Mommy of Many®

I wanted to share this wonderful service that was offered to me.

A couple of months ago, I met a photographer, named Hollie and she told me that she belonged to an organization called Operation Love ReUnited which is a group of photographers who offer photo shoots to the families of deployed or deploying soldiers and sailors at no cost. They then put together an album from the shoot and send it to the deployed service member. The family may purchase photos from the shoot at a reduced cost.

When we met, it was only 2 days before Clay was to deploy, so there wouldn’t be time to put together a predeployment shoot, but over time, we found a date when all my kids would be home and were able to schedule a shoot for during deployment. We are also able to request a shoot of homecoming and if the photographer is available, they will come to the homecoming.

The kids and I had a lot of fun getting ready for it and Hollie was a trooper while working with so many people in such a large age group!

The results are fantastic and I can’t wait for Clay to receive his album! Our shoot was close enough to his birthday, that I was able to combine the whole event and give him a surprise birthday gift.

Here are my favorites from the day

Thanks Hollie for a fun experience and for the great work!

I encourage any of you who are gearing up for deployment to take advantage of this service!

Have a great day~

What a great, full and exhausting weekend! It’s taken me this long to be able to get my bearings enough to even write about it.

I got to start my weekend on Thursday night, by flying up to Washington state to meet up with a good friend, spend the night and then the 2 of us would head to the concert.  I had already had a regular M.O.M. day at home…wake-up @ 4:15, morning routine, took kids to the beach, packed, etc. Now, here I am in another state at 9pm and I’m feeling my second wind!  We started talking, drinking wine and laughing our heads off.  Then we decided a movie was in order.  So…2:30 am rolls around and it’s suddenly time for bed. Yikes!  We spent Friday driving…and driving…and driving some more.  We finally got checked into our hotel and headed to the concert.  We were like giggly school girls! I had forgotten to bring my iPod adapter of the car, so we each had an ear bud and laid the iPod between us (shhhhh…I’m not sure this is the BEST way to drive!). By the time we got to the concert, we had visited many songs that we hoped we’d hear and had decided that Maggie May would, most likely be the encore. We found our seats and settled in.  After the first few songs we realized that we had purchased tickets in the “Please Don’t Act Like You Want To Be Here” section.  Seriously! The whole place was having a great time and we were surrounded by serious-faced, arms-crossed, cotton-in-ears, old fogies! It made us giggle which was REALLY not appreciated.  We were even called “Very rude, young ladies”. Yeah, that made us giggle even more!  But, the concert was GREAT!!!!  Pilar had liked Rod’s music before but I do believe that now she is a bona fide FAN. Yes!!! As for me, well, I was caught swooning…just a little. And we called it correctly, Maggie May was, if fact, the encore.  ~sigh~ I can’t wait until I can go again!

But then it was onto the Dance of the Weekend! We drove back to the hotel, listened to a man across the hall yelling and yelling and yelling and finally fell asleep with the music of the night playing through our heads. A few hours later it was up and out to the airport so I could head to Sacramento and revisit my high school days.  My 20 year reunion had arrived. 20 years!

I gave that reunion a lot of thought. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole thing.  Yes, there were people I wanted to catch up with, but so much time had passed and my life had been so full over those years.  I got married, had 8 more kiddos (I delivered Kateri in April of my graduating year, so everyone knew I had at least one kiddo), lived in 3 states, started Mommy of Many, etc. etc. Who were these people and were we going to have anything to talk about?  When I think back to high school, I really don’t get the warm, fuzzy feelings that I hear a lot of people talk about.  I always felt like I was struggling through each day.  The school work seemed to overwhelm me and the social aspect was a game I didn’t always understand the rules to.  But, something inside me still wanted to go and give it a try.

