The ONE Thing on my Mind Today...

I know that the enquiring minds out there just ABSOLUTELY have to know what I am thinking about today. Well I am thinking about the same thing any working wife and mother of 9 is thinking about....

Maybe it's the election...

OBAMA....McCAIN.....NOPE! That's not it!

Maybe it's gas prices...

Well, sometimes I think about this....when I need gas, but Nope, not that either...

Maybe....OH...is it Money/Finances?

Well maybe. I AM always worried about the finances....but NOPE...try again!

OK, it HAS to be Back to School...of course, why did it take me so long to figure out...

Normally...you'd be right. But not this time...keep trying!

How about work...most working people are always thinking about work...

NOPE...not thinking about work...try again!

Is it (looking around to see who is listening)...SEX?!

SEX?! LOL...I can't believe you thought about that...I am laughing my tail off! OF COURSE I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THAT...teeheehee...Did I mention "MOM of 9"? You crack me up!

OK, considering the last guess and the fact that I want to keep my blog "family friendly", I will tell you what I am thinking about....

It's THIS...

VERA BRADLEY! I want it! And all of it's pretty little matching accessories too!

Did I mention I have a birthday coming up? (hint..hint) Well you don't have to buy me this for my birthday...but if you MUST...

Phabulous Phunky Phun Photo Phriday...

Today's photo of choice is....

The "why this photo is my favorite"....

As most of my loyal readers know, I have recently returned to work. I have begged, pleaded, threatened, cried, pulled my hair out to get the kids to pitch in and help out around the house. (OK, I didn't actually pull my hair out...BUT I WILL!) Anyway, some of the children have pitched in and some haven't. Ironic thing is, the littlest ones have put forth the most effort. Hence... Sydney "reading" a book to Emma... she knew I didn't have as much time and since I wasn't home, she said "come on Emma, I'll read you a book!". Thank you Sydney...Mommy appreciates you more than you will ever know. "Hey Emma, stop posing for the camera and look at the book!".

Want to Know What It's Like to Go Back to Work?

T-I-R-I-N-G.....S-T-R-E-S-S-F-U-L...W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!
I ask myself everyday if this is all worth it and if it is indeed what I want to do. My answers depend on the time of day that I ask. If it is first thing in the morning and the alarm blares, ripping me from my sleep..."tiring"! If it is in the morning as I am leaving and everyone is still asleep...I don't even get to kiss them goodbye...."depressing"! If it is while I am sitting in traffic attempting to get to work on time..."stressful". If it is when I arrive at work and spend the first hour talking and laughing with the girls at work..."wonderful"! But if you ask me right after I get a phone call or an email from my oldest daughter (who is babysitting for me) explaining how..."Sierra has a bad attitude and won't listen, Cheyenne is picking on Sydney, Sydney just bit into an ink pen and is now covered in ink, Zachy just fed the dog hand sanitizer and, oh yeah, he tried to change his own poo diaper and made a huge mess and Alex is walking around fussing at everyone while the entire time the house alarm panel is beeping because the battery is going dead"...COMPLETE BLISS!!!!!!!

I wore my husbands pants today...

I realize that my post title will leave many people scratching their head while wondering, "HUH?!". Well, I wish I could say that the reason behind it was something really cool. Like, I replaced the kitchen sink all by myself while using tools that I "always wondered what that was for" and reading a Do-It-Yourself book. Or maybe because I changed the oil and oil filter in my van all by myself without any help or guidance from my husband. Or, even maybe that I brought home the bigger paycheck...but I digress. When I say that I wore my husbands pants today...I simply mean that I, literally, wore my husbands pants today. I woke up this morning to the arrival of my "monthly visitor" and my body was swollen like a water balloon filled to max capacity. I felt like a hippo...a very tired hippo, and the last thing I wanted was to attempt to put on my already snug jeans and go off to work. Work, were I sit all day in a chair making the waist of my pants that much tighter and my muffin top that much bigger. So, I thought, "I know, I will put a pair of Stevie's on, they will be super baggy and that will make me feel much better about myself!" "NOPE!....they fit. They were really baggy everywhere except for the waist, but they fit. So I wore them." Now before anyone thinks it...I do not consider my husband to be fat therefore his pants would be too big for me. No...I just believe that the man should always be bigger than his wife (size wise) and therefore she could never wear his pants. So now I am left asking myself, "Self...are you really just getting that fat? Or are you really just that swollen?" I answered...SWOLLEN, now give me some chocolate and nobody gets hurt!

