Since I’m a stay-at-home mom, I have all day to clean and cook and take care of small home repairs, pay bills, do laundry, and create decorative centerpieces out of pipe cleaners, pinecones and spray paint.

So why is it when 10:00 PM arrives, I look around at the house, the dishes piled in the sink, the stack of paperwork awaiting my attention, the cereal spilled on the floor, and the still unfolded clothes, and I think to myself, “What did I do all day?” I’ve seriously considered the possibility that there’s something interrupting the time space continuum in my house; a force field of sorts. Most days I go, go, go to the point of forgetting to take a minute to stop and eat. So, why is everything in disarray come bedtime? Where did my time go?

I often wish there were just a couple more hours in the day. I’m always saying that I don’t have enough time to do all I have to do. Too often I feel as if I’m drowning in a sea of chores that I will never, ever be able to accomplish. And I know I’m not alone. In fact, during worship service last month, we had a drama about this very thing. And the other day, when I felt like I was drowning, my good friend Michelle, forwarded me a devotional on this very subject. It came at just the right time and was a good reminder to me. I love when things happen at just the right time and give you the inspiration you need to make it through the day without screaming at the kids too much, or drinking a bottle glass of wine, or curling up in a fetal position while you rock back and forth sucking your thumb.

In this devotional, Rick Warren writes, “We all have the same amount of time – 168 hours a week. The only question is, “How am I investing it?” We want to learn to invest it wisely so that we won’t be like the man in Isaiah 49:4, who said, “I have used up my strength but have accomplished nothing” (GNT).

Ain’t that the truth! To accomplish this, he suggests taking inventory of how you spend your time. Where is all your time going? You might think you only play a couple minutes of solitaire on the computer, but when you actually take note of your starting and stopping time, you might be surprised to find that you spend an hour doing it. You may think you spend 4 hours a day changing diapers (believe me, I know it sometimes feels like it!) but if you actually added up that time, you might be shocked to learn that only 6 minutes a day were dedicated to diaper changing.

He also says to eliminate things that aren’t necessary. What you’re spending time on may not be a “bad” thing, but is it necessary? Don’t mess around with stuff that doesn’t need to be done. Concentrate on the things that have to be done first. Yeah, yeah, this is much easier said than done. Sometimes it’s difficult to log off the ole computer and pay your bills. Sometimes we just want to sit down for a minute and watch Oprah even though we know we should be planning dinner or running errands or folding laundry. And of course, little kids at home can foul up your best-laid plans. You plan on cleaning the bathroom, but instead, thanks to your little ones, you end up scrubbing pudding off the ceiling, or cleaning dirty footprints off the kitchen counter, or giving impromptu baths because the kids thought it would be a good idea to decorate their hair with maple syrup and baby powder. Not that any of these things have ever happened to me…

Anyway, it’s always a good idea to stop, take a deep breath, and think about how you’re spending your time. I believe God gives us enough time to accomplish what He wants us to do. If you aren’t finishing all your tasks, ask yourself, “Is this really what I should be doing right now?” Maybe it’s time to eliminate some of those time robbers. And don’t feel guilty about it. The next time someone asks you to head a committee or bake 4000 cookies for the bake sale, or organize a fundraiser, feel free to say, “no”. If it’s not something you have the time for right now, it’s okay to decline. You have to do what you have to do. And it’s ok. Unless, of course, it’s your kids calling to you from the other side of the house, saying, “Moooom, can you come here a minute? I think the toilet’s exploding!” In that case, I suggest you stop the important things you’re doing and go. Very fast.

*****Check out my giveaways for Groovy Girls HERE and PhotoFiddle HERE!*****

I waited until the last minute to plan out my Sunday school lesson for today because that's the way I work. Today's lesson was about praising God even when you're scared and you think things are going badly. Peggy Larson does this continuously and it always amazes me. If one of my kids had been battling cancer for years, I'd like to say I'd still be praising God, but I have a feeling I'd be cursing instead.

So I read this passage from 2 Chronicles to my class: then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly....

This passage goes on to list such names as King Jehoshaphat, Pass of Ziz, Desert of Jeruel, Kohathites, Korahites, and Desert of Tekoa.