I must say, I’m glad I did! Yes, a lot of time has passed and a lot of life has been lived, but we were a room full of people who had shared (however loosely) a few years of our lives in the same place. There were many faces that instantly brought back memories. There were people whom I had forgotten had touched my life.  I enjoyed conversation with a couple of people who I am sure I had never had a conversation with before.  All-in-all, it was a really nice night and I’m glad that I carved out the time to go.  I look forward to keeping in touch with some of the people that I was able to reconnect with. Unfortunately it didn’t work out for me to have my kids with me for the family picnic that was the next day.  I needed to get to the airport and head home!

My kiddos had been home and under the guidance and competent supervision of Kateri.  But I think everyone’s patience and tolerance was wearing thin.  It was time for Mom to get home and get things back in order.  I got in, had a cup of coffee with Kateri and braced myself for all the happy bombardment of being home.  Whew!

What a great, whirlwind of a weekend! I now feel a little more connected with my past and the people who were a part of it and am ready for the VERY NEXT Rod Stewart concert that I can manage to get to. Good Stuff!

Have a great day~

Whew! We are back from a wonderful time of visiting family and friends. 

I will admit that it was a rocky start.  It took us 6 1/2 hours to make the 4 hour journey to my sister’s house.  At that point I was pretty much ready to spend the night, turn around and come home.  But, after a little sleep, we kept going and it ended up great!  

Here’s a little of what we did

There was a lot of time spent with nature. Whether it was exploring the wooded area around Gramma and Papa’s house….

watching little fish in a duck pond….

splashing in a creek…..

.

is that the proper term for this water? I’m out of practice with any water terms except ocean, beach and bay….

catching bugs….

and even a snake! Thank goodness it was tiny!

We even got chased by geese!

We packed a friend’s car full of kiddos, bikes and scooters….

and headed to the park. 

there was plenty of outdoor fun…

and time with friends.

We all got worn out! But only Luke-Xavier had the luxury of crashing in the middle of the day.

Gabi entertained us on several occasions with impromptu songs. 

It was so nice to let the kids run around.  We stayed with a close friend of mine who was gracious enough to open her house.  It was so nice to have 2 moms working together, overseeing kids, meals, laundry and the day’s plans.  There’s something about doing all the chores together that can’t be beat!

After visiting, Gramma and Papa, old friends, sisters, Aunties, new friends and Uncle Ted, it was time to head home. 

We put the iPod on with plenty of kid songs and rocked to Raffi while enjoying hot chocolate and other junky, travel goodies.  Lex loved it! 

Now, we are back home, the car and bags are unpacked.  The dishes and laundry are going and we’re jumping back into our regular routine.  It feels good to be back where the ocean breeze is blowing through my open windows.  When I go up North, I revel in the mountain air and even toy with the idea that we could relocate and be closer to everyone.  But somewhere around San Clemente, while driving south on the 5, I realize how I just can’t replace the feeling that’s in the air down here.  It’s nice to know I can throw the kiddos in Lil Car and take these little trips and get the best of both worlds!

I hope everyone had a happy 4th and is enjoying their summer so far!

Back to the Dance~

1 dad home before deployment

1 visiting uncle

1 lawnmower

1 weed whacker

One 15-passenger van

14 people

1 birthday

2 trips to the beach

16 hot dogs 

8 grilled chicken breasts

2 salmon steaks

3 bags of asparagus risotto

2 lbs of broccoli

1 ice cream, birthday cake

2 half gallons of ice cream

2 loads of after-dinner dishes

15 teenagers playing soccer in the street after dark

1 movie

1 late-night round of fresh squeezed lemonade

1 queen-sized inflatable mattress

4 extra people, sleeping, scattered throughout my house

This is what yesterday looked like at the Lang house.  This morning I’m moving through a quiet house, full of sleeping people and picking up the remnants of what the girls found to do after I’d already gone to bed.  I turned off the movie that had been playing all night, wiped up the stickiness from the lemonade they’d made and started load 3 of the dishes from last night. 

I love summer!

