren't you excited? So here we go, on to useless knowledge about me.

1. I am the youngest of 8 equally photogenic siblings. I'm not sure who got blessed with all the looks in the family, it's hard to say. From the looks of these pictures though I would have to say that Devin wins hands down, with me following behind in a close second.

-Stacy-

- Tauna-

-Kristin-

- Daryl-

-Jody-

-Devin-

-Tyson-

And Me, just in case you needed reminding of how photogenic I am. And as proof that I've always been this photogenic you can check out another great shot of me from back in the day HERE.

You'll notice that 3 of my siblings have "normal" looking pictures. It's not because they're my favorite. Oh no, I spare no mercy. They were just lucky enough that I didn't have any compromising pictures of them or they would be posted up there as well. And I'm pretty safe putting up these pictures since my family rarely checks my blog... where's the love? So I'm holding these pictures as ransom until my family asks me to take them down and then gives me a list of 20...no, make it 21 reasons why I am their favorite sister. So odds are these pictures won't be coming down any time soon... I love you family!

Now some of you might automatically assume since I am the youngest that I fall under the category of your typical youngest child syndrome, which is;

Youngest child defined:

"The youngest child in a family doesn't have the greatest reputation. If one were to exaggerate, they could say they're hated, reviled and abhorred.

I happen to be one of these most hated creatures. As I can tell you by personal experience, being the youngest child is not the best thing to be.

The injustice of being born last is experienced by much of the population, and it manifests itself in a condition known as the Youngest Child Syndrome.

The youngest child is typically known to be:

spoiled
hated among siblings
obnoxious

They also:
have an obsessive need to be the center of attention,
are commonly coddled by parental units,
generally capable of getting away with murder
sometimes thought of as the "cutest" but such assertions have never been scientifically proven."

I can attest that this typical stereo type of "youngest child syndrome" is so NOT true... at least in my case that is.

My examples of disproving this theory;

• I am not spoiled... just well loved.
• Not all of my brothers and sisters hate me...at least to my knowledge.
• I wouldn't say I'm obnoxious... I would call it fun loving.
• I'm not "coddled" by my parents... they are just extra caring.
• I highly doubt that I could ever get away with murder... have you ever seen CSI? They never get away with murder on that show and some of them had to have been the youngest.
• The youngest is sometimes thought of as the "cutest"...OK, guilty as charged. Just disregard that this particular theory has never been scientifically proven.
• I don't always have to be the center of attention... I'm actually quite shy... very, very shy.

OK so the last one isn't true, but I have clearly disproved all of the other symptoms of youngest child syndrome. Now I'd like to give a quick shout out to all those who share this unfortunate position of the youngest child. Apparently we need to stick together since the only people who really love us are our parents... Oh, I feel so loved right now!

There's Nothing Like a Good Home Cooked Meal!

Too bad my husband and kids will never know what that's like.
This is what was on our menu for tonight's dinner:
Nate & Macie- left over taco soup
Abrie- left over pasta
Kaleb- A corn dog
Me- A bowl of cereal (Out of everyone I think I was the one that scored with the best meal... you can't go wrong with a bowl of cereal for dinner)
Don't you wish you could have eaten over at our house?

So I'm doing a poll (check it out on the side). I want to know how many days a week do you cook dinner. And let's try to keep the numbers as low as possible. I don't want to look bad for my husband.

New York, New York & Pneumonia

For Christmas I surprised Nate with a day trip to New York and tickets to see Les Mis'. Now some of you might be thinking to yourselves that this gift is more for me than it is for him. Actually it's quite the contrary. Nate is a HUGE fan of Les Mis' and all I heard several weeks before Christmas was Nate talking about how amazing it would be to see that show on Broadway. So it was a pretty easy decision of what to get the boy for Christmas. He was very excited to say the least and the show was AMAZING!

Here are some pics of our day in NY.

This is pretty much what the whole day looked like....blah!

Oh, ya baby...work it, work it!

Chillin' at Rockefeller Plaza...it was packed!


Time square- Nate tells me I look like a little orphan in this picture. I think I look more like a bum. Hey, at least I fit right in.

NY wouldn't be NY with out the naked cowboy. Nate was not amused. I, on the other hand, was fully entertained.

The view from the top of the Rock.

Me, sick from eating deep fried goodness all day long.

Nate can die happy now!

Other random happenings;

Nate came down with pneumonia last week out of no where. I just thought he had a cold and was milking it for all it was worth until he drove himself to the ER. He later then calls to tell me that he has pneumonia and they've hooked him up to an IV. After the 'sick & afflicted' returned home from the hospital he announces that the doctors gave him strict orders to sleep a lot and do nothing. Sleep a lot?...Do nothing?...I want to have pneumonia.

Nate's recovering, but now I am sick (along with Abrie & Macie, who's coughing so hard she throws up). And nope I don't have pneumonia; it's strep throat and an ear infection (self diagnosed). I feel poopie and my head feels like it's going to explode. So I went to the doctor to get a professional opinion second opinion (as if mine is not professional enough). Let's just say my diagnosis and his diagnosis didn't match up. He said no ear infection or strep throat. I mean, what does he know? He went to school and studied medicine for 8 or so years, while I on the other hand have done limited research on the Internet. You tell me, who has the more qualified opinion...OK don't answer that.

I'm still going with my diagnosis of strep throat and ear infection. And I have given myself strict orders to do absolutely nothing. So in my hours of nothingness I will look forward to reading all of your get well cards you will be sending me in the mail. And If you are unable to send cards no worries, I will be accepting donations in the form of hot home cooked meals to feed my family.