This is the kind of passage everyone dreads having to read in church because let's face it, no one can pronounce those names! I feel like a fool everytime I have to read something like this aloud in front of others. I've discovered the trick to reading passages like these with confidence, however. I figure no one else has a clue how these names should be pronounced either so as long as you say them with confidence, no one will be the wiser. Just make up a name and say it like you know it's correct. Even your pastor will think, "Hmmm, perhaps I've been misprouncing it all these years..." OK, maybe it won't work that well with your pastor, but it worked on my 2nd and 3rd graders today!

Now for this week's questions...

You know... you should really go see a chiropractor about your neck ;)
Ugh, yeah, I'll get right on that, Michelle. Actually, my theory of procrastination has paid off once more - my neck no longer hurts now.

Yay, another mommy who doesn't do epidurals. But I have to ask... did you get the same look I always do when you tell people? You know... the "Are you effing CRAZY?" look?
Well, I got the "are you crazy?" look, but I attributed it to the fact that I was pregnant with my sixth baby and notsomuch that I was declining a shot in the back.

Alright, I'm 38 and wore a tiara in Cheeseckae Factory...are you trying to tell me something? :) [about Brooklyn wearing her princess dress everywhere]
Ummm no. Nope, not at all. It's perfectly normal and expected for a 38 year old to wear a tiara at the Cheesecake Factory. Yep, that's it.

How are you so functional off so little sleep?
It's like when you have a newborn and you have to get up every couple hours all night long. You just survive because you have to. Of course, you end up doing stuff like putting your car keys in the refrigerator and forgetting to put shoes on when you leave the house, but we won't talk about that here.

okay, I know this is off subject but, I was wondering if you had a couple Disney world tips for me;we are going in march from the 9th to the 17th (six days in parks). just wanted to know how you survived it! I have 3 daughters.
I recommend scheduling some downtime into your days. I personally wouldn't go park hopping every day from open to close. We pushed the kids a bit too much when we were there. Most kids like the hotel pool more than anything else on vacation. I suggest spending an afternoon or morning at the pool a couple times during the week and just let the kids splash around and chill out.

Also, for your daughters, there's a place in Downtown Disney called the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. You can get your little girls' hair and nails done there. I think you need to make appointments ahead of time and it could get kinda pricy with 3 girls.

Take advantage of Fast Passes. If there are any rides/attractions you really don't want to miss, grab a Fast Pass when you first get to the park to ensure you'll have time to see it. If you go to Hollywood Studios, grab a Fast Pass right away for the new Toy Story ride or you'll have a really long wait. Skip the Prince Caspian attraction there because it's really lame. You just stand there and watch a trailer for the movie.

In the Magic Kingdom, skip the Stitch attraction. It's stupid and kinda scary for little kids. But it's scary in a stupid way. Really, trust me on this one.

Although we're a "fly by the seat of our pants" family, I wish we'd booked one of two meals ahead of time. Maybe a character breakfast for the little kids and a nice sit-down dinner at one of the countries in Epcot.

Dawn - was the guy at the fabric store named Victor?
I was too busy Twittering about his fashion headband and eyeliner to ask him his name!

So begging for something in a child-like fashion works with you?
Only when it comes from Caden and Coleman
I'll have to keep that in mind when you're reviewing some kind of man stuff. Do you ever review man stuff?
I'll let you know that next time I review power tools, Rick.

Have you ever considered setting up a chat room on your website so readers of your blog could chat with each other and possibly with you?
Ummm, not really. Interesting idea....

I had a dream I met your family. What do you think about this? Think I'm going insane by reading your blog so much?
Probably. But it's ok; you're in good company. ;)

What would you think if you knew that an 18 year old high school senior with schizoaffective disorder and no children regularly reads your blog?
It amazes me when any young person reads my blog. I'm afraid I'll scare them from ever wanting families of their own.

What would you do if one of your children had schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar or was battling major depression?
I would develop a cure for all those disorders. Ta Da! Hey, it's a hypothetical question! I can answer hypothetically.

Is this the first kid surgery in your family?
Unfortunately no.

How long will the cast stay on her arm? 4 weeks?
Until her arm is all stinky, wrinkly, and gross.

