::HOME::

We head to the train station around 9 tommorow morning, to go to the airport, to go to another airport, to meet my dad or brother, to drive 2 hours, to go HOME, to see my hubby!!

And I might just miss Riley's hugs of excitement, Gavin's silly little laugh, and Spencer's big baby tooth smile!!

Business

Most of you know that my husband and I have been trying to start a company for awhile. We decided to go full force in January of this year. We know that marketing your business is a KEY ingredient in getting your name out there so people know you exist. As soon as you register your business name you start getting lots of annoying junk mail about products you can get with your company name on it. One thing we really liked was the marketing pens idea. Some companies even sent you a free pen to show you what they would look like. It is really cool to see your company name on a nice looking pen!

And just so you know Superior Slate is up and running. Things are going great!! Will let you know some specific things soon!!

No Way

By 8:30 all 5 kids asleep!!

We had a little help from the normal babysitter who comes to put Riley to sleep for us=) I actually don't think he is any harder than Ethan was a few months ago (that's right, WAS...he is doing sooo much better. Riley is just trying to push every boundary he can. I am enjoying doing homework with him, he is responding to me very well. I am so enjoying getting to know my cousins better. My uncle is only about 10 years older than me, so we played together a lot when we were younger and I couldn't wait to have cousin on my mom's side and these 3 boys are the only ones, unless you count dogs and then there are about 12 of those (Honey Bear, Bailey, Dingo, Nezzar, Mookie, Cheddar, Shadow, Preston, Buster, Daisy...I'm totally forgetting 2, oops)
=)

Anyway, the reason for this post was to say...Oh my Gosh, my hubby commented on my last post...this has got to be a once in a lifetime event...THANKS, you made my day hon!! Miss you lots too!

Finding Time

I have myself a little time. Riley is at school, Gavin,Merci and Ethan are playing outside and baby Spencer is sleeping! Wow, 5 kids are a ton of work.

Yesterday was a LONG day. We had to wake up at 6 am to get ready. We drove a few hours to an airport (it was sheaper than the one 5 minutes away...by $200) then we had to wait awhile to go on our flight. We finally arrived at our destination around 1:00, we then went to the house, Jen showed us around,a nd then we were off to drop her at the train station so she could go to the airport herself. Puerto Rico here she comes!! Then we rushed home to unpack and get settled and to meet Riley at the bus. Then we needed to do dinner etc etc. Then bedtime came with a few complications and my mom and I fell into bed around 9:30 to get awaked by the phone at 11, awaken by Ethan vomiiting a few time between 2:30 and 4:30, to Spencer waking around the time I fell back asleep. So with maybe 4 hours of sleep we were up at 6!! The day starts all over again.

Riley is 6 1/2 has down syndrome, and since we don't know exactly how to deal with his behaviors like his mommy and daddy we have a lot of resistence. He is so sweet though. All he wants is some individual attention, which is hard to give with 5 kids running around.

We sat down and did his homewrok this morning, and he was just happy to have some personal attention. He is also sick, possibly strep, but a pretty bad runny nose. His other babysitter took him to the doctors last night. So at least he is on meds now.

Then there is Gavin who is 4 1/2. He is very intelligent and talks non stop, which doesn't help when you add Merci to him, who doesn't stop talking either. LOL!!! Merci and Gavin are inseperable!

Then there is Spencer. He is the most laid back 1 year old ever!! Except when he is sleepy, which we learned last night!

But it only a few days and I am sure my Uncle and Jen can use this break!!!

Talk to you all soon.

We are leavin on jet plane.....

Except we do know when we will be back again!

I love that song.

Tommorow will be my children's 1st airplane experience.

I am excited for them yet scared at the same time.

I can't wait to see their faces and feel their excitement.

What a fun memory we will make tommorow.

Too bad daddy won't be with us=(

Not sure how much time I will have to blog or check blogs so tata for now!

Talk to you all soon.

Silly ME

Am I the only one who thought Pittsburgh was spelled without the H at the end??

I feel so silly. I was looking up directions to get to the Pittsburg airport and it kept asking me if I meant PittsburgH. No ,darn it I was direction tot he Pittsburg airport. I felt so dumb!

The brain cells are dwindling.

Oh well
Now I will never forget!

::OOPS::

I was supposed to post pictures and detail about the worlds largest children's museum that we went to. Oh well maybe tommorow!