Have a great day~

Congratulations to Mia, whose Granny (Granny Annie-cute, huh?!) was the 3rd emailer for our give-away!  Mia will be receiving a free, 3-month membership to JumpStart.com.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Have a great day~

My 4 youngest kiddos and I recently had the opportunity to try out a new website by the makers of Jump Start educational software, JumpStart.com.  I was excited to check it out because we’ve been buying and using the Jump Start series of CD’s since our older kiddos were young.  Maddi (who’s almost 13) saw what we were doing and said, “I remember Jump Start!  I loved those games”.  After I registered each of the 4 kiddos who are in the target age range for the site (3-10ys) I had them come to the computer one at a time to introduce the site.  As M.O.M., I was looking for the ease of use for the kids, the educational properties of the site and how it would hold their attention.  There’s nothing I hate more than having the kids discover a website that they like but that’s not easy for them to use.  I don’t have the time to keep running to the computer to fix whatever they’ve messed up or to click them back to the page they want to be on.

Tristan, who is 9 1/2, went first.  I showed him the site, we listened to the introduction (which is attention grabbing!) and he got started.  He loved it from the beginning!  He remembered Frankie (one of the main characters) from using our Jump Start CDs.  The hour flew by and when his timer went off and he knew that it was one of the other kids turns, he asked if he could continue on another computer (the answer was “no”. ).  He’s gone back to the site with enthusiasm several times.  The site is still being built and more areas that are targeted at the older kids will be added, but he enjoyed what was available.

Max (6 yrs) couldn’t wait for his turn (I think that he couldn’t believe I was ASKING him to sit at the computer for an hour)!  I sat with him, just as I had with Tristan and went through the login and the introduction.  He jumped right into the site, creating a “jumpee” which is a character that the kids create by adding different clothing, shoes, hair and skin tone.  Then they get to name it.  Max’s became something super boyish like “Max Volcano Lizard” or something like that.  He had no problems navigating through the site and made his way through the different “lands” collecting coins and “Jump Stars”.  The coins can be used to purchase new looks for the “jumpee” the kids create (math anyone?!). He loved the site and has asked to go back to it everyday since he was introduced to it.

Onto Gabi (4 yrs) and her turn.  She had come in and watched a little of the time that the boys were on the site, so she was getting a feel for it as they had their turns.  But I sat her down and went through the login and the introduction.  She was excited to create and dress her “jumpee”!  I think she spent a good deal of time being entertained by changing it’s clothes and hair.  I sat with her for most of her turn but didn’t have to help her navigate at all.  She understood the concept of using the map if she wanted to find a new place to go.  There was one area in particular, that had a big slide, that she loved (Storyland?).  I will admit that she was done playing before her hour was up.  She spent about 35 minutes on the site and then said she was done.  She’s asked to go back to the site each day since her first visit and has spent about that same amount of time on each visit.  She especially loves her “jumpeez” blue ponytails and pink ribbon!

Finally Luke-Xavier (3 yrs) got to have his turn.  I knew I’d have to sit with him to help him get the feel of the site and to do anything but just click from place to place.  We logged in, listened to the introduction and went to designing a “jumpee”.  He really didn’t care what it looked like as long as it was a boy (he had seen Gabi’s and didn’t want “a girl one”).  We spent about 15 minutes on the site and he enjoyed seeing each of the places to go and listening to the description of each place and what to do, but he didn’t really “play” any of the games.  If he were to get on the site, it would definitely need to be with guidance from myself or one of the older kids.  But, he has also asked to go back to the site, each day since his first visit.

All-in-all I’d have to say that the site is attention grabbing and well put together.  It’s still under construction and new and exciting places for the kids to visit are on their way but there’s plenty to keep them entertained as is.  I had to find the educational value in the site because it’s not overt.  The kids definitely don’t feel like they’re playing educational games when they’re having fun moving through each land, collecting coins and earning “Jump Stars”.  I’d say it was best for Max and Tristan because they could really understand the concept and goal of each game where Gabi and Luke-Xavier were just happy to see the exciting graphics and hear the excitement in the announcer’s voice.  All 4 kids will continue to use the site.  There is a portion of it that can be used for free but to get the full use of the site, you do have to register and pay.

