This has been a busy week.....

Today I finally can catch up on some housework before I head to work...and what am I doing? I am blogging!( But never fear Eddie the lasagna is made in fridge, 350 for about 45 minutes.) We have been insane with Dr. appointments, and well..raising the mighty 7.

Edwin has started having migraines, which I just hate seeing. I know that this can be part of Autistics going through puberty...not a very nice part however. This whole puberty thing is terrifying with kids like him. I have heard about everything from seizures starting to med changes going wrong, to mood changes that are uncontrollable. Geesh, I can't wait.

On the flip side, Edwin is so excited about taking guitar lessons next week. He tells everyone that he is going to be a major Rock Star! We are going with his teacher on Monday to pick out his new guitar.

We are finally getting the kids into activities. The 4 oldest are FINALLY starting the Boys and Girls club on Monday, (I know, I know, we have only been trying to get them started in there for 5 months...don't judge me!) And because of my new obsession with Dance Moms, Emily and Melody are going to be starting dance classes, if they have one on Tuesday or right after school on Wednesday.

Tomorrow Miss Melody are going on a field trip with her pre-school. We are going to Mancino's Pizza and learn how to make pizza. If you didn't already know I am not a fan of pizza (you are totally judging me now..aren't ya?) but I am a fan of Melody so I think it should be fun.

I think I have discovered the secret to Plymouth schools. They are the king of fundraising! So here is a list of things that we have fundraisers for Jefferson Elementary (Olivia and Emily's school).

Box Tops for Education (they have contests)
Pizza Night at Little Caesars
Ponderosa night at well, Ponderosa
Coupon books for Martin's
(we are doing that one now...$5 for $80 worth of coupons) just saying
Plastic lids of any kind or size
Campbell's soup labels
That sale where gift wrap and candy is twice the price
I think they sold bulbs for spring, but that may have been Ali's
Penny Wars
Book Fair (which they do during Grandparent's week, brilliant)

Market Day
Frozen Pizza sales

And that is what we have had so far...we are halfway through the year. I will say this I will help them fund raise as much as they need, if they continue doing such a great job.

Last Saturday Eddie and I went out on a date! I know! Anyway, we got all dressed up (I even went to the salon) and went to a fundraising dinner for the Chiara Home. It was like a fake Polish Wedding with dinner and an open bar...woo hoo! After we thanked God for making it across the parking lot which was pure ice, we could make donations to be in the wedding party. We did not get picked but CJ was a bridesmaid in it. There was these people sitting across from us, and at first I thought they were a little stuck up. Come to find out they were so much fun after they enjoyed the free bar, haha. Anyway after talking to them we found out about what they did for a living...are you ready for this? They own a Medical Billing Business! I probably owe these people my first born! I quickly turned around me and Eddie's name cards for fear that my name might ring a bell. Of all the people to be across from! We did adore them, and I hope Eddie and I still love each other as much as they did after that many years of marriage. They even took our picture..how cute. I told Eddie they know how to get a hold of us, you know because the Holstein children are probably a good chunk of their business. So, thank you CJ for inviting us, we had a great time and you made a beautiful Bridesmaid even though I was disappointed that you didn't do a cartwheel!I mean really, what was holding you back?

Tomorrow night Lena is making us Dinner and the family members have to grade her on the meal for school. Now, honestly how fair is that for the kid who has 9 family members? I think she will do well, she is going to make individual pizzas and salad, and then a dessert. At least with Pizza I know she will get a good grade form Edwin and Eddie.

So, I think that is all for today folks, enjoy the sunshine!

TV and Autism, and other random thoughts....

Lately I have been seeing a lot of Autism on TV. Because as you know Autism is by far the hippest of all the mental illness. I used to watch Parenthood, but to be honest I personally didn't feel like it was the best portrayal of what life is really like with an Autistic child. For one, the kid on Parenthood doesn't have a real severe type of Autism (similar to Edwin's), and I also wish that they would show what life is like as far as bills, therapy, the stares, but I would love if they would show some of the humor. Because kids like Edwin are a riot and that is how you handle the stress of dealing with Autism.

