Mommy of Many®

Instead of writing a lengthy post about all we’ve done and the great people who have shared their time, homes and meals with us, I’ll tell the story of the last couple of days in pictures.

Jen and I had a birthday lunch at one of my favorite places in Old Town Auburn

We were invited to spend the afternoon at this beautiful pool with one of my closest friends from high school and her daughter.

At my Aunt and Uncle’s house the kids felt right at home. Gabi found a story doll and told us all the story of Little Red Riding Hood

There were lots of animals for the kids to “love”

Lex chased chickens. It not everyday a Lil Beach-Goer gets to even SEE chickens, let alone catch them! The boys loved it!

Then there were the goats! They spent plenty of time feeding and riding them. These kiddos smelled like livestock by the end of the evening. They couldn’t have been happier!

The boys, heading off to the water slide at the Roseville Aquatic Center

Lex and Alex have been so cute playing together. We’ve found them quietly in the sandbox or making up games. They enjoyed the Aquatic Center together.

Gabi’s been surrounded by boys this whole trip. She’s done a great job of just going along with the boy’s games and getting along with everyone (ok, there have been a few instances of girlyness with her brothers. But mostly she’s done really well).

It’s been a great trip! Today I get to visit with one of my closest friends from school and to meet her children. It’s been so nice to visit with people I shared parts of my life with and to watch our children play together. Today we’ll visit another new pool and soak up some more sun while catching up on the lives of the people who I’ve been away from for so long. Living the life of the Military Family has really kept me away from so many people. Along the way I’ve gotten to meet so many wonderful people who I hope to keep close to, but it’s really good to go “home” for a little bit and to share it with my kids.

Doing the Dance of the Children~

Back to Kraze Boot Camp class!

This morning was the first one that you could tell that the sun was going to come out and the sky was going to be blue. It felt GREAT to be out early in the morning and to start the day with the breeze off the water and the sun beginning to shine. The feeling has carried me through the day, so far. I feel like I was plugged in and recharged and can take on the world. Seriously! It was a magical combo for me!

Here I am in Week 4-it’s the last few days of this session and I’m feeling great! My stamina for the exercises has grown, my soreness is almost non-existent, my clothes are fitting better, my skin is clear and healthy looking, my shoulder and back pain are almost completely gone, my energy is up, I’m sleeping better, my caffeine intake is WAY down, my water intake is up, my food choices are healthier…Ummm, I can’t find a downside to working out! This is GREAT!

Honestly, I have only positive things to say. Aaron has been positive and encouraging. The rest of the Boot Campers are upbeat and happy to start their day with the class. If I could bottle this feeling I’d send you each a lil bottle to try!

If you’re local and can find a day or time to come on out and give a class a try, I encourage you to do so. Join me for the next set of classes! I’d love to see more friendly faces! Take a look around the Kraze Boot Camp website or contact Aaron for locations and times. This feels too good not to share!

Mommy of Many™-Doing the Dance of the Children with a Spring in My Step, Thanks to Kraze Boot Camps~

I am a creature of habit. I work best when I know what’s in front of me. I think that’s probably the same for most of us. Surprises in our routines make things a little harder.

When I got to Kraze Boot Camp this morning I saw Aaron setting some things out and I realized that the routine that I thought I had learned to expect, yesterday would be different today. ~Big Breath~ To myself I said, “it’s ok! You made it through yesterday, when you didn’t know what to expect and you’ll make it through whatever is coming your way today. It’s one hour. ONE HOUR! You can do this. Go!”.

And so I did.

Day 2 was a success. I’ve decided that it’s important to measure success in the small things. I’m not looking for grandeur and I’m not setting huge goals. I just want to motivate myself to get to class each morning and commit to the hour. Today’s successes were-1) I showed up with my gear, on-time and was ready to TRY whatever was thrown at me. 2)I RAN 1 1/2 of the 2 laps for our warm-up. I had told myself that I would run 1 lap and if it became too much, I’d allow myself to walk the other. Yea for beating my own expectations! 3) I remembered my important rules about water and the sweatshirt. The sweatshirt was brought, but was not needed Surely a success! 4) The abs part of the program was, again, the simplest part…not easy, but the simplest. Must be all those years ago that I worked so hard to Cher’s abs workout. I guess they’re remembering.

