Mommy of Many®

Dun Dun Dun Dun Duh! Today was full of adventure! We started off by leaving the house for school (an 8minute drive) and hour early so as to find a parking place in the madness of the first day. I drive a 15 passenger van, so you can imagine parking becomes important. Everyone got off to school just fine and had a nice first day (1/2 days the whole first week). Then home for the 3 hours before we had to go back and retrieve the children. I had to do some paper work and you can see what Gabi and Luke-Xavier found to keep themselves busy (for all of 5 minutes). When I saw this, I kept thinking (and singing in my head),”Follow the white-diaper road. Follow the white-diaper road. Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the white-diaper road”. After cleaning up the neatly-laid diaper road, it was back in the van to drive in circles for 1/2 and hour waiting for a parking spot to open up at the school. Ugh! I forgot that the trick is to either leave REALLY early or get there 10 minutes late. Tomorrow! Got kids home and fed them a lunch of last night’s left-overs rolled in tortillas. I love tortillas! You can roll anything into a tortilla with a little sprinkled cheese on it and it’s good. But more importantly, the kids will eat it. The one good thing about 1/2 days is that you don’t have to pack lunches and can serve left-overs. Then back in the van for errands. Hooray! I got to go to not one, but 2 stores looking for the last item on our school-supply list; colored chalk. Not to mention looking for neon fishnet stockings (my old pair was getting worn out). Ok, they’re for a runway show that Mariah’s class is putting on. I see interesting people walking around in such items on a fairly regular basis. Just try shopping for some. Not easy! Came home without the lovely fishnets. Maddi was kind enough to make dinner while I was running around, so we fed the kiddos, signed a bazillion papers for school and then……..back in the van! I was trying to be a good mother and fulfill Kateri’s away-at-college request for dried mango and individual soymilk boxes by going to our local Trader Joes. So, I buckled the 3 youngest into the van and off we go to Trader Joes for the items and to find Pokey (a stuffed fish hidden in the store that earns you a prize when found)! Yea! Yea! Yippee! Again, I drive a 15-passenger van AND I live in a beach town. Parking is at a premium. This parking lot is tiny and most-likely built only for those golf-cart style cars that locals like to drive to prove that they never really venture far from the beach. I drove around and then made people behind me really angry while I waited for a couple to vacate the perfect-I can get out of that spot-parking space. Whew! Finally! Open the doors on the van VERY carefully so as not to bash the cars on either side of us and squeeze through. Guess what?! No individual soymilk boxes OR dried mango. All out! I did manage to buy $36 worth of other items though. Max and Gabi love tomatoes and they just couldn’t resist putting the Heirloom tomatoes in the cart, “Mom, there are purple ones and ones that look like watermelon!” We made our purchase, retrieved our prizes for “trying really hard” to find Pokey and headed for the van. I didn’t bank on the baby grabbing our precious tomatoes out of the bag and spilling them all over the parking lot! Apparently he likes tomatoes too and just couldn’t wait. Forget it, they are staying on the ground and we are smooshing into the van and heading home! Fun tomatoes will have to wait for the next trip. At least waiting for the perfect parking spot paid off and I got out of there easily. Now the little ones are in bed, the bigger girls are preparing for tomorrow and I am ready to face tomorrow’s “Super Mama Adventure”. Wish me luck!
Good night~

I am still chuckling about this!
This morning Arianna made smoothies for the kids. Apparently there wasn’t enough for Mariah. So, she asked Gabi if she could please have a share of hers. Gabi promptly took the spoon you see above scooped a big glob off the front of her shirt and offered it to Mariah. Mariah chose to do without.
This little, curly-haired, gypsy, child keeps us all laughing and on our toes! I have a new name. For the last 2 weeks, we were baby-sitting a family of kids that Kateri had been nannying for until she left for school. They call me, “Miss Jen”. Well, Gabi picked up on that right away and I’ve been, “Miss Mother” for the last 2 weeks.
Tomorrow is back to school for the remaining kids in the house (Gabi and Luke-Xavier will be the only ones at home full-time. Max will go to preschool 2 days a week). It’s been a little crazy around here getting uniforms in check and school supplies loaded up. I think we’ve pulled it off though. My last task of the night is to hem-tape Arianna’s new skirt, until we can get it to the tailor for hemming. Whew!
Maddi and I happened to be in the right place at the right time today. While at Vons we got in line for the Starbucks and the guy in front of us turned around and said he was buying the drinks for everyone behind him. It was almost like winning the lottery. Oh, wait! It was better because the last time I won anything in the lottery it was $1 and that won’t buy a Starbucks coffee.
Happy first day of school tomorrow!
Good night~
P.S. Clay leaves for another school tomorrow. Prayers for safety on his part and smooth sailing on our part please.