So, last night we watched Touch on Fox. It hit a little to close to home, but very realistic of what life is like. First off with the child, he is a non-verbal Autistic. They showed everything from the dis-connect that they have with parents, that dreaded blank stare, the unawareness of his surroundings, and the elopement issues. You seen how he never wanted to be touched but he wanted a connection. And then they showed how amazing their brains are, and believe me they are amazing minds.

On the parents side, you seen the issues of standing up for a kid that no one understands, dealing with authorities, being told that you can't handle them (and secretly not sure you can). Not being able to deal with other issues because Autism is a full time job with no breaks. The lack of sleep (I literally don't feel like I can breathe at night until I have Tobey with me and he is sleeping). And the heartache of putting your heart and soul into a child who may never love you back like the "normal" kids. (That being said Edwin kissed me on the cheek last night for the first time, the world did not end for him.) I love this show, and I feel like if people watch it they will get the real understanding of what it's really like. My only problems with it is 1) does not start until March and 2) it is on the same time as Modern Family...really?

So, I got my new smart phone and now I relixe that I am not smart enough to use it. So far I have used it to make calls, text Eddie and start an unhealthy relationship with Angry Birds. It has a lot of fun things, but I have no idea what I am doing with it.

The sea monkeys have passed away, there will be no services. I hated those stupid things. When we started there was 50, and then there was a mass killing or something becasue then we were left with one large mutant one. I personally think he killed all of the others. Anyway, I was tempted to just flush that stupid thing...but I didn't because it would probably scar my children. So daily I would look at that thing and get my hopes up that he was dying. One day he would spin around like he was a disco ball, one day he was just floating around..I thought for sure the nend was near. But no...he lasted a week more. Finally, the suffering ended (mine not his..haha) and he passed on to that big fishbowl in the sky. Or, maybe he went to the other place because of his murderous behaviors. Who knows...I DO know that I will NEVER buy those things again!

Yesterday on my husbands blog he pointed out that I play Castleville, I would like to take this moment and put on the record that my husband played Dungeons and Dragons in high school. There I said it! The secret is out Eddie.....

Miss Emily has 100 day today at school...when the heck did she grow up? She explained to me that he first boyfriend Aiden broke up with her for a new girl, and then her second boyfriend Wesley left her for the same girl. Kindergarten is becoming as bad as The Young and the Restless with all of this boyfriend drama. She got a certificate for good behavior this week, vast improvement over last week when we got a phone call about her mashing a sandwich in the floor.

Melody Summer had Chapel yesterday at preschool...it was very cute. Chapel at her preschool is hearing a short message from the Vicar (I think that is how you spell it) and then they perform a few songs in English and one in Spanish. It was adorable even though she refuses to do the dance moves (at home she is a dancer). I am going to miss this time next year...we decide to put her in Kindergarten at Tobey's school (more on that in another blog).

Lena and her man broke up but she refuses to put herself as single on Facebook. I am not sure why...she is already looking at other guys. I have decide to make her wait another 6 months before she can start dating again... She needs to concentrate on school now that's all.

Alison keeps trying to start new clubs at her school, the first one she started was the "Clean Club" where she wanted the kids to stay after school to pick up pencils and trash. Suprising, (sarcasm) she was the only kid who was interested in staying after school to clean up trash and pick up pencils. She did however manage to bring home around 50 pencils a week and she got several of those caught being good notes from the janitor. Now, she is doing a comic club...I hope that at least one other kid likes comics as much as her.

Olivia is planning a sleepover...she does this a little differently than most kids. She made out a list of rules and then another list on how long that they spend on each activity. She also made me a list of what foods to buy and informed me that I am not allowed to be involved after I have bought all of her healthy snack food. That is life with Olivia,

Edwin is going to start guitar lessons in february...he wants to be a massive Christain rock star (his words, not mine) . He hasn't left this phase yet...the only other one that lasted this long was his pirate phase. I am so glad that one is over with...hard to explain to people why your son is dressed like a pirate all the time.