BUT……you can WIN a FREE membership for your child by being the 3rd person to email me at Jen@MommyofMany.com with “Jump Start” in the subject line.

Good luck!  I hope you check out the site with your kiddos and enjoy!

I’m realizing that sometimes I have so much going on that I stop talking all-together.  Once I realize it, it’s hard to know where to start again.

This time I want to start by sharing a great event that I attended last Thurs.  National Mom’s Nite Out.

This event was put together in San Diego by Deb of San Diego Momma, Mel, A Dramatic Mommy and Charity and was held at Busters Beach House and Longboard Bar, in Seaport Village (love that place!).  It was a great event, complete with swag, great food, give-aways, $5 drinks and a silent auction who’s proceeds went to support the March of Dimes.  Way to go, ladies!  I had fun meeting everyone and networking with other, local moms who find themselves with an on-line presence.  

One of the best parts of the night was that this event was sandwiched in between 2 other events I had on Thursday (told you it’s been busy!) and Clay was a part of both the other events (HSC-23 Change of Command and the COC party), so we decided it made sense for him to tag along and then we’d head to the COC party afterward.  Hee Hee!  He was the only guy in attendance.  At first, he got some unwelcome glares, but as the evening moved on, he let the ladies know that he was just tagging along with Mommy of Many and would stay out of the way.  He ended up being a welcome addition to the evening and it gave him a glimpse into another part of me (the ladies night out part).  

Thanks to Deb, Mel, Charity and all the great sponsors for making this night possible!

Charity and Mel getting everyone excited about a give-away

Tonya, Anissa (also proud military spouses and busy mamas) and me 

San Diego Mamas having a great night out

Me and Deb

Thanks again ladies!  I hope to see more of you in cyberspace and at other great, San Diego events!

Have a great day~

Over the last 3 days, the pace of life has been pretty quick.  

The squadron is getting ready for the Change of Command in early May and there are always events that lead up to that.  Thursday night was the COC dinner and Clay’s farewell from the squadron was also included in the night’s festivities.  

He was presented with the above plaque which has a picture of him, flying his last flight at the squadron which was just 2 days before this.  Our time with this squadron has been wonderful.  It’s full of great people who look after one another.  Even though Clay has been farewelled, I will get to continue to attend the squadron’s functions because of the type of orders he is leaving on.  I look forward to continuing to attend social gatherings and OSC (Officer Spouse Club) meetings with this group of great people!

That night, we came home from the dinner, changed into our work clothes and got down to business, finishing the packing up and cleaning of our house.  The painters were coming the next morning.  I was able to go until 1 am and then crawled into bed, setting the alarm for 4 am to get it finished.  It was (miraculously) done in time for the painter  and I headed out the door with the 2 youngest kiddos to keep them busy, outside of the house, for the day.  I hadn’t been able to take them to the park in awhile, and to be forced out of the house, with no looming laundry and no hope of computer work, was the perfect opportunity to focus on spending some fun time with them.  We spent a whole day of “fun time”.  ”Fun Time” is exhausting!  

Clay finished his work day and met up with us to take the kids to dinner while I got ready for a farewell dinner with the great ladies from my bible study.  One of the women is leaving for a year to Germany.  Her husband is a reservist and has orders.  She has packed up the kiddos and they are heading over.  She’s taking my godbaby with her, which I am NOT happy about!

We all had a wonderful dinner (at my favorite restaurant!) and were able to spend some time chit chatting and making her promise to use Skype 

After dinner, I met my family in our freshly painted house and we carefully went to our rooms.  The painter was coming back, first thing in the morning and we needed to be ready to go again.  With this mini remodel, we requested that the bedrooms not be done.  This helped us in 2 ways.  First, we didn’t have to move EVERYTHING out of the house and secondly, we could tip toe into our rooms at night and not have to get a hotel.  

But Clay had to rally the troops on his own, yesterday, because I was attending our CO spouse’s farewell.  Normally, this is a luncheon, but Lisa asked that we all do something a little different in honor of a cause that is close to her heart.  So, we all met up for the March of Dimes, March for Babies walk.  