A few minutes ago Max came pounding at the bedroom door (for the 75th time!). “Stop pounding on the door! I just need to finish getting dressed”. A shower and clothing were all I wanted. But, that’s another story……..He actually had news this time. “Tristan’s tooth came out!” My instant response was, “tell him to get a drink of water”. I’ve found that this is the solution to all that ails you. Just ask my kids.Kids-“mom, I have a headache”Me-”get a drink of water, you’re probably dehydrated”Kids-”MOOOOMMMMM, I’m bleeding!”Me-”Quick! Get some water! Sit still and take a drink”Kids-”My stomach hurts”Me-”Ok, lay down and I’ll get you a drink of water”Kids-”I feel really nervous about……..”Me-”That’s ok, I’ll get you a drink and you can relax”It’s true! Just ask the poor little boy that was here for Tristan’s bday party. He leaned backward in hysterical laughter and busted his, poor, head on the piano. It required 5 staples that night! My panicked first response? “Ok, quick! Get him some water!”And just where does this wonderful wisdom spring from (ha ha! A little water funny)? I think it’s a combination of being the oldest of 9 kids that used water as a solution to most problems. After all, our bodies are made up of x% of water and when it’s low it can cause a host of problems… And I’m married to a man who was a corpsman with the Marines for a few years. I’m pretty sure that water is the #1 treatment for the troops. So, if you’re feeling poorly, it’s probably a little dehydration. Try a nice, big glass of water and get back to me in 1/2 an hour.

Have a great day~

It’s good that I can write in real words here and break out of the “recording” that is my daily speak. On any given day I say just about the same things, over and over and over again. They go something like this;
Stop touching that! Don’t scare the dog! Take out the trash! Do NOT jump on that/him/her! Sit down! Do not put that in your mouth! Get out of the refrigerator! Stop hitting him/her! Do not go out that door! Where did she pee? Feed the dog! Come back! Get down! Someone get the yelling baby! Where’s Gabi? Where’s Luke-Xavier? What was that noise? Who broke that? Get that baby! Come eat! I am going to have to start counting! Go get your underwear! That’s it, you have an extra chore! Lay down! It’s time for bed! Get back in your bed! Stop! I said, “now”! What did I just say?……….
Alright, you get the idea. And what response does all of this bring? Silence! Absolute silence! It drives me nuts! I might as well record myself saying all of these things, put it on to play in a constant random repeat and walk out the door. But wait!…….the second I walk out the door their “mom has left the vicinity” radar goes off and the silence is immediately broken with screams and sobs. I suppose if I really wanted them to, “get over here right now” I would just shut a door and have them all running right into my trap. Such mind games! Well, if nothing else, I will continue to chronicle our daily antics just so I can use sentences that are not demands.
Good night~