Phunky Phun Phriday Photo Phiesta!

Sorry, I got a little carried away with the "ph"! You know how much I love this stuff...and with all of my kids, I have enough photos phor everyone!

Phor those of you wondering "what the heck is she talking about...and who taught her how to spell?"...check out http://carriestuckmann.blogspot.com/ and you will get the grand realization!

So for today's photo....I pick....hmmm....THIS ONE!

This is a photo of my youngest child trying to be just like the older kids! Nate (the big kid) is my son-in-law and Sydney just adores him. She follows him around like a little lost puppy every time he is here. One this particular day, Nate was standing in the kitchen reading the paper...well the comics, but still the paper. Sydney came in and asked him what he was doing and after he told her she, of course, asked why. He said something along the lines of, "because I like to" and the next thing we know she grabs a piece of the newspaper, a sales ad, and slowly backs up next to Nate. Watching very carefully the whole time to make sure she had it just right. It is hard to tell by the photo but her paper is upside down! Too cute!

Want to join in on the phun? Click on that linky-dinky-do up there and go see Candid Carrie!

*Note for my faithful readers: I apologize for not posting more regularly lately. I have really had a difficult time adjusting to my new schedule with my new job. I get up, get ready and it is time to leave. I get home, fix dinner, give baths and it is time for bed. I can't believe how short my home time has become! My house is a wreck, my kids are missing me and I need some extra sleep. Fortunately, I have a weekend coming up that I can spend some time with my babies, clean my house up and sleep(wait...that's right, sleeping in doesn't happen around here) but that's ok! I still won't have to be up at 5am! I hope to eventually get more used to my schedule so I can squeeze in blogging time. Maybe even some commenting time too! So please, loyal fans, I beg of you, hang in there with me....I will get it together!

Virtual Vacation...

I apologize for not having this up on Sunday, I attempted to do it but the blogsite was working against me. So I will attempt to do it now...
This week we are going on an Alaskan cruise! So pack your bags...don't forget your mukluks! Bon voyage!

First, lets go check out our rooms...

Ahhhh...look how nice...and CLEAN! I am sure we will get a few nights of great rest in that huge bed! WOW! So what do you all want to do first? I say we go for a walk and check out the rest of the ship....

LOOK...it's the pool! I hope everyone brought their bathing suits. But don't worry if you didn't, remember that in virtual land we have plenty of virtual money and we all have perfect little virtual figures! So scoot on over to the gift shop and grab yourself a cute little suit. The rest of us will wait here by the pool....

After we all have had enough of sunning and swimming, we decide to head back to the room for a refreshing shower. When everyone is ready, meet me down in the dining room for some dinner!

Walking to dinner we come past this man....

who, after seeing how gorgeous we all look, gives us the thumbs up! Thank you, sir...now get out of our way so we can get to the food!

As we sit down for dinner, they announce that tonight's entertainment is about to begin. Looks like it will be some cool dancers...

I've never been on a cruise before, so this is so exciting. After we all eat our weight in some of the best food ever(no calories in virtual world!) we head over to the bar for our first round of drinks for the night....

Now ladies, is it just me or is he freakin' hot?! We will be leaving him so very large virtual tips. And look, he even does dishes! That's my kind of man! We will just hang out here for the evening.

It starts getting late so we decide to turn in for the night since we have a big day planned for tomorrow. Get some rest girls...tomorrow is going to be great!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Good morning ladies! Let's head out to the bow of the ship and check out the scenery...

Wow...look how gorgeous! Man it is cold out here...let's check out the other side of the ship...Oh my gosh...is that ice?! I have never seen anything like that! It is absolutely gorgeous! Well lets get some breakfast before we dock...

LOOK...A WHALE! It's a freakin' killer whale! And its name isn't Shamu! That is so cool!After we finish our breakfast, we head out to see the town we will be visiting today.

What a quaint little town! You know, you single ladies could really get lucky here because they say that there are 15 men to 1 woman in Alaska! We will be staying in this town for the night, and I have a big surprise for you...