It is a grea tplace and I would love to promote it as much as I can
I would drive the 6 hours just to go again..and pay the ridiculous amount of $ it cost to get in...hahah!

Enjoy your weekend

~A THURSDAY~

No Week in Review for today, again we didn't do much exciting.
We went shopping at Old Navy and since my brother was with us, he watched the kid while Josh and I went out to eat=)
Tomorrow I will have fun pictures of the Children's Museum!!

Today all I have to look forward to is laundry. I need to start packing, we are going to my Uncles house next week to watch his 3 boys.

We are driving for a few hours and then getting on a plane!
That's right my kids first airplane ride!!!
Next Tuesday!
I am scared, though, even though I have flown.
Pray for no hijackers, okay=)

Talk to you all soon!

Oh and please don't mind my paid posts, I only do it because they are worth $$...real $$!!!

Workin It Wednesday

No Week in Review for Wednesday, we did nothing exciting. Went to Walmart, got Ethan's haircut...watched lots of TV and I worked on a paper I had to write for my Biology class!

I decided to do another list of things to get done today, I am so behind since we were out of town all last week, and we leave again on Tuesday to go to PA for a week. Lots to do:

1. Go to Walmart and get replacement luggage for Merci (I tried, they didn't have anymore..gotta go to a 3rd Walmart to fin dit....rrrr)
2. Blog payperpost, regular post and post on I know I am Not Alone
3. Find recipe for dinner
4. Clean out dining room closet
5. Let Ethan have some creative art time
6. Pray for Josh
7. Wrap A's gift and make a card
8. Get a prayer journal ready for the rest of month
9. 20 minutes of exercises (Bonus point if I actually do this!)
10. Pack Josh's bags for Indy
11. Write hubby a love note to stick in his bag
12. Email Lisa, Jen, Marcy, Katie
13. Re list craigs list items
14. Take pictures for Ebay(Bonus points for listing items)
15. Quiet time
16. Health discussion board
17. Pick paper topic for Health class
18. Do research on topic and print some articles
19. Organize and condense Tastefully Simple stuff...yep I am quitting
20. Start Goodwill box
21. Pray for Autumn, Melanie, Crissy, Allens and Kitinoja's
22. Mentally prepare for Scrapbook catch-up Get self ready!!
23. Christmas and Easter boxes to attic
24. Drink 1 2 3 glasses of water (16 oz glasses not little ones!)
25. Organize pantry and snack cupboard
26. Check to see the last time we were at Costco
27. Make card for A (or at least start)
28. Pray for Merci Rae
29. Relocate sunscreen basket out of reach of Ethan
30. Do puzzles with Ethan
31. Get extra drinking glasses out of attic
32. Reward self with some Easter chocolate=)...oops an early reward..hehe!

It feels so good to do the stuff on my list, why don't you try it too??

~Vegas~

I have never been there but, I hear Las Vegas is a great place to visit.
I am not all into gambling, but I think I might like the energy there.
We gambled once in Niagara Falls, responsibly though.
We only spent $20, and play the slots for a few hours, it was just fun to try it once.

My parents are planning a trip in the Fall to Las Vegas.

My aunt's neighbors went for a trip and decided to never come home.
They loved it so much they bought a place and decided to live there.
They sent a moving truck for all of their belongings and are currently trying to sell their house here in Ohio.

I hope my parents won't need this website but in case they do:

Highrise condos

A great place to check out if they to decide they like it so much they don't want to come home.
They could afford this place when they hit the jackpot!!

A Week in Review ::Tuesday::

Tuesday

We got up and decided that this would be the best weather day to venture to the zoo.
We were right!
It was mid 50's and the sun was shinning bright.
We only had to wear sweatshirts to be comfortable.

The Indianapolis Zoo is BEAUTIFUL!
They have so many thing our zoo is lacking.

Our first encounter was with the walruses.


And an encounter they were!


The biggest one, Brutus, weighed 2.5 tons and stood 12 feet tall. He was quite a character, whistling to us and patting himself on the back. I could have stood there all day long.



I just love this picture of the little one!



Captured the bubbles and all!



This picture shows how interactive they were, they would nuzzle the glass when you pet them and give kisses...Oh how I miss these guys.

We went to see them twice, we just couldn't get enough!

We had 2 other favorite exhibits:

The Dolphin Dome

Check out the link for better pictures, my camera is far from good.
This is the best one.