I am sore. Kateri is sore. But we are looking at each day and moving forward.

A few things I noticed-1) I did not want to have a glass of wine last night. Not that I rely on a glass of wine each evening or that I even have 1 every night. But last night, when I thought about it, I just really didn’t want it. 2) I normally have 2 cups of coffee in the morning to get going and out the door. I drank 1/2 a cup this morn and headed out the door. Wow! 1/2 a cup?! ME?! 3) I am fairly flexible. Stretching is one of the things I look most forward to and it feels amazing. I can stretch farther than I would have thought. 4) My poor heart and lungs have been ignored! Cardio is hard for me. Gotta work on making it easier!

So, Day 2-Done! Looking forward to Days 3 and 4, mostly because I’m goal oriented and I know that after Day 4 there’s a 3-day break. I am NOT looking forward to what next Monday is going to feel like!

Thank you for all the encouragement I’ve received! It definitely helped. Let’s do this!

Have a great day~

I am a 38 yr old woman who’s given birth to 9 children. I’ve watched my body change many times. Some changes were great and some I was totally uncomfortable with. Over the last 2 years I lost 35 lbs. I attribute the weight loss, in part, to having my youngest child getting older, no longer breast feeding and making a few changes in the choices I made when eating. I didn’t adopt an exercise plan or a strict way of eating. I started to feel GREAT. I loved the fact that I went from a size 14 to a size 6 and had to buy all new clothes! But over the last couple of months I let stress bring some old and unhealthy habits back into my life and I’ve watched 10 of those lbs. find their way back to my body. I hate the way it feels and, frankly, I know it’s just time to TRULY ditch these bad habits and ways of thinking and get into a better frame of mind. SOOOOO, I decided to join Kraze Boot Camps and let the energy of a group and the commitment of blogging the journey, carry me through to a point where I can make a healthier way of living and feeling more energetic, MY way of life.

Day 1-I’m glad Kateri has decided to join also. I’m glad there will be a friendly and perhaps sympathetic face in the group! We leave later than I wanted and I’m tense. I miss the turn and we have to call for directions. We’re nearly late…this also makes me tense. Grrrrr….I am not the best with new things and I’m nervous and tense and I don’t know what to expect. I have my hand-weights, my mat, water and am dressed for the occassion (though I’ve decided I’d like pants w/ an elastic band instead of a tie-had to retie the stupid pants twice…GRRRRR!). We find places for our mats and it all begins.

Warm ups-By the 2nd repetition I realized 2 things #1-I am woefully out of shape. I can’t actually remember when the last time I was “exercising”.  I mean really exercising, not just picking the kids up or being on my feet all day. Truly! I know I took some step classes at the YMCA, but that was probably around the time that Luke-Xavier was a few months old because he was in the class with me and happily stayed where I put him. Long time ago! #2-I can not and should not drink much water BEFORE the class. I have a M.O.M. bladder. This is not a good thing. I should probably be doing more (many more) kegles. I had to leave for the bathroom and figure out the best plan of action for what was happening when I participated in the Jumping Jacks. I opted for the old “sweatshirt around the waist” look. You can bet on 2 things-I will not drink much water before tomorrow’s work-out and I will ALWAYS have a sweatshirt with me. ‘nuf said!

After my 2 important revelations, I went back and joined the routine. The final part of the warm up was a 2-lap run. I don’t run. I wasn’t even sure if I COULD. The closest I EVER come to running is screaming at one of the older kids to HURRY and get Lex out of the street before he gets hit by a car. I walk. I bike ride. I NEVER run.

I ran…more than once.

After a bunch of stuff, we were pointed toward stairs and told to run to them. Yep *run* to the stairs. Under normal circumstances I would have looked at those stairs and heard the music playing and envision Rocky as he tackled step after step. These were not “normal” circumstances and I didn’t think of Rocky-not once. Tells you where my head was. Instead I was glad for a visual marker of how far I needed to run and I hoped that the black dots that had started to form in front of my eyes wouldn’t hinder me or make me fall DOWN those stairs. With encouragement I did, in fact, run to those stairs. I could not, however run up them, instead I walked, 3 times. But each time I was leery of going down because of the black spots. The good news is that I neither passed out nor fell. Success!