We could all use a little reminder that there’s something sweet to find in everything.
Well, summer is coming to an end. It was a weird summer around here. We didn’t get to some of our usual summertime activities like the nighttime zoo or driving out to Veijas (is that how you spell that?) to play in the shooting water and watch the light show or the annual camping trip that Clay has taken the kids on for the last several years. We did manage to have some fun though. I just can’t believe how fast it went by or all the change it’s brought to our house. I am still not used to being the only driver (except when Clay is home). Ted moved away and Kateri went to school. When I’m juggling schedules in my head I still try to count both of them in for driving kids places.
Ok, it’s off to ice skating today. This means another trip to the mall. They were smart with the location, because the rink makes $ and so do all of the shops! I am preparing myself to see all sorts of things that will be advertised as must haves. Thank goodness my kids wear uniforms because I’m not sure I could take the pressure of knowing they’d be uncool if I didn’t buy this week’s hottest fashion must. I tell you, the advertisers really know how to work it. I think we will be settling on new socks for Tristan (I know, I know. There are probably 500 pair in the sock basket, but who has time? Any volunteers?) and if I’m feeling especially free-handed I may spring for new underwear. Honestly, after dropping $ on new uniforms and all that JJ needed to look “trad”, socks and underwear are almost luxury items.
Ok, here’s to the last weekend of the summer of ’07 and the start of a brand new school year!
Have a great day~

We spent yesterday frantically packing JJ and gathering the last items needed for him to leave for school today. This a really good thing for him with lots of structure and kids he knows and gets along with. We are hoping it’s the answer to a lot of things. I have spent some days waiting quite impatiently for this time to come. However, packing him up yesterday and trying on clothes to see what fit and what he’s grown out of over the summer, was REALLY hard! Really hard. Having Kateri leave seemed natural. She had been away from the house more and more. She had completed high school in a way that made us all proud and knowing that she was moving on to the next phase of a great life. JJ on the other hand is 15. He’s been a constant presence in the playroom, on the computer, day in and day out. We hear his voice all the time. We argue and discipline and congratulate and give permission daily. It just didn’t feel as easy. I hope and pray that this is the best place for him to grow and flourish. He is an amazingly smart and talented guy. So smart! But his talents were not being put to use here. I will send an email with his mailing address for all to write to him. I suspect it will be hard to be without his siblings. Write to him and let him know we are all thinking of him and loving him and wishing him the VERY best!

I’m so tired that I sat down to write a REALLY funny idea I had had. But as I started to write it I could no longer remember the ending or why I thought it was funny! I think that’s my que to go to bed.
I did manage to list a couple more items on ebay today. And those Bratz dolls……5 bidders so far! Hooray! Now I’m going to sleep and dream of riches earned from our clutter.
Hope it’s been a good day.
Good night~

“Oh, the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and” EVERYTHING!
It was a nice day with lots of encouraging words from various people. The kids had a fun day with the park and the pool. Clay is home. JJ is getting everything together for school. Kateri’s in a good place. We have a roof over our heads and food in the fridge (ok, it’s only old wheat grass and a potato, but we surely won’t starve!). I think it’s important to say it’s been a good day, when it has been. Thanks to everyone who was kind and encouraging today and to the many great people who are involved in the life of this family.
God bless and Good night~

Clay arrived at the airport late last night after being with Kateri for the last 5 days in Ohio. I’ve been particularly busy in that time with getting Mariah off to high school, shopping for JJ’s move out to school, Tristan’s bday, soccer practice and on and on. So, this morning he takes the cup of coffee I made for him and opens the refrigerator, reviews it’s scant contents and says, “grass and potatoes, that’s all anyone needs”. Kateri’s wheat-grass is still sitting in there doomed to wither and be sent to the garbage can and there are still a few useable potatoes left in the bag on the bottom shelf. We’ve gotten by just fine on hot-cereal for breakfast, pbnj for lunch and whatever, magically, wonderful concoction I come up with for dinner. There just hasn’t been any extra $ to run to Costco and buy all the fun, convenient foods that we usually have. I told him he can go to the commissary tomorrow after work for me. He actually does a very good job of the grocery shopping when given the chance. But having the fridge be bare made me think of how our $ seems to go in cycles. There is the, “we have plenty of $, let’s take everyone we know to dinner” cycle, the,”Oh, gotta buy everyone new shoes. Thank goodness I didn’t splurge too much at Costco” cycle, the “just buy exactly what you need” cycle and the, “hmmmm, having a birthday party tomorrow. How am I gonna pull that one off?” cycle. Yesterday we were in the last cycle. But let me tell you, saving up, “store-credit” can be a good thing! I realized that I had NOTHING for Tristan’s party and couldn’t go out and make lovely goody bags, so off to Tuesday Morning I went with my $36 in store-credit. His whole party actually cost me $10 out of pocket. Now, while I was creative and everyone got “prizes” for games that we played, there were no children randomly singing my praises and shouting for joy because of the magnificence of the whole event. So, while having a virtually free party CAN be done, don’t expect elation from the children. Just expect messy cupcake faces, which are always a sign that they’ve had a good time.
Have a good day~