You can see a few dolphins in the background

The Desert Dome was our other favorite.
If you have cable I am sure you have seen Meerkat Mansion, I think that is what it is called anyway.
So the kids were very excited to see Meerkats up close.



These guys were hilarious, they sat like this and stared at the ceiling for like 5 minutes, I couldn't stop laughing.



This picture is neat becasue, it is of a meerkat in an underground tunnel, but if you look close you can see my eyes and nose in the reflection on the left and ethan looking at something else in the reflection on the right. (You might have to click to make it bigger) And the little meerkat face is really cute!

Here are some random shots that I thought turned out really nice, even though I hate my camera!








If you ever go to Indiana the Indianapolis Zoo is a MUST!!

A Week in Review ::Sunday&Monday::

Sunday

We had a great and crazy Easter!

We woke up to 12 inches of snow (or more),


( I know, the picture didn't turn out very good)

we hurried to church, hurried to Josh's family's house and then hurried to my family's house and hurried home to finish packing for our week in Indianapolis.

We then hurried to bed by 10 becuase we had to be up at 2am!

Crazy Day!


Monday

We woke up at 2am to pack the car and meet the rest of the crew at the shop.
We finally left the shop at 3:45 and got to Indianapolis 6 hours later.
We checked into the hotel..which his boss got us the worng room, so we didn't unpack, but walked over to the gas station to get some sandwhiches for lunch.
We ate lunch and took a LONG nap!

Daddy came home, we switched rooms, made some Kraft Mac and Cheese, and then went swimming!

Sounds fun huh!
The rest of the week gets better!
Look for zoo pics tommorow!

A Week in Review: Saturday

Since I didn't have the right equipment with me in Indiana, I didn't get to share all the pictures I wanted to last week.
Now I can share them, I will post daily this week what happened last week at this time!

Saturday, April 7

Nanny ( my grandma) comes to decorate Easter eggs with me and the kids!

I picked up and Easter egg kit last year when they were marked way down.
The kit I got had 3D stickers to decorate with, I thought they turned out very cute!



Today

We are home same after a 6 hour drive that got us home at 12:30 am.
We all had a great nights sleep in our own cozy beds.
Ethan fell asleep at 7:30, we woke him up for about an hour to eat and then he slept the rest of the way and just woke up at 10 this morning. ( I wonder if he will nap today?) He must have been wiped out from our trip to the Children's Museum and no nap yesterday!

I was up at 7:00 with my hubby and enjoyed a quiet morning unpacking!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Check back for some GREAT pictures from our trip!

Fun Day

I will be taking the kids to the Children's Museum today!
I will tell you where, when I get home!

The lady who Josh is working for highly suggested we not miss out. I had decided earlier in the week we wouldn't go because we already spent big bucks at the zoo (I had to spoil the kids), but Josh insists I take them. So off we go..................I will post pictures tomorrow after we are settled at home!!

Enjoy your Friday!

HOME

UPDATE: Since my brother came with us to work with Josh, my husband decided to take me out to dinner last night. Let me tell you, 1 1/2 hours does wonders to a stressed out mama! I actually was excited to come home to my wonderful children!

So we have been out of town since EARLY Monday morning. I thought I would like being at the hotel with nothing to do, but... I was wrong. We have been able to get out some, but I still just want to be home. The kids are driving me nuts...there is no where to get away to and nowhere to send them if they are bugging me.
Talk about being with them 24 hours a day. I think the furthest they have been away from me is a whole 50 feet when they are across the pool with their daddy.

What am I going to do in the summer when Merci isn't in school??
She is way too needy.
~HELP ME~
Girls are too much, they are mouthy, bossy, and too emotional.
And then there are 2 year olds...I won't even got here.

We went to the zoo on Tuesday.( I cannot wait to post pictures when I get home!!) The zoo was the best zoo I have ever been to, even though that is not too many=)

My husband doesn't want to leave to late tomorrow evening, but I don't think I will last that long.

Love this, gotta remember!

Check out this recepie. This is something I HAVE to remember to do this next year. I wanted something special to do with the kids this year and didn't really think of anything, this would have been PERFECT!

Did you do anything special to help your kids know the Easter story??
We told the story to the kids, but I feel like it didn't have an impact on them and I really want them to take it seriously even at a young age.