Tobey Jude did the cutest thing yesterday. He has come to the realization that we talk in sentances not in one word like him. Tobey noticed I had some chocolate and Tobey must have figureed that he needed to pull out all the cuteness he could for me to give him some chocolate before bed. So, he tried his first sentance...it went something like this "fhsdjkhfask fhsdfn viiut doeroe CHOCOLATE!!!!!". Of course the dude got some chocolate.

Off to clean house and play with Miss Melody so she doesn't think the TV is her Mother...have a good one!

Happy Birthday Mr. Tobey Jude!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh, my baby boy is 7. I don't want to believe it, but I have to. My little boy is growing up!

I honestly don't know what to write that I haven't already said. So, I guess I will write a letter to my Tobey and read it to him when he can sit still for 10 minutes (Sophomore year, maybe?).

Dear Tobey Jude,

You, sweet boy came into my world 7 years ago today and changed my world. Words cannot describe what you mean to me. But the thing about you and me is we don't really need words with each other. All I need to start my day off right is to hold you as you wake up, and that smile that you give me very morning as I play with your hair....and you just want to go back to sleep. And then how within 2 minutes later you are running around the house chasing the dog, while Lena and I try to figure out how to catch you and get you dressed.

With you, nothing is EVER boring. You amaze me when you defy the odds, you make me laugh when you want me to chase you and tickle you, you frustrate me to no end when you take the labels off of things and you make me cry when you are having one of those darn Autistic days.

When I had you after a extremely tough pregnancy, I kept telling your Dad that you had better be perfect. And you are perfect, because even though life can be challenging every day with you. And even though there are still times that I see those "normal" kids and I wonder what life would be like. I would chose you EVERY time. I would take the toughest days with you over the easiest days with a "normal" kid anytime.

I am the person I am because you are my son, you have taught me patience and unconditional love. You have taught me the true meaning of motherhood. You, Mr. Tobey Jude are my heart...thank you for being my boy.

Lena's Orientation and life in general.....

Last night after the kids stuffed themselves on cheap pizza, I had to take Lena to her Freshman orientation. Her high school experience is going to be amazing! I want to go back to High school and I hope she sees what a gift she has been given of a stellar education. She is going to be in the School of Inquiry, which will include her history, English and language (she is going to take Chinese). Her elective classes are going to be Theatre , Art and Piano lab (a trimester of each). We are pushing her to get the Academic Honor's diploma which has a lot more scholarship options. We have also signed her up for 21st Century Scholar, which will cover a lot of college, help her find a part-time job and provide free tutoring. 21st Century Scholar used to give essentially a free ride, but that ship has sailed....so she is going to have to work a little harder.

I took Miss Melody out for breakfast today at Bob Evan's. After we ordered she seen 3 guys around 50 walk in with baseball hats, she then stood up and asked them if they were the Beastie Boys! How funny is that? That kid is crazy!

I hardly remember what the heck my husband looks like, I think that he is the guy with cool hair that I see in the fridge on occasion...but who knows? Eddie has been working way to many hours and every time I think that we may have a night off together he has a meeting or I have a school thing, he has rehearsal or I have another school thing....ahh, life. After Miss Melody goes to preschool tomorrow, I can have the man to myself for 2 and a half hours. Now, we could take the time and go on a mini date or we could take a nap and do housework. The latter will probably win out to be honest.

This weekend Eddie has his first meeting for Challenger, which is the special needs baseball team that 3 of our kids played on last year. Eddie is going to be a coach, which will be so much fun. There is something about a guy who has such a heart and such an ease around kids, especially with special needs. Lena, Alison and Olivia are going to the Roller Rink on Saturday night, Lena decided that she wants a roller skating party for her Birthday. Problem is none of our kids know how to really skate, so we are going to be making a lot of trips to the roller rink, thank heavens it is close tot he house. I have a lunch date on Saturday with one of my favorite people. And then on Sunday I get to see Eddie do his magic at Church...so I think this is going to be a great weekend and much less stressful that last weekend.