This is where we are staying tonight...in an ICE hotel! Cool...huh?! And before we do that, I think we need to learn to appreciate the ice by going....

We are going ICE climbing! What fun and great excercise! Come on...it'll be fun! Dress warm!

After about 20 minutes of ice climbing, i fell and busted my butt! I also managed to sprain my ankle! Clumsy me. But the good part was that I was carried back to the hotel by a super hot Alaskan man! Since I am a happily married woman, I introduce him to you (single girls). We all have a great time checking out the local places before turning in for the night. The experience of the ice hotel will never be matched but I think all of us agree, it was just a little too cold. So we head back to the ship just in time to see the gorgeous sunset...

Saturday Shout Outs...

Let's try a little something new. I am going to start Saturday Shout Outs to allow people to talk about something really awesome that happened to them during the past week. It can be about your kids, your spouse, your neighbor, a great sale, the politeness of a stranger...whatever you want! I would like to keep it nice if we could, but if you really must say your peace about that annoying driver etc. and it will help free your mind, then go ahead. You have the stage!

My Saturday Shout Out goes to Kroger grocery store! I know, strange thing to shout about but wait until I tell you why! I went to do my normal weekly grocery shopping, which by the way is on a very strict budget, when I came across the best deal ever. It was so great that I knew it had to be a typo and decided I was going to take advantage of it. I was in the meat section when I noticed a sale sign over the ground beef. Now for those of you who are unaware, Kroger sells their own brand of ground beef in a 3 lb roll. They have the 75/25, the 80/20 and the 85/15 to choose from. I prefer the 80/20 and generally I pay about $6.79 per roll. But this week it was supposed to be on sale for $1.49 off making it $5.30 per roll. Well, (do you see where I am going here?) instead of putting that on the sign, they put "3 lb Roll of Kroger 80/20 Ground Beef for $1.49 per roll"! What...am I kidding you....NOPE! I bought 8 rolls for a total of 24 lbs for a price of $11.92! Did they honor the price you ask....YEP! See, they have the "price guarantee" and they had to honor what the sign said. Did i feel like I just got the best deal ever....YEP! Did I tell any of the other customers about it....OF COURSE...I believe in sharing the wealth! Did I feel bad...no, not really. Did they immediately take the sign down....OH YEAH! I am such a bargain hunter and this one will go down in bargain history with that denim jacket from Hot Topic I bought my son for $5.99 last year. (I'll tell that story some other day) Hope you all have a great weekend!

Phriday Photo Phinish Phiesta...and a MeMe!

TGIF! And to join Candid Carrie on her "Phun Phriday Photo" posts (check her out at http://carriestuckman.blogspot.com/) here is my Phavorite Photo of the week...

Why do I love this photo? Because it was one of my proudest mommy moments! A moment when I realized that even though I was an incredibly young mother, I raised that boy right! I haven't had the pleasure of watching one of my children graduate high school yet (the oldest 2 have both received their GED's.) so I really don't know how that compares. But I do know that I was one proud mommy when I watched my son swear into the US Army and pledge to protect his country. One of the most selfless things a person can do! (I love you Brandon and I am incredibly proud of you!). If you would like to see more great photos, click on that little link up there. Carrie will be glad to show you around!

I apologize for my lack of posting this week, I am still adjusting to being back at work full time. I am still truly enjoying my job and being back in the workforce! I love my kids and value my time with them but I can appreciate a break too. I also apologize for not commenting at my favorite blogs on a regular basis. I have been so busy. It is crazy when you get home from work after 6pm and still have to fix dinner, wash clothes, spend "quality time" with the kids, read the mail, pay the bills, bathe the kids and tuck them into bed, spend some time with my new husband and still find time for blogging. I will find a happy balance, I promise you, just please bear with me!

I am going to leave you with a really cool MeMe I copied from another blog (sorry...I can't remember which one). Feel free to copy it and change the answers to your own. I love getting to know my blog friends better! And don't forget about my contest (see below). Have a great day!

I am...
Mommy...here me roar!

I think...I need a vacation.

I know...
I am the luckiest woman in the world to have my husband and our kids.

