You Know Your In A Recession When......

1. You unlock a used family cell phone for your child to use that originated in Arizona went back to Newberg then back to Arizona and back to Newberg then to West Linn! Michael now has a cell phone (for my peace of mind) that I unlocked successfully by myself for free online by doing a bit of searching for a forum that gave them out for free... Yeah!

2. Your husband turns into a Dog Groomer..... I laughed so hard! He actually doesn't look that bad!

3. You finish emptying out the Accent Residential Homes office in Tualatin. All I have left to do is vacuum and he will be officially gone. He has temporarily moved an office back into our house. It will be nice having him around a bit more when he is in town. Its so sad to have that that chapter behind us - maybe its more just sentimental. I remember sitting in his truck years and years ago trying to think of a name for his company.... Wow! He did a great job and Accent was a huge success for so long - dang economy!

4. Your husband has to start commuting across the country back and forth to work! As much as I hate him being gone and I dislike Arizona (its way too hot) we are blessed that he is finding work when so many of our friends and family seem to be unemployed and looking for work. We will miss him lots but it will be a growing and strengthening lesson for us all.

5. You have to give up your Blackberry phone.... well just the internet part. So if you want to get a hold of me call or text me or wait until I can be home to check my email. Its all good!

6. I have had to learn to budget my time so I can clean my own house and keep up the outside. I have learned to shop with coupons, buy house brands and even venture out to Winco... I have even learned to deal with paper blinds in my house (can't wait for those to be replaced)! I have even started back to work part time (which I love) We have all become more creative and more resourceful which is a huge life lesson to all of us! I am so thankful for our families who support us to all ends of the earth! Its been an eye opening experience that will only make us all better in the end! I hate to say I am thankful for this but in a small way I am!

Sharpie

Andrew has been experimenting with Sharpie Pens - everywhere! Name a surface and it has seen a sharpie in the last few weeks. I have no idea what or why he is doing this! Its a big pain and he actually as done a lot of damage.... The carpet, counters, coffee table, hardwood floors, walls, toys, clothes, computers, and the list goes on - seriously! The other day he came in with designs all over his pants and shirt and then proceeded to write on the computer - consequence now is that if he draws on anything besides paper I get to draw all over his face with Sharpie and he can go to school with it all over - couldn't come up with anything better off the top of my head. So today he explained how I would be doing the same thing by coloring on his face as he had done and that it wasn't right so I couldn't punish him that way - smart cookie! To bad Andrew - you do it again and you'll be colorful big guy!

When it Rains it Pours

Yesterday, I was commenting to my mother in law how I wish I could just catch a break. It's been one thing after another. I know their are ups and down and I was wishing for a few ups instead of so many downs.
So after attending a cheer meeting to discuss fundraising and everyone having opinions and no one making decisions I was exhausted and ready to head home after a very long day. Low and behold I go to my car and Michael has run out the battery listening to music while I was in my meeting. Okay, no big deal I find a friend and some jumper cables (remember it was freezing out too) so we are cold and we cannot find the latch to open my hood. Its dark and I am getting frustrated. So we finally find the latch (thank goodness for friends with flashlights) and I get out and we hook up the cables and I go to turn on my car and I have locked my keys in the car! I was laughing so hard - I could not believe it! Its 7:30pm the kids are starving and we are stranded! (Sean is still in Arizona looking for job opportunities - yeah I know it the worst city to be in the building business in but what do I know) - anyways.... The gym feeds my kids cup a soup and my sister rescues us and brings the kids home and I go back to jump the car again. After an important errand I finally get home and crash.

With the snow this morning and cramming in extra studying with the boys I run into work (well crawl - it was snowing) and I have been running full force ever since (did I mention Emily has fifths disease and Michael can barely speak his throat is so swollen and I am waiting for the return call from the middle school vice principal again...). Needless to say the house actually looks like a tornado has been through it. I am not exaggerating - that whole OCD thing is way out the door. Its gross, the dishes are over flowing (Zach finally had enough and did those - thank you) laundry is piling up and you can barely walk through my kitchen and family room.

The upstairs is a whole other story. Andrew has been coloring with permanent pens everywhere and somehow the bonus room toys have ended up on the roof - yes the roof. Emily and Andrew have also created a "store" to sell things in the hallway.

So what I am doing - updating my blog. Sean comes in tomorrow late (hopefully) and I have the day off....

Glad I am not PMSing and I can just laugh at this so called life. Ugh!

Cheer Bid to LA

Emily competed in the Pac West regional cheer competition in Tacoma yesterday and her team rocked! They did so awesome! Their pyramid was flawless and as one of her coaches described it it was so perfect it looked illegal. At the end they announce the awards and out of the 7 teams they kept on saying all the bronze winners (everyone gets a bronze if they didn't place) and they didn't mention our team and it was then that we realized they had placed in the top two and then they announced Metro was the silver place winners with a 1st place bid to the International All-Level Competition in Los Angeles, California! It was amazing and exciting and the girls were crying and we were jumping up and down. This was huge on so many different levels - they did it. Their coach and girls did it with all the ups and downs we have had this season! So exciting! Now its time to polish their routine and fundraise like crazy! Disneyland here comes Metro! Yeah!

Brittany Spears & the Chicken

I found this in the bottom of Emily's backpack - not exactly sure what she was thinking! To funny!

OCD no more.....

About 10 years ago I had a bad case of Step Throat that somehow enlarged some part of my brain that triggers OCD. Weird I know - I was obsessed with having my house clean and straight and balanced. I would walk around even straightening the fringe of my rugs - pathetic I know. I also became very leery of going into public places with my kids for fear they would get sick. Long story short after some not so great therapy and some not so great medicine I had to have surgery and I was on a heavy antibiotic for a few weeks - this some how took the edge off the whole OCD thing and ever since I have slowly let go of all those fears and compulsions. Yeah! Well to prove this I realized that I didn't really mind that one night Andrew had taken all his gum and some of his brothers that he got for Christmas and taped it all to is walls around his bed. He found some posters and stuffed animals and taped them up too. He even photo copied various items in our house and glued them with glue stick to his walls and doors. I got such a kick out of it - he is very proud of he is masterpiece and I am too. I am glad my compulsion for things to picture magazine perfect are out the door (not that I don't like a clean straight house) but its okay that my kids have the freedom to be creative their own way. So here is to you Andrew! Thanks you!

Ringing in the New Year

Andrew is the man! He was the only one who managed to stay up with me to celebrate the New Year. He was so excited and pumped all day. He even convinced Sean to light off a few fireworks at 10pm! He was not going to give in to sleep like everyone else. When the magic hour came he was grining and so proud. He watched the fireworks in the neighborhood out our master bedroom window. And let me tell you how proud he was to tell his brothers and sister and even his dad that he stayed up and they didn't. Thanks Andrew for celebrating this New Year with me - your awesome. As a footnote he beat both Emily & Michael at bowling tonight too - he is thinking he is way cool and he is!