Eddie attempted to watch yet another movie on Showtime last night. It was called Pirahna, we heard that it was a horrible movie...it is! So, I have simply come to the conclusion that Showtime is to be used for Shameless and The Dark Crystal (which has a sequel coming out this year!) only.

Hope you have a great day! Outside it looks like Rudolph could be showing up any minute. I may need him....

No Butter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I did it....I made a dinner without butter or margarine. We had steak (Walmart had the thin cut steak on sale), roasted red and yellow potatoes with Mrs. Dash, a salad and broccoli with no salt and again used Mrs. Dash. Emily did not like how spicy it was.... I came to the conclusion that I am a good cook because I use butter and all that crap you shouldn't eat, that is how you make food taste good. So, I am going to have to be more creative. I did have 2 Cokes yesterday, I am not a failure though! I have simply decided to not go cold turkey with it. I have enough headaches with 7 kids.

The kids after school snack will be oranges, and for dinner tonight we will have Pizza. Olivia and Emily's school is having a fundraiser at Little Ceaser's, and the mascot will be there. So, we just HAVE to go....

I found a great website with not only great menus with healthy food, but tips on budgeting, cleaning and fun things to do with the holidays. So, I think I am going to start using their recipes first.

You can find it here.
Really neat site, may end up being my new best friend.


Last night there was nothing on TV, I mean nada. So because of our glorious Comcast cable (let's see if they comment again) we thought we might find something on Demand. I like independent films, so there on Showtime was a movie named Rubber. Here is what the description of the movie says, word for word.

Obsessed with a mystery woman, an old tire named Robert discovers his destructive telekinetic abilities (including a talent for making human heads explode if he's irked) and deploys his talents in a small California town.

Of all the things that you could do in this world, why would you donate 82 minutes of your life to this?

The other day, on Showtime again we watched one of those old school scare films. Eddie and I usually love watching these things and providing or own commentary. But, this one was worse than usual. Honestly they are all bad, but this one took the cake. It was called Reefer Madness 1936. Here for your reading pleasure, is the scrolling script that this amazing (sarcasm) film started out with....you may pee your pants.

Foreword

The motion picture you are about to witness
may startle you.

It would not have been possible, otherwise, to
sufficiently emphasize the frightful toll of the new drug menace
which is destroying the youth of America in alarmingly increasing numbers.

Marihuana (their spelling) is that drug
----a violent narcotic---
an unspeakable scourge
The real public enemy Number One!!!

It's first effect is sudden violent, uncontrollable laughter:then comes
dangerous hallucinations-- space expands- time slows down, almost
stands still...fixed ideas come next, conjuring up monstrous extravagances
--followed by emotional disturbances, the total inability to direct thoughts, the loss of all power
to resist physical emotions...leading finally to acts of shocking violence...
ending ofter in incurable insanity (this is where I had uncontrollable laughter)

In picturing it's soul destroying (whoa...) effects no attempt was made to equivocate.
The scenes and incidents, while fictionized for the purposes of this story, are based upon actual
research into the results of Marihuana addiction.

If their stark reality will make you think, will make you aware, that something
must be done to wipe out this ghastly menace, then the picture
will not have failed in its purpose....

Because the dread Marihuana (maybe that is how you spell it...) may be reaching
the forth next for your son or daughter
or yours....or YOURS!!!

Now, I have never done pot in my life but after this film, I feel like I may have missed out on something....kidding. I do think that when I have the next talk with the kids about drugs I will tell them that if they ever do drugs I will make them watch this film in it's entirety. There, problem solved!

Well, I am officially sick of typing, see you later!

Where a kid can be a kid......