The squadron’s name is the Wildcards and everything is western themed, hence the cowboy hats. However, it was the first time since I decided to try a work out routine, that I’d put on workout clothes.  This quickly brought to mind the whole work out fashion issues I’d had a few months ago!  I chose to solve the problem with a long tee shirt.  :-)

I got to walk along with one of the newest members of the Wildcard family for part of the way.  I hadn’t worn a front carrier in a couple of years.  It felt great!  There’s nothing like snuggling a little baby!

After our walk, we had a picnic lunch in the park.  

Then it was off to find my family and figure out what our plan was for staying out of the house for another day.  We met up at MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) for some fun time in their game room.  The kids love going there because there’s a bowling alley, a game room where no quarters are required and a movie theater where you can pick which movie you want to watch (first come, first served)!  It’s a great place to have a party or spend the afternoon.  While Clay kept the kids busy there, I grabbed Gabi and took her shopping for a bday gift for the party she was attending that afternoon.  Gift picked and then off to the dance party.  It was great to see a room full of 4 and 5 yr. old girls dancing and pretending.  LOTS of fun!

We came back to the house in the evening and it has been freshly painted, new carpet has been installed, the bathroom, kitchen, dining room and laundry room have new vinyl and the entryway has been retiled.  In a few days new window coverings and appliances will be delivered.  Whoo Hoo!  It’s been exhausting, keeping the kids out while still fulfilling our daily obligations, but the house is looking GREAT!  Pics to come soon, I promise.  The only problem is that now I don’t want to move our stuff back in.  I just want to leave it all looking fresh and clean. ~Sigh~  

Today, we are staying out of the house again and have been invited for a bbq and pool party.  The kids are excited and I’ll be happy to relax and watch them play.  Tomorrow begins the unpacking of the boxes and making the house look like we live in it again.  

I hope you’ve each had a great weekend and that your pace of life has been a little slower than ours.  

Have a great day~

It’s a BEAUTIFUL day in So. Cal! I had a busy day planned with two dentist appointments and then LOTS of packing and cleaning since the house is being remodeled starting on Friday. After I got the kids to the dentist, I realized that the sunshine was calling my name and that I couldn’t resist the call. So, instead of heading home to put the kids in the playroom or the back yard, we went to the train at the mall (I have a stash of tickets that I keep in my purse) and then couldn’t help but walk around and enjoy the day.

My silly kiddos with their prizes from the dentist

The train on a sunny day!

La Jolla has been overrun by cows and these 2 were displayed at the mall. Gabi was trying to show Lex how to milk this one. Never mind that we live in San Diego and truly have no idea how to milk a cow!

A stop at the fountain for some wishing was in order. Lex took his wish pretty seriously!

A trip to Pottery Barn Kids for plenty of hands-on fun is always a good idea.

Gabi looked and looked through these beautiful skirts in the hope I would say we could buy one. Not today.

As you can see, it was a really nice morning. But now, I’m back home, all the kids are home from school and I’m faced with all the work I didn’t do. I suppose that’s what the un-sunshiny evening is for!

Have a great day~

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Don’t forget to check in tomorrow to find out how you can win a pair of tickets to the Shecky’s Girls Night Out in San Diego on May 14th!

I recently found out about the Shecky’s Girls Night Out event that’s coming to San Diego and wanted to share it with you!  Check out the link to see what a great event this is going to be!  Not only am I going, but I get to share the fun with all of you!  I have 3 pairs of tickets that I’ll be giving away between now and the event, which is on May 14th at the Air and Space Museum, in Balboa park.  

Be sure to check back for details on how you can win a pair of tickets to this fun event!