I want... to win the lottery and to receive more comments!

I have... a son with Autism and I love him dearly!.

I wish... everyone could be happier and more satisfied with their lives.

I hate...
judgemental people.

I miss... my pre-pregnancy body.

I fear...
SNAKES! And bill collectors!

I feel... tired and stressed.

I hear... the local news on TV.

I smell... my coffee.

I search... for the perfect balance between kids and marriage.

I wonder... why they charge for parking when you go to an amusement park?

I regret... not taking better care of my credit.

I love... my wonderful husband and my kids.

I care...
about my neighbors and friends(blog and real).

I always... make my bed.

I am not...
getting enough sleep.

I believe... I'll have some more coffee.

I dance... better when I have been drinking.

I sing...
with the radio in my car.

I don't always...
think before I act.

I write... about whatever is on my mind.

I win... for the mom who can handle this many kids as well as I do.

I lose... anything not physically attached to my person!

I never... say things I will later regret.

I listen... to my heart.

I can usually be found... on the computer.

I'm scared of... SNAKES and bill collectors...didn't I already answer this one?!

I read...
blogs and James Patterson books.

I forget...to stop and smell the roses.

I just...farted....(sorry!)

I am happy about... all of the comments I received last Friday after joining candid Carrie's Phun Phriday Photo.

I Just Realized Something...

Sundays virtual vacation was my 100th post! (insert balloons falling, confetti flying and Auld Lang Sine playing here!) WOOHOO...I made it to 100 posts! I have met all of my goals on blog world except for being a "Saucy Blog" or "Featured Sitsa of the Day" over on Secrets in the Sauce! But my day will come there too! (I hope..) In honor of my 100th post, I would like to post a contest...complete with a prize! I just have to figure out what that will be. Hmmmm...maybe I could give away my used candles from my wedding....no, noone would want those! Maybe I could give away....ummm....a gift card! Yeah...that would be great! How about a $50.00 gift card to WalMart? Everyone likes Walley World and goodness knows, they are everywhere! Now, how do I pick a winner? Hmmm...dilemma, dilemma, dilemma...I know...just like everyone else does! Post about my contest on your blog and ask your readers to visit me and leave a comment. The person with the most people referred to my blog in 1 week, by show of comments, wins! Make sure to tell your referrals to mention how they found me in their comments! The contest will end on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008 at 6am. So whatcha waitin' for? Go post! Or, actually, finish reading my blog and leave me a comment while you are here!

I know they say pictures are worth a thousand words, so instead of boring you with mindless babble today, I will leave you with some pictures taken on Sunday when we took our kids to Pocahontas State Park...

First Day Back to Work...

For those of you that are new to my blog, I was a SAHM up until yesterday. I finally decided to return to the workforce and help the financial being of my home. I am also a newlywed (1 week today!) and step mother to 3 wonderful children. I already have 6 of my own children, one of which is married with a 9 week old daughter, and another of which is in the US Army and another of which suffers from Autism. So this is why we named our blog "Never a Dull Moment".
I had a pretty good day yesterday and the new workplace is actually really cool! As I said before, I get to wear jeans everyday, we have an office pet cat and most everyone there is family. Can you say "no drama!". I will be doing the billing/collections and purchase order assigning side of the accounting department. I actually really enjoy this type of work and feel privileged and lucky to have gained this position. The only problem I had was my own body going on strike against me. I had terrible pain in my back, legs, hiney and arms after only half of the day. I just recently had my tailbone removed and also had back surgery about a year ago. So basically, I am falling apart. I had to sit most of the day and it was very painful for me. I didn't complain and tried to hide my discomfort because I didn't want them to think I was incapable of doing the job. I guess eventually I will get used to it. Nothing sucks more than having your body feel much older than your brain feels. I still think I can get up and go do anything I want to. Then I stand up and pain shoots through me like a bolt of lightning.
OK, I will stop whining now! I apologize!
To all of you moms out there wondering how the kids did while I was at work...you can probably answer your own question! Did they survive? Yes! Did they miss me? Yes! Did they make a huge-gigantic-mess-that-resembled-the-path-of-a-deadly-tornado? Of course! Did I enter the house screaming-like-a-raving-lunatic-in-disbelief-at-the-condition-of-my-house? No...not me! OK, maybe I did. But you should have seen this place! Kitchen sink overflowing with dirty dishes, dishwasher full of clean dishes waiting to be put away, food crumbs on counters and floors, trash can overflowing into the floor, laundry stacked up outside the laundry closet making it impossible to walk down the hallway, toys and clothes strewn around living room, wet towels and clothes left in the floor etc. I am a bit OCD when it comes to my home, my kids are highly aware of this, yet they proceeded to trash the place. When I asked them why they didn't clean it up they said, "because you didn't tell us to!". WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Now remember, we are talking about a couple of kids here that are old enough to know better. These same children got upset with me for being angry at them for not picking the place up. They didn't think I had anything to be mad about! Which only added to the frustration! It didn't take long for all of them to jump up and fix the problem, after all, they were probably tired of watching my head spin while shooting pea soup out of my mouth! Stevie and I will have to sit them down this weekend and have some choice words with them about how to pick up after themselves. Now that I am back at work I can not be expected to take care of everything anymore. I guess it just goes to show how much I really did do everyday. Ungrateful brat....er, uh, kids!
It is going to be interesting around here until they go back to school in 3 weeks. Then things should get a bit more organized and doable!
I hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks so much for all of the great comments yesterday! It made my heart feel good!

