Mommy of Many®

There’s so much background that I could write and write and write, but I’m just going to cover the last 24 hours. Your ideas are welcome!

I was away last night to celebrate a life that touched many other lives. During this time, I got a phone call…from my local police department, to let me know that my 16 yr old was throwing a party at my house and that a complaint call had been made. G-R-E-A-T!

Since I was gone, they called her dad and he came to claim her, the keg and any exciting items left behind by fleeing teens. This is the 3rd weekend in a row that things haven’t gone as they were supposed to. Weekends are to be spent at Dad’s house. But each weekend, she’s been “getting permission” to spend the night at various friends’ houses. But once she gets permission from Dad, she disappears off the radar. No answered phone calls or texts, only to show up at my house, whenever she chooses. Today, I discovered that she’s removed the lock device from her window, so that it can be gone through whenever she comes here and finds the house locked. I’d like to point out that I just took care of that.

So after the police cleared people out and things got settled, she refused to go to Dad’s, where she was supposed to be. So my brother stayed here with her. When I got home I was met with lots of attitude. Talks about repercussions are going on between Dad and I, but I’m well aware that you can’t MAKE someone do anything. I can’t give her extra chores or demand that she work off the amount of the screen that was ruined and thrown away. Yes, phone privileges can be restricted and permission to go anywhere but home can be laid out. But that still doesn’t make a point.

Here’s where you get to pipe in. This is your chance to say, “if she were MY child…” I want to hear what you’d do, what you’ve done or what your thoughts are.

Doing the Dance of the Children~

When I picked Max up from school today, it just-so-happened that we were alone in the car, which meant that he could talk and I could listen, without any interruptions. This was the conversation;

Max-”Mom guess which fruit has the most pesticides used on it”

Me-”Which one, Max?”

Max-”Apples! So if you’re going to keep buying apples, you need to buy organic apples!”

Me-”Ok, I can understand that. But I can’t always afford to buy organic apples.”

Max-”Do you want sick kids?!!!!”

Looks like I’ll be buying less apples in the future.

The Placer Business TweetUp is held on the third Tuesday of each month, at a different, local venue from 6-8pm.

This month, we are gathering at Mikuni Kaizen, in Fountain’s Shopping Center.

We started off with one of their April drink specials-A combination of Veev, simple syrup, mint and cucumbers. YUM!

Then we ordered from their “Roll Back” menu (They’re celebrating 25 years of rockin’ sushi!). We enjoyed the “Marilyn Monroll”. Another winner! Though, I’m certain that anything we would have ordered would have been amazing.

The poki salad caught our attention and we had to give it a try. We weren’t sorry!

To finish our meal off, we got freaky with their Freaky Edamame-a spicy, salty treat.

We will be gathering in the back room and will enjoy Happy Hour pricing for the duration of our meeting. This is a great chance to meet like-minded business owners AND to enjoy some great deals on all the delicious foods and drinks on the menu!

If you haven’t had the chance to visit Mikuni Kaizen or any of the other Mikuni restaurant locations, here’s a little info-”The Japanese word “kaizen,” which translates to “continuous improvement,” truly reflects the concept behind this newest Mikuni location. While the menu features a host of exquisite sushi rolls made popular at the restaurant’s other locations, it is also highlighted by an extensive selection of small plates and tapas-style dishes- each more exciting and compelling than the next. Guests are treated to a visual feast, as well, with vibrantly colored decor and a one-of-a-kind sushi bar. Artwork by Sacramento urban performance artist, David Garibaldi, and metal sculptor, Terrance Martin, further enhance the sense of pulsing excitement that makes Kaizen a must-visit restaurant.”

The Placer Business TweetUp is a group of local business owners and entrepreneurs who gather monthly to support each other through networking. Our goal is to help build a strong and thriving, local community. We choose a different, local venue each month, to highlight all that our area has to offer. There is no charge be a part of the Tweetup. Simply click here to register.

We look forward to seeing you Tuesday night!

Sometimes where you’re at, the people you’re with and the tone of what’s going on just aren’t good. When this happens, even if it’s in your own home, you need a change of scenery!

Over time and trial, I’ve learned when it’s the right time to get outta Dodge and tonight was one of those nights. I gathered up 5 of the 6 kiddos and decided we’d shake the bad vibes off by taking a quick trip to the mall. We headed for Sees (a complimentary sample is ALWAYS a selling point for kids…and adults!). We actually needed to buy a box of something sweet for an upcoming gift. Afterward, we did something we hadn’t done in a very long time-rode the Merry-Go-Round. The kids had never been on this one before and it was a perfect ending to a day that needed some change.

We said our night prayers on the way home and brushed teeth and put on pj’s when we got home. Then it was straight to bed. Guess what?! Any icky vibes that had been trying to take over our day were replaced with those smiles.

Lesson-You can’t always keep bad things from happening, but you CAN always add Good Stuff to your day. Light ALWAYS overcomes darkness. Be the light~

Doing the Dance of the Children~

It’s Lex’s 6th birthday! My baby is 6! We celebrated a day early so that we could observe a proper Good Friday.