And curiousity is killing me...where does Brooklyn sleep?
with me

"Because there is no handicap accessible entrance! "i've been in a wheelchair for over 20 years and you'd be amazed at how many doctors' offices and hospital areas have no accessibility available. i couldn't count the number of places i couldn't get into and the staff didn't think it was necessary to accomodate wheelchairs.2 different doctors' offices told me their bathrooms aren't accessible because people in wheelchairs only use the bathrooms at home!
Seriously? That's just SO wrong!

hope it all goes well... have any of your kiddos had the waterproof casts?
Jackson did this summer. It was nice. I don't think it was an option with Lexi. The waterproof lining leaves a little more space between the cast and skin and is only good for some breaks. Other broken bones need a more snug-fitting cast to hold them in place while they heal.

With so many kids getting in so many scrapes, and visiting hospital/doctors/ER so many times, how DO you manage with the medical bills?
Ha! I won't tell you how much we owe right now.

And, just an observation here Dawn...but it appears that the middle children are getting the brunt of the scrapes. Are they getting enough attention? Shouldn't the oldest ones be tormenting them so they get enough attention in some form or another?
Is that what I'm doing wrong? I'll have to talk to those slacker older kids of mine.

I say you send the bill to Harrison Ford.
LOL! Here's the funny thing - the little kids have never even seen an Indiana Jones movie!

2 nights ago, I had a dream that I was pregnant with twins and that you delivered them in the hospital and it only took 10 minutes.
That's because I'm efficient and don't double-book patients. ;)

Your boy has a pink cast and your girl a blue one? =D Does she at least get to have kids sign the cast?
I was surprised when she picked blue over pink. And no way would Jackson have picked a pink cast. He had orange. And yes, she's been carrying a marker around with her everywhere just in case someone wants to sign it.

I know you must have answered this a million times but I can never remember... how old are all your kids?
I can't remember their ages either. Let's see...
Austin 14
Savannah 12
Jackson 10
Lexington 7
Clayton 4
Brooklyn 2

And on that note, I bid you goodnight.
Oh and it's not too late to enter the Groovy Girls RSVP dolls giveaway HERE.
And please check out Michelle and Mimi's great fundraising idea for the Larsons HERE.

Lexi and I showed up a little early for her appointment this morning. Everything went smoothly: we were called back on time, really nice nurses got her all set up, the doctor was able to easily get her bone back in place, and she woke up from the anesthesia tired, but none the worse for wear. I did have the chance to ask her doctor, "So whose bonehead idea was it to move into a building with stairs and no handicap accessible entrance?" He explained that the building is being remodeled and an accessible entrance is being added, but the move ended up going more quickly than they had planned and the entrance isn't done yet. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to complete.

Lexi didn't sleep well last night because her arm hurt a lot. This morning, she woke up in tears so Joe gave her a dose of her Tylenol with codeine. Unfortunately, Lex took this on an empty stomach and spent the next couple hours throwing up. She spent most of the day in pain and afraid to eat or take medication. I was finally able to get her to eat a plain waffle and take some Motrin.

I took Lexi to the orthopedic doctor today. They were able to squeeze us in this afternoon, but that meant Clay had to miss school. And more importantly, it meant that I had to take both Clay and Brooklyn to Lexi's appointment with us.

This doctor had recently moved to a different office building. I know it was fairly recent since I'd just been there back in June/July with Jackson and his broken arm. Anyway, this new building had several stairs leading up to the door. I had Brooklyn in the stroller (you know, because I was kidding myself thinking she'd stay there without throwing a fit, and she'd be easier to watch that way.) As I approached the door, I thought, hmmm should I walk around the building to find the handicap accessible entrance or should I try to carry the stroller up the stairs? Just then a woman came out and offered to help me carry the stroller up the stairs. Know why? Because there is no handicap accessible entrance! I didn't even think that was legal. What the heck?

Once inside the door, we were faced with another set of stairs. The woman helped me carry my stroller up those stairs as well. But seriously, what kind of orthopedic group would purposely move into a building that wasn't accessible??? Hello? Do they not have people with knee replacements, broken legs, surgery, hip replacements??? You know what I think it is? Job security. "Well, your knee is healing nicely. It's too bad you fell trying to hop up the stairs though. I'll be happy to take care of your broken wrist now."

When I asked the nurses about it, they just kinda rolled their eyes and said, "We know. Tell the doctors!"