Have a great day~

It’s been Go! Go! Go! at the Lang house for the last week.  All the kiddos were home so that we could celebrate Easter as a “whole” family (in Max’s words).  We had 5 days together before Kateri had to head back to school.  We are lucky enough to have JJ for a few more days.  The little kids really get a lot out of having the oldest kids home.  And I must say that Kateri and JJ do a great job of making sure to give the little kids extra attention, when they are home. Here are some pictures and descriptions of what’s kept the Lang Clan busy over the last week-

This pair of ducks showed up last week and the kids have been enjoying them, ever since.  They spend the day resting on our front lawn.  They wander the neighborhood for their daily exercise and then show up at our front door to let the kids know they’d like some more attention.  It’s been a lot of fun for the kids!

JJ loaded up the 4 youngest kiddos and took them on a bike ride to the store for kites.  Then he took them to an open area (not pictured) to fly them.  Here, one of them is being flown over our house.

Kateri and JJ helping the kite back into the air.

We attended an Easter party and egg hunt at a local park.

Luke-Xavier finding eggs

Gabi, on the run to find some eggs!

Max’s, Happy Egg Hunting face!

Clay with some of the kids and a friend, goofing around at the park.

The younger kids enjoyed coloring eggs to give to the Easter Bunny.  Kateri lent a hand and the ducks came to keep an eye on things.

Of course there was Easter, itself.  It’s a time of celebration and remembrance for us.  We attended Easter Sunday Liturgy and then went to one of our favorite places, The Island Club, for brunch.  It was a beautiful day!  We really could not have asked for better weather!

The kids woke to their filled baskets.

JJ and Tristan helped to serve Easter Liturgy

The whole Lang Clan on Easter Sunday.  It was a beautiful day and it was so nice to have everyone together!  With Clay’s upcoming deployment, this will have been the last time that the family was able to be together for a little more than a year.  So, we took the time to enjoy it!

As you can see, it’s been a flurry of activity at the Lang house.  I love it!

Have a great day~

Here is a picture blog of Lex’s special day at Disneyland

Luke-Xavier arriving at Disneyland for his 3rd bday

Hi!  Would you like an M&M?

Hi there!  I’m Luke-Xavier and it’s my birthday.  I’m at Disneyland!  Would either of you care for an M&M?

Look who’s over there!

Mickey, trying Lex’s ears

Let me help you

For your efforts, you deserve an M&M!

It’s good!  You deserve it!

After the picture would you like an M&M?

If I keep meeting new friends, I’m gonna be out of M&Ms!  Wonder how many are left?

Me and all my Disneyland friends LOVE M&Ms!

It’s really nice to meet you!

Nice to meet you too.  Aren’t you going to offer me an M&M?

This was a very happy birthday!  I LOVE Disneyland (and M&Ms)

Peace all!  I’m outta here!

When people ask me what my website and show are about, I always say that it’s the combination of being a Mommy of Many and a military spouse and how that combination works.  Well, no single event has put all of that into focus better than the Coronado Salutes the Military Ball, this past Saturday!  

So, it’s Saturday at the Lang house.  There are usually several things that happen on Saturday and they all involve running kiddos here and there.  This Saturday was no different.  I did several drop-offs and pick-ups in the morning and then got my head around scrubbing the house.  Clay was also in work-mode and was helping get everything out of one of the bedrooms so that it could be rearranged and cleaned out.  Big job!  I was standing on a step ladder at 4:30, when Clay’s phone rang.  I could hear him greet the person on the other end and knew it was an old friend who he had flown with and who had moved away.  He finished his conversation, hung up and approached me with this, “The Sandberg’s have extra tickets to the Ball.  Can we make it?  Cocktails start at 6 and we have to be seated by 7″.  My first thought was, “The Sandberg’s are back”.  Then I looked at the clock, said, “I don’t have a dress!” and ran to my closet.  Nope, no dress!  We made the decision that we could do it and that I would run to Macy’s and go straight to the Del (Hotel Del Coronado).  So, within 10 minutes, I was in my car with my make-up bag, a brush, hairspray, my good, black pumps and my evening clutch, ready to storm Macy’s for a dress.  I felt like an episode of Instant Beauty Pageant!  But I had less time and no free credit card!  I arrived at the mall and ran straight to Macy’s 3rd floor and to the check out desk (imagine what I looked like with a huge bag over my shoulder, pumps in my hand and a wild, “I need a dress!” look in my eye).  I quickly explained that I needed to be at a ball in about an hour and needed help finding a dress.  I showed them the shoes I’d be wearing and we got to work!  Seriously, the girl that helped me is getting a letter of thanks sent to her department because she was on it!  I told her my size, grabbed a couple of dresses and ran to a fitting room.  She continued bringing me dresses and within 1/2 hour, I had what I needed!  I left the dress on, got rung up, was pointed in the direction of the bathroom and ran to do hair and make-up.  Whew!  Seriously, where was the camera crew?!