Sung to the tune of What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor-
What do you do with a naked baby
What do you do with a naked baby
What do you do with a naked baby
When they’re sleeping soundly
Isn’t he sweet?! He had just had a bath and thankfully was put into a diaper before he nursed to sleep. My solution was to slip his arms into a blanket sleeper and leave the legs out. DO NOT write me and tell me that he’s going to thrash around in the night and end up strangling! He’ll be just fine!
So……I spent today in and out of the house (as usual). We made it out the door for Holy Angels this morning. It was nice to be back at Liturgy after weeks of evening Masses elsewhere. People said good bye to JJ and wished him well. He decided to serve today (it’s been a LONG time) and I really wish I would have had the camera. It was just so nice to see him up on the alter again. After Liturgy, I dropped most of the mob off and took JJ shopping for the clothing he needs to go to school with. Boy, they are very specific about each item;”Khaki pants, pleated, no cuff, 100% cotton or cotton blend, classic cut, not too loose, Khaki (not sand, stone or white).” I was so nervous that I was sweating just thinking that what I thought was khaki may in fact be “stone”. So my solution was to head to a men’s department with a nice, helpful man who knew what was what. However, JJ is not “man” sized just yet and we were only able to buy his sport-coat there (“Classic navy, not bright navy, or new navy, silver or gold buttons, two-button, not three). We will still have to make a last minute dash to find his dress pants (I’ll spare you the details) and his over-coat. The nice, helpful man kept saying, “Trad, very trad”. I am assuming it was short for traditional? Anyone?
After outfitting JJ, I dropped him off and picked up Mariah, Max, Gabi and Luke-Xavier to find Mariah’s final items to be ready for her first day of High School, tomorrow! By the time I got home, the ribs and baked potatoes I had planned to cook had to be shelved for tomorrow’s dinner (we can hope) and we had taco salad instead (thanks to borrowed tomatoes from the neighbor). It was pretty good! However, I found Tristan making a quesadilla with cheese and turkey a little bit ago, because I apparently forgot to ever bring his food out to him. He says that I told him his was coming next and just never brought it. In true “middle-child” fashion, he didn’t bother to say anything and took matters into his own hands. Poor kid! So…………
Tomorrow we are having a few kids over to help celebrate his bday. Maddi offered to start cupcakes tonight and got started in true “Maddi baking” fashion (she does very well!). After a little while, I heard a shout and then crying……..she had dumped the filled tin over into the oven. ~Deep Breath!~”It’s okay, Honey! I’ll clean it up. Thanks for trying so hard.” So, I put the half-naked baby to bed and prepared to clean out the stove…….for the first time since we’ve lived here! STOP CRINGING! (Carole, it’s finally happened). Did you know that if you don’t use the broiler pan, dust and cob webs build up? I figured that every time I used the oven that the sheer heat would somehow sanitize and clean the whole thing. It could happen! Well, parents of Tristan’s friends (hopefully none are reading this), do not worry! Your child’s cupcake will be baked, tomorrow, in a freshly cleaned and sanitized oven.
Good night~
P.S. “Jen, I thought you weren’t going to be on here for a few days because of all the FABULOUS things you have to sell on ebay”. Yeah, well, as you can see from the above, I’ll be lucky to list them in the next few days! But on the bright side, I have a bidder on the Bratz. Yes!