So, as you know last Saturday was the mega event of the century....the Chuck E. Cheese party! I am so glad that we did the reserved party thing. They gave us 8 tables up front, so we had plenty of room and Tobey Jude did not feel too crowded. We had a really good turnout....Olivia wants to go back and have all of our Church family come....I will need to start saving now for that! The best thing about the party is there was no work! I didn't have to run things, cook, or clean the mess. And Olivia told me it was the best birthday ever, now doesn't that just melt your heart?

The highlight was the ticket blaster (for me and the kids). Olivia planned her attack out. She checked out the machine before hand and noticed which ticket had the highest ticket values, it paid off she got over 600 points in 30 seconds! Tobey Jude had a different approach, he took in Lena so he could enjoy fighting with the safety glasses and jumping up and down like crazy, he scored over 300 tickets. Now, you may ask what the kids purchased with said tickets...well let me tell you. Tobey got nothing because I forgot to turn the things in (next trip, I will let him pick out something). But, Olivia got a CD of Chuck E. Cheese singing his top hits. This is the stupidest CD ever! First off I have a hard time believing that he has top hits, I have never downloaded anything of his. Second off, as a parent when you leave Chuck E. Cheese you first want to thank God that you did not lose a child, then you take more Tylenol than the recommended dose, you sit down in your car wishing you did not get the kids balloons because you can not see to back out, and then you put on adult music and tell the kids not to talk for the 40 minute ride. You do NOT want to listen to the mouses voice singing about homework and cleaning your room!!!!!!!! Why? Why would they do that? The CD may come up missing the next time I clean out the car, just saying.

So, today on the Today show Paula Deen announced that she has Diabetes (type 2). As you know, I am a fan of this woman's cooking and cook her recipes at least once a week. Eddie said that he was surprised (haha) that she had this, because she cooks so healthily. I believe she adds butter to her salad....going on. My Mom died of that disease and it is one of my biggest fears to be honest. Lately, Eddie and I have been talking about the way we eat, and this may help push us to change. A problem I have is I like to cook, I mean cook, cook like homemade noodles and a lot from scratch. Which is a good thing because convenience food for a family this size and going out to eat all the time is not very economical. So, I picked up this cute magazine called Yum For Kids and it has really great recipes in that healthy and fun. If any of them turn out to be any good I will put the recipes in here...or start a new blog on the Holstein's trying to eat healthier on a budget. Maybe I could put a counter at the bottom of it for how many days I can go without a Coke. Let's be honest here, It won't make it past a day....I may try a Diet Coke, crazier things have happened.

Edwin is going to start Bible Study at Church Sunday. He is so hyped up about it! He is reading more of his Bible everyday than usual in preparation for it. I would love if all my kids were that excited about the Bible. It amuses me that the kid who I was told was unteachable can quote scripture. I think that one of the biggest draws for Edwin is the powers that Jesus had. Edwin has started praying for these powers, very cute. Last week at Church he learned about Jesus and the story about the loaves and fishes. He prayed to Jesus last night that he does not send fish here, but fish sticks are fine. I don't think he thinks they are the same thing....I will let him think that. He eats fish sticks and he ever shrinking diet needs all the variety it can get.

So, I think that is all for this rainy morning. I hope you have a great day and enjoy the temps, it is going to get cold!

Realizing what you have....

I was going to write about the birthday party today, and as I was strolling through my dashboard of the blogs I follow I saw that a little boy had died in one of the blogs I read.

So today, please head over to the little guys blog, and realize how lucky we are. I can hold my kids, I can play and dance with my kids, take them places and tickle them. This Mom never got to do these things in the 2 years and 8 months of her sons life. I would take Autism any day......

http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/2012/01/heavens-little-drummer-boy.html

Melissa

Plymouth VS. South Bend and Edwin the Christian....

Yesterday I had a ton of errands to do in South Bend, I had to force Eddie to take a day off of work so I could have time to get everything done without hauling a 4 year old and dealing with the insane school schedule. And as I was driving around South Bend I realized how much I miss the place. I miss shopping at my favorite stores and seeing people I know while I am shopping. I miss the restaurants! Oh my gosh, I think there is like 10 here!!! I had 10 within walking distance before. I miss the excitement of something always happening. Here, it's Blueberry Fest and school events....the town seems to shut down at 9.