Last but definately not least...I just want to say R.I.P Bernie Mac! You were truly a great comedian that always made me laugh and I will miss you for that. I am shocked and saddened at the loss of such a great entertainer. My prayers and thoughts go out to his family and friends!

Phun Phriday Photo...

Oh, and I GOT A JOB! I start today. I will tell you all about it tomorrow. For today, I am joining in on the band wagon over at Candid Carrie's (http://carriestuckmann.blogspot.com/) and posting my phavorite photo! (Yes, I know how to spell, check out her site and you will see why I am spelling so crazy!) Well let me see, my favorite...er...phavorite photo is probably...this one!

Why...you ask...is this my phavorite? Well, I have to say that it was a very difficult decision. I mean, I have pictures of my kids, my soldier, my new grand daughter, my Stevie, my wedding etc., so picking 1 photo was very difficult! But I love this one because it says "family and unity". "A force to be reckoned with!" Although my 2 oldest children are not in this photo, it says "together we stand" and "I've got you brother/sister!". I know that if Ashlei and Brandon would've been in this photo, they would have been at the outside ends to protect the smaller children in the center. So this is my Phavorite Photo for this Phriday! I hope you all like it! Now I have to go get ready for my new job. I will tell you this much, it is an accounting job in an office where I can wear jeans everyday and we have a pet office cat too! Now that's what I call cool!

Proud Mommy to My Army Soldier...

My oldest son, Brandon, joined the US Army in April. He is currently stationed in Maryland doing his AIT and should graduate on September 8. He hasn't been home or seen his siblings since he left back in April. So when he showed up at our wedding last weekend, it was a huge surprise to everyone. He was dressed in his "class A's" which is military for his finest uniform. He even had a few little ribbons and pins on his chest, one of which I understand has to do with his accomplishments on the shooting range. I can not tell you how proud I was at the moment he walked in looking like an all grown up man who deserves much respect. I couldn't help but think of when he was a little boy, full of energy and overly emotional. I remember when he was 3 years old and cried for an hour because he accidentally let his balloon go. Now he is an Army soldier. He is willing to put himself out there on the battlefield and defend his country. I never would've thought back then that this would be his path. He was always so sweet and very much a "mama's boy". He still is under that strong exterior. He gave me a big ole' hug and told me I looked beautiful while holding his new niece that he had finally got to meet. The kids were hanging on him like Santa at Christmas, they all wanted to ask him questions and tell him about all they had done since he had been gone. It did my heart good to see this because before Brandon left home, they were all fighting with each other like normal kids. It is wonderful to know that the relationship between them is good and that they respect him as much as I do. He walked me down the aisle and gave me to Stevie, proudly claiming, "her children and I do" when the preacher asked "who gives this woman to this man?". He removed his hat when he entered buildings and placed it back on when he exited. He held doors for people, helped with the kids and called his elders "ma'am and sir". I couldn't believe it. He is all grown up now. I know he still needs me and I will always be his "mommy" but it brought a tear to my eye anyway. Then he made me even prouder as he told me the story of how he saw a homeless man at the bus station on the way in. He noticed the man had 2 dollar bills and was contemplating how best to spend them to get enough food to fill his tummy. Brandon looked at his bank card knowing he had just gotten paid and told the man, "get whatever you want, it's on me". The man looked at him with disbelief in his eyes and asked Brandon if he was sure, Brandon said he was and proceeded to buy the man a large chicken dinner with all of the trimmings, a drink and even some dessert. The man thanked him graciously and disappeared into the crowd. Brandon said, "Mommy, it felt so good to know I did such a good thing!". I told him how very proud I was of him and that he had just proved to me that I had raised him right. Children can be complicated, frustrating, aggravating, time consuming and disrespectful but they can also be wonderful, happy, respectful, giving and thoughtful. It is the latter that makes being a parent the most wonderful "job" in the world! I have a long way to go before I deal with the empty nest syndrome, but I now have the strength to continue. Thanks to my soldier. Just when I was doubting my abilities as a parent and wondering if I was a good mom, he told me his story. Nuff said, yes, I am a good mom....er....mommy!