Then it was back to our mats for ab work. This was the simplest part for me. THANK YOU LORD for a simplish part. Notice I did not use the word “easy”. That would be a lie.

So, I successfully completed day 1. I know that this week is going to continue to be challenging. I know that I’m going to want to quit. I know that I’m going to be sore (starting in my bum and one calf, already). But I also know that I’m going to continue because I want to know what it feels like by week 3 and then I want to know what the last day of week 4 feels like.

I’m thankful for a program that I can do that’s early enough in the morning that it doesn’t hinder my family’s day. If this was not happening at 6 am I’d be hard-pressed to figure it into my day. Seriously!

When I got home, around 7:30, I had just enough time to shower, get dressed, apply make-up, fix my hair, make sure the 4 youngest kiddos were fed and dressed, pick Kateri up from her apartment, get her to work and get the lil kids to VBS by 9am. Whew! Then is was off to the high school to pick Anna and Maddi up from summer school, take Mariah to work and get back to the lil kids to be picked up by noon. I then handed them to Maddi to be fed lunch while I ran a couple of errands. Then off to the park for some fun time. My point?…

If I can find a lil time in my days of Doing the Dance of the Children, I’m pretty sure anyone can. I’m here to encourage you to join me and step out of your comfort zone and find a little time to get in a healthier place. The better shape my mind and body are in, the more natural energy I’m going to have (hint, hint on trying to drink less caffeine).  It’s a good goal!

Doing the Dance of the Children on Day 1 of Kraze Boot Camps~

Yea! It’s Thursday! I waiting for it to be here because I knew it meant that my deadline for the boards would be behind me and all the frantic work would be done. And I was right!

I’m happy with how they turned out. I’m also thankful to Kateri and Allie for helping me cut out all those pictures! Today I’ll put out the girls baby books and photo albums and Ta Dah…Done!

But wait! There’s more Good Stuff on this Thursday morn!
My sister, Katie, arrived yesterday, for a visit. She’ll be here nearly a week. This means that there are 4 of the 9 Eason siblings in one spot. Kateri and a friend of ours joined us last night and we all spent some time at my favorite restaurant, Costa Brava. I love that place!

And there’s even MORE Good Stuff!
I was recently interviewed for a series on mothers of large families and the interview is now posted. You can find it at the Homemaking Cottage.

I’m hoping that the good feelings that Thursday has started with will continue throughout the day!
Happy Thursday~

It’s been 2 weeks since JJ graduated from High School and only a few days afterward, he and his class, along with a few chaperones, got on a plane headed for Spain. Each person was outfitted with a new bike and a few essentials for the long road ahead of them. They are heading out for a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

This journey takes them through Spain and into France. I have to admit that, even though I’d heard about the trip for a whole year, I hadn’t given it much thought. Sure, I took him to the post office to get his passport and I sent money for the new bike, but I hadn’t looked into the route or researched the journey. I knew that the Senior classes before JJ’s had done this trip and that it was a wonderful experience.

Yesterday I finally sat down at the computer and typed “Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela” into my Google search box. I was fascinated with what I read and saw! An excerpt from the book,
Pilgrimage to the End of the World states-”A satellite image of the pilgrimage routes provides a little reality check to the bland abstractions of a traditional map. But even this isn’t enough to convey the toughness of the trail. The daunting mountain ranges of the Pyrenees and the Cantabrians speak clearly enough of the great challenges the pilgrim must overcome.” I’m in awe of these boys, on bikes and with little in their pockets, taking on this trek!

There’s been no word from the boys, so I’m going with the phrase, “No news is good news” and trusting that all is going well. I can’t wait for JJ’s return home so that we can hear all about this adventure, both spiritually and physically. I’m just more proud and pleased than I can convey that the boys are having this experience!

I truly hope that each of my children gets to embark on experiences like this one!

Doing the Dance of the Children and hoping to foster their dreams and nurture their souls~

My M.O.M. brain is overloaded with end-of-the-school-year obligations and projects and the prep that goes into 8th grade graduation…x2! I’ve written my list and I’m adding to it all the time. Little by little I’m getting things crossed off, which keeps me from freaking out about all that’s on that stinkin’ list.