But, as far as the pros for Plymouth...those amazing schools and "Annie". "Annie" is a special needs adult that walks my block all the time. She is very sweet and talkative. She uses a cane, and walks in any weather. When she sees me coming in the Durango she braces herself against the nearest garage. (For the record, I have never hit her.....). But the cool thing about all of this, is she can walk the whole area. Her Mom does not have to worry, everyone knows her name. She is safe and I want that for Tobey. I want him to be that guy in the town that everyone knows, says "Hi" to. The guy from A Dog Named Christmas BEFORE the Shameless fiasco.

So, this weekend is the dreaded Chuck E. Cheese party (insert Mozart's requiem). I am ready for all the family and the cakes have been ordered. I decided to reserve a table and have the actual party. At first, I was not sure about paying for the party. It is a little cheaper to throw some coins at the kids. But, now I am glad I did. We will have a table up front for 2 hours, our own hostess, the clean up everything, and the birthday kids get balloons, crowns, cups, a metal and the ticket blaster! The ticket blaster looks like so cool (it reminds me of the Grab that Dough episode from Golden Girls), I am not sure if Tobey will dig it but we can go in with him if we want. Eddie would like to see if he can just keep playing in there so we don't have to chase the boy everywhere! I think there is a one minute limit.....sorry Eddie. I do want to give some props to Chuck E. Cheese, they are bending over backwards for us. I went in and explained to them about Tobey to give the hostess a heads up that Tobey doesn't talk, to avoid the inevitable question of how old he is. And the General Manager met with me and offered to get me a hostess that would be great with the boy, and he will personally see that Tobey has anything he needs. Very nice and yes....I used the card.

Edwin at this rate may end up becoming a Pastor. The boy is about everything Jesus. The other day he made a cross in my dining room out of boxes and pretended he was Jesus being crucified. It was VERY dramatic....then he asked us about his capabilities to walk on water. Everyday he gets home and reads the Bible and acts out the story...if you want to know about what happened to the back of his hair see the story about Samson. I did however use it to my advantage and told him Jesus wants him to eat his veggies and the boy ate a green bean!!!! Probably not my best parenting, I will live with it if the boy will eat green stuff.

Edwin has developed a bad habit however, he has been calling 911 a lot lately. If I make him wash his hair, he calls them. If I make him eat something he doesn't like...911. If he is mad because he can't go on the computer? You guessed it 911. He called this morning before school because he is having a sitter tomorrow. For the record they simply call me back to make sure they are not needed. I am sure that the neighbor's appreciate us not blocking off Michigan Street with emergency personnel because Edwin does not like the shampoo fragrance. So, I am either going to put the fear of God in him for calling them all the time OR I am taking him to the Police Station to see if they can explain why eating mashed potatoes is not a real emergency. We will probably go to the station, Edwin is tight with Jesus and I don't want trouble...haha.

So, we are supposed to be getting a big storm. I never used to take those seriously, but after the blizzard of 2011...I take it seriously. Last year when we got snowed in we had plenty of food, but I ran out of Coke. It was scary and nearly did me in. And I know my husband loves me because that man walked through all of that storm to get my precious beverage. I am going to head to the store tonight so that man won't have to go through that again.

Well, I suppose I should do housework or something like that..see you around!

Note, a name has been changed in this blog to prevent her Mother from killing me.

Olivia Grace, the 9 year old Princess

Miss Olivia is 9 today!!!! Holy cow, that goes fast. She is bright, sensitive, goofy and loves with her whole heart.

I remember when we had her. I had her at Knox hospital, and they had to call in people to open up the maternity wing. And even though she was born on January 8th, she was the New Year's baby for Knox....that is how small the freaking hospital was. The Doctor kept making remarks about Chris Farley, very odd.