Wedding Photo's

If you would like to see the wedding pictures, click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sshinephoto/sets/

I hope to have some snapshots up soon! Enjoy!

MAN...that went by so fast!

Yes, I am back already! I can't believe how fast the whole weekend went. The wedding is almost a blur! It is amazing how you can spend so much time and money planning something that is over in a matter of a few hours and you can barely remember what the heck just happened! I do know that it was all very beautiful and funny. Yes, funny! Stevie and I are very simple folk and we laugh at just about everything, why would our wedding be any different?! We pulled it off without any major hitches and everyone claims to have really enjoyed themselves. The kids did a pretty good job during the ceremony except for Sydney, who we now call "chicken". Why do we call her chicken...well, have you ever told a chicken what to do?! Try it, you will understand. She spent the entire 20 or so minutes at the altar, twirling her dress, playing with her flowers, dancing, whispering, walking around etc! We laughed our hineys off when we watched the video. Stevie and I were in our own world saying our vows, so we had no idea of the display Sydney was creating behind us. I truly believe she has severe ADHD and we intend to have her tested soon. But the most important thing is that we are...FINALLY...married! And we had a great time making it all happen. We only had a very short honeymoon because, after all, with 9 kids, what else could we expect?! But we had a great time and made the most of it. We intend to take a trip to the Caribbean in the spring, that will be our real honeymoon. The kids were all very excited and they even made the sweetest, most sincere individual speeches that made Stevie and I tear up. My oldest son (the one in the Army) did get to come and I was so very proud of him in his Class A uniform! He walked me down the aisle and made me the proudest mom/bride ever! The kids all danced the night away as did most of our guests. Oh, but don't worry, there was the usual drama here and there as well. But I will get into that on a later date. I would like to say thanks to everyone for all of their well wishes and positive thoughts. My new husband and I are absolutely thrilled to be married and look forward to many happy years making many more happy memories! I do not have any wedding pictures yet and I promise to post them as soon as I get some. I have a few photo's from the honeymoon, so I will post them for now.

This is a self portrait of us on a train ride in Busch Gardens.

Here we are on the carousel..."weeeeeeeeeee"
Our feet getting caressed by the ocean in Va Beach!

I thought this turned out really cool!

Our first kiss during sunset on the beach..."awwwww"

Our beautiful wedding rings! I thought this photo turned out really cool.

Our feet in the sand!

I was tagged by my girl over at http://ihatewhine.blogspot.com/ for the 6 Words Meme.
I'm supposed to define my life in 6 words and then tag 5 people !

1. Happy
2. Mundane
3. Nutty
4. Blessed
5. Dramatic
6. Interesting


I tag all of the people reading or commenting on my blog today. Yes you, I know you are there, come on, leave a comment and tell me your 6 words! You never know when a blogger is planning to give away a really cool prize based on who has been commenting the most lately. Not that I am, just that you never know. As a matter of fact, we will make this meme todays "Q.O.D".

As you all know, I am getting married tomorrow...TOMORROW?! Holy hell, I got to go!