One of the items that I’m having trouble with is pulling a funny M.O.M. story from out of the depths of my overworked brain. I know I’ve had plenty of laugh-worthy experiences and that I’ve blogged about the things that could only happen because I’m dragging a bunch o’ kiddos behind me somewhere. But if you think I could come up with even one such story…when I’m being asked for it…forget it!

This is where you come in. If you’ve followed the blog and can think of a story that made you chuckle or if you know me and my family and can jog my brain on a funny experience you’ve witnessed, could you share it with me? I’ve been asked to share one of my funny experiences of being a Mommy of Many™ for an interview and well…nothin’!

Alright then, while I have you all picking your brains for something I can share, I’m going to go back to the scanner, printer, photo albums and the memory boards. Anna and Maddi graduate next Friday and I need to pull out the creativity to make these boards something they’re going to be happy with and that represents each of them accurately.

I’ll be happy when this school year is over and I can catch my breath during summer. Though that thought is a bit silly because the minute summer starts, I have to start thinking about getting everyone set up for next year…~sigh~

Doing the Dance of the Children and hoping not to miss a step~

The last few days have gotten away from me.

Now that Clay is back and my brother is here and there are more hands and drivers to get the kids where they need to be, I feel like I don’t have a good grasp on everything. When I’m the only one who has to make it all happen, I have it all mapped out and know exactly what has to happen for whom and when. But now it’s all a little cloudy because I don’t have to know all the details. It takes me awhile to adjust to not being the only one in control.

Secretly I’m a control freak- *shhhhhhh* -Imagine keeping it all together if I weren’t!

But I’m letting go of a few pieces of the puzzle and letting Clay and Ted take them over. Don’t worry, there’s still PLENTY for me to do. I just have to get it all clear in my head.

Whew! This ever-changing life…Doing the Dance of the Children~

Kids are a funny bunch!

This morning, on the way to church, the older kids were REALLY giving each other a hard time. The bickering and picking was almost unbearable. Then we got to church and everyone pulled it together and attended mass the way they each know how to. Then, back to the van we go and the bickering and picking started right back up! Sometimes its positively merciless!

Bickering…picking…name-calling, all the way from the church, to Starbucks, from Starbucks to the reception we were heading to. Then something magical happened…

We got to the reception and suddenly everyone had happy faces, kind words and helpful attitudes. WHAT?! Who were these kids who just moments before were mortal enemies?! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this phenomenon in action.

So many times, over the years, other parents have complimented my children’s behavior and I’ve had to wonder what children they must be talking about. I’ve met the sweetest, most polite children and complimented parents on their children’s behavior, only to have them say, “I’m so glad they behave outside of the house because inside, they are always testing the limits”.

I’m convinced that this is the mark of a truly good child-one who tests all the rules and limits inside their own home, with their own family, while remembering what their parents expect of them when they go outside their comfort zone. It stinks for the parents, but we should take comfort in knowing that our kids have listened, but still need to test the waters and feel safe and comfortable enough to do it within the walls of their homes and the safety of the family that they know is going to love them, even with challenging behavior.

So, all of us, who have been complimented on how amazingly wonderfully behaved our kids are, should pat ourselves on the back and not worry about the fact that those same kiddos are going to give us grey hair and sleepless nights. We’re doin’ it right!

Here’s to parenting…may we all make it through another day of Doing the Dance of the Children~

Sometimes you come across something so ridiculously disgusting sounding that you just have to give it a try.

I happened to be in World Market today and came across this
\

I was disgusted and intrigued and had to buy it. I’m a huge fan of chocolate but not so much on the bacon. I figured I’d bring it home and let my brother and the kiddos give it a try.

Ted wasn’t sure why the heck I’d buy such a thing in the first place, but was willing to give it a (reluctant) try.

You can probably interpret this look on your own.

Max was just happy that I was offering him some chocolate

Then it was my turn

carefully taking a bite

Hmmm…yep, one piece is definitely enough

But there was some left, so Ted decided to go back for seconds

Well, that was our little experiment for the day. I’d have to say that while it wasn’t completely disgusting, I’d have no problem passing it up on the shelf next time.