We took the day and did something new-we went to the snow! I had snow pants for the 4 little kids, hanging in the closet, with the tags still attached. I figured we could pull them out, grab their winter coats, bring extra footwear and find some snow to play in. We invited friends (who were much better equipped than we were) and headed up the hill. Not only did we find snow to play in, it also snowed right on us. Max was especially excited, declaring that he’d seen it snow in the movies and that it looks just the same in real life! When it became too cold for our beach blood, we packed up and headed home.

Lex asked for a dinner of, “artichokes, brussel sprouts and salad”. I threw in some chicken for good measure. For dessert he wanted rainbow sherbet, “the kind JJ likes”. So rainbow sherbet and chocolate chip ice cream were sung over and wished over and we called it a birthday!

All my kiddos are getting so big!

Doing the Dance of the Children~

I belong to several Mommy networks and websites and I’m constantly seeing moms who take the time to write their children’s birth stories. It’s something I’ve never done, but on the occasion of my oldest kiddo turning 23, (Ummm…23! That’s a real-life adult!) I thought it might be a good time to honor her beautiful life by telling the story of her arrival into this world. I figure I better do these things before Mommy Brain completely takes over and turns into dementia and I can no longer share ANY stories!

So let’s see…

It was March of 1989 and I was at the waddling stage of my pregnancy. I was sick the ENTIRE pregnancy and felt like I couldn’t get enough sleep. I was a High School Senior and had stayed on campus until sometime in late February or early March. I was living in the foothills of Northern California and it was chilly and still a little icy at our house. We had rock stairs from the driveway to the house and I slipped and fell hard on my bum. At that point I was just too sick to be a successful student and a teacher was coming out to my house each afternoon to make sure I was staying on task and on track to graduate with my class (which I did! And might I add that I did it with a 3.6 GPA.) I was due May 2nd and was starting to feel like it really couldn’t come soon enough. I lived at home with my parents and 8 younger siblings. I was single and didn’t really have a master plan for how life was going to go after Baby arrived, but I knew it was all going to work out and that I was going to keep and raise this lil bundle and that God would point me down the paths I was to journey.

About a week or so after I fell, I lost my plug. Now, let me say, again, that I was 17 years old. I had not taken any parenting or birthing classes. I had been around PLENTY of babies, so babies were no mystery, but pregnancy and birth were things I was learning as each step unfolded. I hadn’t been told about the mucus plug, so losing it was somewhat shocking. I think I told my mom and went back to bed. I remember thinking, “yuck”.  Another week went by and on March 31st I was feeling sick and had a slight headache. I had a regularly scheduled appointment with my OB, so my mom and I headed to my appointment. I told him about my headache, that I had lost my plug and that I was feeling sick. He asked if I had any contractions and I said, “no”. He decided to do an exam and I will NEVER forget it! He checked me and came right up into my face and said that I was dialated to 5cm and that he could feel a foot! I was in shock! I was in labor?! Today?! Now?! So let’s get this straight, he felt a foot?! A foot isn’t supposed to be what’s down there! So that lump I’d been rubbing wasn’t my baby’s bum, it was her little head! I really wasn’t sure what this all meant, but my mom made some phone calls and we headed to the hospital. Her father and I weren’t in a relationship at this point, but he headed over to the hospital for the surprisingly early birth of this little miracle baby.

I napped the rest of the afternoon away. I wasn’t in any pain and never felt a single contraction. I woke up and my back ached. I was in transition! Baby was on her way! My room was suddenly filled with interns and doctors and anyone they could gather up to learn from this birth. They wheeled me in and prepped me for an emergency C-section. Since I was delivering at 35 weeks and the baby was breech, it meant I had no other options (that I was aware of). My mom was in the room with me and my father and the baby’s father watched from the window in the room’s door. From that point, all I can remember is feeling VERY out-of-it! It felt like it was hard to breathe and I could feel the pressure of them tugging on my stomach to get Baby free. And then suddenly, there she was! I couldn’t hold her right away because of my sedation, but my mom held her for a moment and then they whisked her away to the NICU. She was having some trouble, but nothing serious. Her dad was able to go into the NICU and be with her. Those are sweet moments that I’m glad he got to have with that teeny little bundle. She weighed in at 5lbs, 2oz and I named her Kateri Lee.

23 years later I have to say that I had NO idea how it would all unfold, but I worried and prayed and worked as hard as I could to give her a good life, a solid home and siblings to keep her annoyed, loved and on her toes. I know that every parent is proud of their children, as they should be, but I really have to say that Kateri has blown all my expectations out of the water! When you start out that young and that unsure, you just hope that the little life you’ve been entrusted with turns out better, stronger, smarter than you and she has done all that and more. Next month she graduates after 5 years of college with degrees in Theology and Humanities. She’s touched many lives in her beautiful and loving way and she’s made me smile on countless days that I felt like it was too tough to do so.

She belongs to the world and it is a much brighter, fuller, richer place because she’s in it!

Here’s to you, Kateri and to a life that’s being beautifully lived!

Doing the Dance of the Children and So Proud to do so~