Clay had to go out to the squadron to get the proper uniform (I’m still not sure why it was there) and then rush to the exchange to grab a new pair of wings for his jacket.  

By 6:15 we were on the phone with each other agreeing to meet in the lobby.  By 6:30 I had valeted the car and was standing in the lobby, fully dressed, composed and ready for an evening of fun.  

We spotted our friends who had the tickets and followed them into the Grand Ballroom at the Hotel Del Coronado.  Beautiful!  

This was the 24th year of this event.  The Chamber of Commerce of Coronado puts this together to salute their military neighbors on the island.  Various businesses around the island host tables and various invites go out to the military community.  This is the second time we’ve been invited and it’s truly an amazing night!  This year we were at a table hosted by Business Products Express.  They hosted 5 tables and we were fortunate enough to be at the table with Matt Bartell and his wife, Jody who own the company.  They were so much fun!  The Marine Corps Band performed and the speakers were great.  We ran into several people we knew, had a wonderful dinner, danced a little and called it a night.  Wow!

While we pulled it off in only 2 hours, make no mistake that we did get some complaining phone calls from the kids.  They were caught in the whirlwind of watching us make the decision to go, shout some orders for dinner and run out the door.  When I walked through the door that night, I could see the result of  their unhappiness that we dashed off.  I decided that crushed cereal would be better off swept up in the morning.  Back to reality, Cinderella!  

Matt Bartell, standing on a chair to compensate for the tallness of the Sandbergs, the Sandbergs, me and Clay

Me and Clay with Matt Bartell, owner of Business Products Express and our host for the night.

Well, there you have it!  The crazy combination of being a Mommy of Many and a military spouse and how that combination works.  Sometimes I’m Doing the Dance of the Children and sometimes I just get to dance!

Thank you to Brian and Kris for thinking of us.  Thank you to the Coronado Chamber of Commerce for putting this together every year and thank you to Matt Bartell for hosting the tables that he did. 

Have a great day!

Yesterday, Max started brainstorming on how to build a leprechaun trap.  He was so excited when we were at the store and he saw this bag that was full of Easter eggs and had one gold egg in it!  He decided it was exactly what he needed.  So, we bought the bag and he left the gold egg inside and built a “ladder” on the side of the bag so that the leprechaun could get in to get the egg and would then be trapped!  A good plan!

Oh!  The golden egg worked!  It enticed a tricky leprechaun to come into the room.  But, he stole the egg and left this decoy in his place along with a trail of golden glitter!

This was obviously a sassy leprechaun!  He left this lil note.

Max and Tristan enjoyed following the trail of gold glitter to try to figure out where the tricky leprechaun could have gone.  Oh the brainstorming they did!

Max was happy to bring his trap to school to show the decoy and glitter and to tell the story of what happened in his room while he was sleeping.  He is already coming up with ideas for a better trap for next year!

The magic of childhood!

Have a happy St. Patrick’s Day~

Yesterday I was able to take the lil ones to watch Clay fly.  It was a beautiful day for it!  I hadn’t taken the kids to watch him fly in a long time.  There’s an outlook off the freeway where you can watch helicopters load ships.  What a great combination; blue skies, the ocean, and watching Daddy do his exciting job!

people watching the vertrep action from the outlook 

Clay’s helo and the ship that was being replenished

The helo gettting loaded

Gabi and Lex watching the action

All the fresh air and excitement wore them out!

Have a great day~