Have a good day~

Yesterday I was the lucky recipient of some sweet and kind gestures. The point of this blog isn’t to write down the compliments I received but instead to share how I feel about people opening themselves up to giving and receiving compliments.

We all see and hear things that make us happy, put a smile on our faces or spark a comment or compliment in us. But I think that we rarely act on those things. Many times I’ll see a someone who’s dressed beautifully or carrying something that I find beautiful or who has said something intriguing and I’ll want to respond to it-to tell a woman or even a man that they look beautiful or that I love the bag they’ve picked to carry on that day or that their child has the sweetest look on their face. But I think many of us stop ourselves from saying those things because we are afraid of the response we might receive or that the person will think we’re “weird”.

But when we take a moment to say those things-to not be afraid of the response and simply let those things come out of our mouths, more often than not, a little joy is shared. And when we can learn to receive those compliments and let the person giving them know that they are appreciated, then a little more joy is shared.

I got to have a few joyful moments yesterday because people took the time to let me know that they thought that the way I do things for myself and my family was beautiful. I even got to bring home those daffodils pictured because a checker at my local Trader Joes thought I was a good M.O.M. and I’m so grateful for those things. They make me feel freer to share the compliments I feel for others.

Let’s try to take a minute to share a little joy today. When we give it, we will also, surely, receive it.

Have a great day~

I’m just back from the unhappy experience of being at the dentist. Now, don’t get me wrong-I’m very happy to be ABLE to go to the dentist. I know that I need to be grateful for dental coverage. But the appointment and the reason behind it were NOT happy events.

So, let’s go back about 3 years and I’ll tell my tale…

Chapter 1

Pain! Lots of pain while chewing and drinking. Hot-ouch! Cold-ouch! Something must be wrong. I think I’ll ignore it. After-all, I DO have 2 sides to my mouth and only 1 of them is painful. Solution-simply use the other side…only! This chapter lasted about a year.

Chapter 2

Pain! Too much pain! It’s time to call the dentist. I’ve been avoiding one side of my mouth for about a year and there really must be something that should be done. Right? So, I made the dreaded phone call (mind you, I take the kids to the dentist regularly. But for myself, there always seems to be a good excuse.) and scheduled an appointment. At the appointment I was severely scolded for having waited so long and informed that I was in need of a root canal.

~DREAD~

The procedure was scheduled and carried out. It was a 2 appointment procedure. I was told that all went well. ~sigh of relief~

Now…let’s forget about my stupid teeth and get on with life! And THAT is JUST what I did.

Chapter 3

Pain!

Why oh why is there pain in the area of the tooth that had the root canal?! I MUST have something stuck. Better floss EXTRA well…again and again and again.  And that is just what I did.

Over the next 4 months I would have that thought from time to time. I’d floss, brush, rinse and then forget about it until it bugged me again. 2 weeks ago my tooth decided to talk to me and tell me it was no longer going to allow me to ignore it. I spoke gently to it saying, “be well little tooth. You have had a root canal and are fine. You may look different from my other teeth, but you’re going to be ok. I will give you a break and I’ll (once again) chew on the other side of my mouth. Will that make you happy?” Little tooth quieted down and enjoyed the rest. But 4 days ago it yelled at me saying, “STOP ignoring me and patronizing me! I don’t want rest. I want attention!” Then the gum around the tooth started to swell. After 1 day of swelling and pain I called the dentist (on a Sunday). I explained everything and was put on antibiotics until I could come in for an appointment.

Appointment time! So…the dentist greeted me and got right to work. “Oh. Oh my. Let’s get an x-ray of this. My my…Oh Mrs. Lang, this is not good. Let me show you”.

My tooth has broken…in half and must be removed! Apparently that root canal was to be followed by a crown. This was an appointment I never made and frankly, forgot about. Now, here I am 2 years later facing oral surgery and the removal of a tooth that can not be saved. I’m more than a little freaked out!

Chapter 4 to come soon. I must stay on the antibiotics until the surgery, so you can bet it will be in a week or so.