I have said so many times that I think Olivia was supposed to be an only child. She LOVES attention, and quiet time. She prefers reading to playing video games. She has her own unique qualities that the other kids don't possess. She is athletic, which is so odd for her being my kid. She is reading at a 7th grade level (she is in 3rd), she is eager to help with anything when she is in a good mood, when she is in a bad mood you need to watch your back.

Her best friend at the house is Emily, they are the only 2 kids that are in the same school together. She wants to be a Doctor or a teacher....most of all a Mom.

She loves Bible story and acts them out for me and her Dad, she tries very hard not to laugh at Edwin's prayer and usually says one herself at the dinner table (even though she is one of our shyer kids). She loves Church and is very good at sneaking in her diary when she goes.

Olivia, you are a great kid! Happy Birthday sweet doll. Mommy and Daddy love you so much! Thank you for gracing us with your life. Get it? Your middle name is Grace! Welcome to 9!

Birthdays and Shameless.......

The title will make sense at the end, I promise.

Miss Olivia will be 9 on Sunday, she wants more sea monkeys....NOT happening! Those things are utterly gross, and the water is turning green. We are taking the kids to Chuck E. Cheese next week, Lord help us. That place is insane! It will also be the first family party that we have thrown in quite some time, we usually just have a little party at home...no family. So, I am hoping that things go well, Olivia is so excited.

Tobey Jude will be 7, 2 weeks from today. As usual when it comes to Tobey I have mixed emotions. By the time Edwin turned 7 he was talking in full sentences, and potty trained. And I know you should not compare kids, but man that is tough. I mean they are brothers who both have Autism and they look just like each other, really tough. Anyway, I am cuddling with Tobey on the couch remarking how he is turning 7 and then my heart broke because he is not near as far as Edwin, and it just seems that the years keep going by and that "magical "fix is just not happening. And I know that Tobey is more on the severe side of the spectrum, and I know how far he has come and how blessed we are at how far he has come. But every now and then it just bugs you....going on.

On to the zany happenings at the Holstein's.

We love to blast the stereo and dance with the kids. But yesterday Emily Frances took it to a new level. She started dancing like a 5 year old should and then said "Now the pants are coming off!". WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?! She then mooned us! Not my proudest parenting moment. I am also ashamed to admit that I probably could have handled it better by not laughing. I should have turned it into a Duggar teaching moment. You know like "The Lord does not want you to strip" "You need to think about your life choices".

Now for a confession from Melissa. I watch horrible TV shows, like my kids have to be sound asleep before I get to watch the stuff that I really like. Now this stuff isn't like the backroom at Family Video bad....but a Christian should probably be watching Joyce Meyer's or listening to Sam's podcast.I am not a perfect Christian, and I rationalize it by saying it makes me a more rounded person, yeah that's it. Anyway, I am addicted to American Horror Story and Shameless. We just found Shameless 2 days ago, and I am hooked to it's dysfunctional ways. So we were watching an episode last night and Eddie kept remarking how he knew the Mickey character...and then while we were watching the Mickey character having violent relations with another guy (that is about as PG as I can get) Eddie put his hand on his head and said " Melissa, I know where I know that guy from!" , and then he let out like this howling laughter. He then kept saying he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell me....I finally convinced him that I could handle the truth, I mean really how bad could it be? And then he said the fateful words that changed my whole being..... "Melissa, that is the Autistic guy from that Dog Named Christmas movie". I then realized that he should NOT have told me, I can not handle the truth. I was then dumbfounded, that Hallmark movie is like my favorite, it convinced me of what a joy it is to keep your special needs child with you and how that could be a blessing, and we even got a dog that looks like dog on that movie. And there he is, I am looking at his butt right there on the screen. Now you have to understand, this movie made me see what kind of adult Tobey could grow up to be....now I am not so sure!!! Eddie in his odd humor started quoting scenes from the Hallmark movie..."Can't I just keep him until Christmas?" . I could have killed him, and now that I have seen that guys Butt, I am not sure if I can watch him in the Hallmark movie again. That being said, the guy deserves an Oscar.

Now, I should probably go and get a Coke.....have a good one.