t’s 1:01 pm and I am already reviewing the craziness that is my Saturday. I found the above picture while holding the bathroom door shut with my foot to keep the screaming 1 and 2 year olds out. She used to have a head and is holding a glass of red wine with a cute phrase underneath that says something like; Take time for yourself. Even on the busiest day it’s important to take a break”. I had to laugh! How do I get that job?! So far we’ve been up at 5 am, gotten dressed, had breakfast, unclogged the kitchen sink, gone to the mall for ice skating, visited 5 bathrooms there (I will never cease to be amazed at how many times a potty-training 2yr. old can go to the bathroom), taken everyone home, left again to drop Mariah off at “family day” to volunteer at the nature center and come home to oversee the chores so that we also can go to “family day”. But, it was while on my way home from dropping Mariah off that I listened to Luke-Xavier scream his head off and thought of the Dirty Jobs guys from TV. There I am driving my 15 passenger van in my cute clothes, fixed hair and lipstick, thinking, is there anything dirtier than motherhood?! Potty accidents, dirty pool problems, mess after dirty mess on the various floors, dog accidents, gluck under beds and tables………….Hey, Mike Rowe, try keeping a home with 11 or even 8 people in it sanitary! Well, back to reality and the fact that I now have to put away the picture of “relaxing lady with glass of wine” and continue on to the dirty, crazy finish of Saturday~

I’ve been putting things aside for about a year with the intent to sell them on ebay. So today, it’s finally time for me to get serious and get the junk cleaned out of here. I’ve started with this HUGE lot of Bratz dolls and will continue from there. It may be a few days before I get back to blogging etc. while I list everything and track it in hopes of making tuition possible for the kiddos. We are listed under h46-driver on ebay, if you are interested in seeing what the Langs have to sell. Only the Bratz are listed right now. The other VERY WONDERFUL and VALUABLE items will be listed later today/tonight/tomorrow. Ice skates anyone?………
Have a great day~

Well, it’s Saturday morning so, of course, I was up by 5am. Like I’ve said before, there’s some magical, cosmic force that wakes the children before dawn on Saturdays. I’m thinking it’s fairy dust or something of the sort because they always wake up in this euphoric state. However, any other day of the week, you can’t pry them out of bed before 7 and then you get foul tempers from children who can’t believe their day has already began. So, this morning, Luke-Xavier got me up at 5 and we’ve been partying ever since. Tristan was the 2nd to wake up (mere minutes after Lex) and today is his bday. Yesterday I took him to Target to spend the gift card he received from Grandma and Papa. He picked out 2 new Bionicles with names like; Toa Kongu and Jowlla. I am, of course, totally botching the “real” names. Tristan however, is fluent in many other languages, including; Bionicle, Pokemon and Transformer. Seriously, have you ever heard boys speak in these languages? It’s amazing. Honestly, one of the best parts of his learning these new languages is that he’s an amazing reader! He can sound out crazy words and then use them in his everyday conversations. We will be celebrating his bday with a small gathering at the house. We’ll make cupcakes and, hopefully, I will have gotten the pool to recover from all the dog food and they can swim. ~Sigh~ it’s always something new and fun around here.
Have a great day~

All pool/spa/pond owners out there-Adding dry dog food to your contained body of water totally changes the ph and makes algae grow VERY quickly. The unapproved experiment has been done and those are the official findings.
Have a great day!

Today was the day! We had a nice morning. Kateri came with me to get Mariah to cross country at 6am, so we were able to have coffee together and then go to Mass at the chapel at Cathedral. Very nice! Kateri was able to see a few people at the school. She then met up with her friend Jez and got her nose pierced. She’s been waiting for this for a long time. Our rule was that she couldn’t have it and be living here, so she got it done just before going. Then we packed the van and headed to the airport. Little Gabi fell asleep on the way, so she didn’t get to say good-bye. Kateri will be home for Thanksgiving. I only broke down a little at the end when she was crying. I’m sure that after next week, when JJ leaves, it will sink in more. Too much change in the Lang house! The girls are already planning the bedroom changes. I feel too young for this, but also feel like it was the right time for Kateri. Thanks for all the prayers. Keep them coming! This will be such a big change for her, not to be around the little ones.
Well, Mariah has her Frosh orientation in the morning and life just keeps rolling on, so I better get some sleep.
Good night~