*grumbling* Have a great day~

It’s a Wednesday in Lent, which around this house, means meatless meals. I looked through the cupboards and decided on something that I’ve called Mexican Lasagna and have been making for about 14 years now. It’s a favorite and by request, I’m posting the recipe. (Don’t think I don’t know that Rachael Ray has her own version of Mexican Lasagna. I guess she heard about mine and decided to develop her own recipe. Fine! But hers isn’t meatless and wouldn’t work for us tonight anyway)

Mexican Lasagna…Mommy of Many Style

1 can black beans
1 can refried beans
1 can corn
1 can chopped tomatoes w/ garlic and onion
6 tortillas
shredded cheese (I like to use sharp cheddar)
salsa (optional)
sour cream (optional)
olives (optional)
avocado (optional)

drain black beans and dump into a large bowl. Add the can of refried beans (and unless you are Amelia Bedelia I’m going to assume you know to open the cans before placing the contents into the bowl). Drain the can of corn and add to the bowl. Add the can of tomatoes. Mix together.

Line a 9×13 dish with 3 of the tortillas. I tear one of them in half to cover each end of the bottom. Spread the bean mixture evenly over the tortillas. Top with the other 3 tortillas and sprinkle the cheese to cover.

Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Slice and serve. I like to let the kids decide which *optional* items they want to top their portions with.

Enjoy!

I know that dinnertime is important and in this house we don’t always get to have a sit-down dinner. Many nights, I call the kids into the kitchen, make their plates, hand them to them and then they take them to the table to eat and are excused when they’re done. But last night, there was time in our schedule to have, what Gabi calls,”a spread-out dinner”. This means that everything is put into bowls or on plates and the table is set and waiting and we all sit together. I’m so glad we had that time! It meant listening to the kids chatter at me and at each other about their day and to be able to hear some of their ideas. Had we not been sitting down last night, I may never have known what Tristan wanted to be when he grows up…”rich!”. Or that my 3 youngest boys all think it would be a great idea when they grow up, to have homes for the elderly. Tristan’s thought was that there should be a nice place for older people to spend their golden years. Max felt that he should start a town and give all the housing away, for free, to it’s elderly residents. Luke-Xavier felt that he should have a “food house” where all the people come and he goes up on his roof (he made sure to specify that the roof would be flat) in his elevator and gets the food for the people who need it. Gabi chimed in that she would be a model. She says she’ll be a model most of the days, but on some days she’ll build houses-houses where everything is heart-shaped and they’ll be “love houses”. Tristan asked her, “so, they’re for people who are in love?”. She put him in his place by explaining that “love houses” are full of love and are for the old people so that they know we love them…Sweet girl!

We ended dinner with the question, from Gabi, of how the chicken that was being eaten was killed. I had to admit that I really don’t know how chickens are killed and sent to market. I was scolded and told that they are shot…shot, the bullet is then taken out of the them and the hole from the bullet is superglued together so that no one has to see it. Chicken…yum!

I hope we can find time for more “spread-out” dinners soon!

Have a great day~

United Through Reading is a program that believes in uniting families through reading. They have a military program that is offered through the USO at selected USO sites. A service members can stop into the USO and pick a book for each of their children and then make a video of themselves reading the book or books.

Yesterday, we received 2 packages at our doorstep. They were each filled with books and Beanie Babies (not sure if the Beanie Babies are part of the program or just a fun addition). There were 9 books inside, one for each of the kids (Kateri and JJ, I will send yours along). They were accompanied by a DVD of Clay reading some of the books and talking to the kids. They loved it! The 4 youngest sat down and watched the video. They followed along with their books as Clay read. Maddi took her book, retreated to her room and came out an hour later, declaring that she’d finished it and proceeded to tell me the whole story.

When Clay first left on this deployment, he made a video of himself reading one book and the video and book were sent to us. But the DVD was very small and I couldn’t get any of our players to read it. This new one is regular sized and played right on my computer. Everyone was happy to get the replacement!

Lex with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (it was read SEVERAL times last night)

Gabi, Max and Tristan with their new books

Gathered around the computer to watch and listen to their stories

Clay reading Love You Forever to the kiddos

Happy faces

Thanks USO for making this program available. And thank you to the DFW International Airport Community which helped make our video possible and all the generous, everyday Americans who help to support this program and make it possible for so many!

Have a great day~