Hey, you. You're not around as a spare kid, really.

One of my several time daily prayers is that E2 lives to adulthood. He's such a ray of sunshine around here, always lightening the mood & making us smile (or shake our heads.) Yet there is a reason I call him my Odie child. I swear, if it sounds fun he acts first and thinks later if at all.
His other name has always been "danger baby." Scaling roofs at a tender three years of age, cutting plugged in electric cords at six, and now...at almost eight, he's only on his second Urgent Care/ER visit.
His first attempt this week was a fail. He and some sibs snuck into the garden tools and tried to remove the ends of his pointer and middle fingers. I am convinced his fingernail preserved his ability to flip someone off as a teen. He bled. He cried, but he obeyed and iced it, and while it's not pretty, it was never swollen and the bleeding stopped....so he got to take Tylenol and go to bed.
The very next day, on marathon errand Friday, he succeeded in throwing the entire family off. We returned from our thrift store shopping victorious..a 7.99 microwave to replace the one that had exploded..and I had to dash off to the school to pay fees and find classrooms so I could map my route for back-to-track night. I have 4 kids in the building this year, so conference sign ups are a track event...as well as getting to know the new teachers and listen to the 6th grade game plan. I had succeeded in my mission, and was really enjoying getting to know the 6th grade science teacher when our oldest huffs in.
"And there's the man of the hour now!'
"Mom, you have to come home now. E2 cut his foot."
"Is Dad still conscious?"
"Barely, but he needs you to take care of it."
I thought this was going to be a wash and bandage job, but the dear boy had managed to almost sever his little toe. Stupid sisters not recycling their stupid fruit cans. His timing was impeccable. Our busiest day, with football practice, transporting dressers for two sibs, and a funeral that evening....not a great time for the unexpected. At least he didn't succeed in severing the toe.
He's okay now, but his lack of caution has cost him a week of football, due to the stitches.
We love ya E2. Please try to stick around a while.

Starting anew.

Back to school time is inspiring. The kids have new shoes have new shoes and backpacks, new binders, unbroken crayons, fresh markers and crisp white paper. They have a fresh start with brand new teachers and new sets of expectations. They are abuzz with anticipation about school, their friends, and the new activities they "level up" to this year.

That said, I'm trying something new. Today I joined http://www.sparkpeople.com/" a weight loss/healthy living site. It has an online food diary and fitness log, along with suggested meal plans and message boards for support....and the best part is it's FREE! One of my prime excuses for not joining Curves, weight watchers, etc. has always been money. With six kids, we rarely have any to spend on ourselves. This site ripped that excuse away.

My goal is not to feel like the horses were running over me after girl scout camp next year. This year I was not a pretty sight by the last day. It was worth every minute though. Just scroll down to the "turtles" blogs.

That, and I feel kind of embarrassed I haven't taken better care of God's temple. Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins after all. So I'm repenting, and starting anew. Thank God for new beginnings.

Buying school shoes, an afternoon spent....

I never knew that having black and silver shoes was so important. Both my older boys were convinced. The younger two school kids also were opinionated, but not in surprising ways. Princess D had to have "sparkly" shoes with purple on them. Found the perfect pair at the Nike outlet, the only store I hate more than Hyper-Hades on a Saturday afternoon. E1 & E2 also had success there, but our oldest son was torn. I had set a price limit of $40...and to get Nike's he liked he would have to have $50. So I made a bold, almost unthinkable suggestion.....

"We could try the Adidas store."

"But mom, Nike is my favorite. "

"So, do you want shoes that look the way you want, or shoes that are the brand you want. C'mon. At least look. We can always come back."

(Growling and eye rolling) "All right."

So off we trudged to the more reasonably priced and 1000x less crowded Adidas store.

"How about these?"

His eyes grow large..."Yes! Ooooh, shiny. Do they have my size?"

And they did. Black and silver, almost identical to the coveted Nikes, but considerably more affordable.

"Thanks mom."

That's all right son. I'm proud of your choice. To realize getting a well made product YOU like is more important than having the "in" brand. Here's hoping this lesson sticks.