Trendy Tuesday

Great idea Drea!

I would have to say my most favorite and useful product would be
Spray and Wash Dual Action.

I used to use Shout and it wouldn't get some stuff out, my friend told me about this Spray and Wash and it works SO WELL! It has taken stuff out of clothing that had already been washed and dried and been stained for sometime. It is a little more expensive than shout but I can usually find coupons in the paper and it WORKS, so why not! Especially since I like to Ebay my used kids clothing.

BE CAREFUL, it is NOT a pre-treat, you need to put the stuff on and immediately wash it. I forget sometimes and it has left bleach like spots on colored clothing. I have not had problems if I immediately wash.

This is NOT a sponsored post, just part of a friend idea to share products we love!

Need a Daycare?

I always wonder what I would do if I needed to find a reputable daycare if I decided to work.

Picking a daycare is a big decision.

I know I would definitely shop around until I found the perfect fit for my babies.

Find a daycare

This is a great free service to find the perfect daycare
for you and your children!

You can search by zip code, child ages, and even daily prices.

Check it out and let your friends know too!

Picking a childcare doesn't have too be hard to do!
This site has been around for over 5 years helping people like you!

~This is a sponsored post~

Did you?

Did you have a wonderful Easter?

Did you remember to celebrate Jesus?

We watched Passion of the Christ for the first time Saturday night, what perfect timing!!

And then we woke up to an accumulated 12-14 inches of snow=(

I said "They can't cancel church on Easter Sunday."
Little did I know a few cities away they only had maybe 2 inches of snow!

I took a picture of the kids in their Easter outfits out by the snow, but we are out of town and I forgot my card reader=(
(We are out of town with Josh, keeping him company on his business trip, I have my car this time so we can go to some fun places)

I'll post it next week sometime.

One question: If I woke up at 2Am and didn't take one sip of anything to drink and I went to the bathroom 5 times before 9:30 am, do I have a problem?? I was so annoyed!

~A Joey~

We went to the zoo on Tuesday...in summer clothes..yet we had hats, gloves and boots on today.
Ok, I won't complain anymore, at least we had a few days of nice weather!!

So we went to the zoo on Tuesday, Ethan and I and some friends.
This picture is of a momma kangaroo and her joey.
He was in the puch butt first with all legs hanging out, it was hilarious.
They were only like 10 feet away, really cool!

Doing Unto Others

Lately the enemy has been trying to tell me to stop. To stop loving others, to stop helping, big lies are being whispered into my ears. I want them to stop, although I will NOT stop!

"LOOK AT MY ATTITUDE AND TAKE THAT...SUCKER"
( I guess you had to be at my church on Sunday to get that!)

By character I am am a loving, willing to help, giving individual. I love hospitality, always wiling to help and love dreaming up scenarios of really making a difference.

A few examples, I am always finding someone to give my kids outgrown clothes to. I hate having boxes of stuff lying around and we were never sure about how many or how close we wanted our kids. When we found out Ethan was a boy I went ahead and gave all our girl clothes away. Besides shopping for clothes for my kids is one of my favorite things to do! I am also always volunteering to watch others kids, bring meals to people, help in moving, etc etc.
I love to help and it gives me something to do.
Recently someone thanked me for planning a certain event and commented on how she feels bad I always get stuck doing everything. Well I actually enjoy it, and usually feel like I didn't even do much.

The lies I have been hearing are "Nobody appreciates what you do. " "Your friend wouldn't do that for you, " "Don't give those clothes away, nobody ever gives you any," "Why are you helping them, when you know you won't get anything in return."
Things like that.

But I felt like God just said "Donna, it doesn't matter, didn't I tell you to Do unto others as you want them to do to you." "Love your neighbor as yourself." "Be a light in the darkness."

Yes Lord you did tell us that, and like I told my husband. I am just in a season of doing unto others and waiting for my return!


One more thing.... My husband has been addicted to pod casts since he got his new Nano. He was listening to someone..not sure who..but that someone was saying..suppose God knew all your needs, suppose God knew exactly what you were going to ask for when you prayed, suppose God knew exactly what was on your heart (He does you know). Pray like you are communicating with God. Try it! Try to pray without asking, just talk to God.
It does say in the Bible to make your petitions known to God, and I know we are supposed to ask..and it will be given. But just sometime try to just dialogue with him. Try it and you may see.....haha!!