So, we filled out all the required paperwork and waited. Then we waited. After that, we waited. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Why do doctors even bother to make appointments? Getting in to see a doctor at our scheduled time is an absolute exception to the rule. I show up a few minutes early for my appointments and it's just rude to make me (or any other patient) wait. Our time is just as valuable as the theirs. If an office is always running behind, then perhaps they need to hire more doctors or schedule less appointments. Of course, that would probably double our fees.

I always think of Jerry Seinfeld's piece on rental cars when I'm sitting in a waiting room. "You know how to take the reservation; you just don't know how to hold the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation - the holding."

"You know how to make the appointment; you just don't know how to hold the appointment. And that's really the most important part of the appointment - the holding. One of these days, I'm going to try that on the receptionist.



Anyway, it was kind of a wasted trip. I mean, the whole changing Brooklyn's toxic diaper while balancing her on my lap was fun. And the part where Clay dumped out the contents of his backpack on the floor of the waiting room was pretty cool. (The reason he had a backpack full of toys was because I told him, before we left, "Clay, why don't you grab a toy to bring along with you." He took that to mean, "put 50 billion toys in my backpack"). And the part where Brooklyn threw herself down on the floor and screamed at the top of her lungs, "I WANT CANDY!" was certainly a highlight. Still, it was kind of a wasted trip because the doctor told us,"I wish they had paged me last night while you were in the emergency room. I can't figure out why they didn't call me. What exactly did they say there?"

"Well, I wasn't there; my husband took her. According to him, the ER doc said she'd have to go to an orthopedist and have it set today," I explained.

He said, "Yeah well she does need it set, but I don't set kids' bones in the office. If it was an adult I'd give them a shot in the arm and then maneuver it into place and it would really hurt. I don't do that to little kids. She'll have to be put out for it."

Long story short - she has to be to the surgery center tomorrow morning at 8:30. They'll use general anesthesia and while she's out, he'll set her arm and cast it. Both her ulna and radius have fractures. The one has to be reduced because it's out of line and pushed up against her growth plate.

The good news is he said she'd only need a cast up to her elbow instead of her armpit so that'll be better at least


Feeling a little better tonight

And take a minute to check out my good friend (with total ADD) Michelle's site. She wants to save the world and is starting with some grand plans to raise money for cancer awareness on Coleman's behalf. Go check it out HERE and HERE!

And then go watch the lame video of me shopping at JCPenney with all the kiddos. If you think they're goofy in the video, you should see all the parts I edited OUT of it! :0 Check it out HERE!

This evening I went downtown to a reception held for Adventures by Disney. I decided to take the train downtown because I just didn't feel like driving in the yucky weather at night, especially when I didn't really know where I was going. And let's not even talk about parallel parking! I'd still be driving around right now if I had to parallel park my huge van.

OK, so I only ride the train like once every two years. I parked at the train station, looked for a parking meter, and not finding one, walked to the building. Just before I got to the building I saw a sign that read, "Pay for parking here." Oh crud. Do I have 6 quarters? Which spot was I parked in? I had no clue. I dug out 6 quarters (whew) and put them in a slot for parking space 69, hoping that's where I was parked.

I splashed my way through the rain puddles and made it to the station. I walked inside and searched for a place to buy a ticket. No place. I asked someone where the ticket counter was and they told me to just buy the ticket on the train. I hoped the stranger was telling the truth about getting the ticket on the train. I envisioned the conductor walking along, seeing me without a ticket, and physically kicking my sorry butt off the train.

So a guy came by to collect money. I just stared at him with a "duh" expression on my face. I didn't how much it cost and was waiting for him to tell me. He didn't say a word so I finally admitted, "I don't know what I'm doing."

He was nice and smiled and said he didn't know what he was doing either. Then collected my money. I pictured Tom Hanks in Polar Express as he punched my ticket. He didn't make any cool shapes or words with his punches though.

I think I was the oldest person on the train on the way into the city. I overheard a kid say, "My mom is SO old! She's like 35". I kicked her.

So I got to the city and had a little time to kill. I got a sandwich and watched the guy at the table next to me pick his nose. It was charming.

I hailed a cab with no problems and got to the hotel where the event was taking place. There I met up with Stephanie from Adventures in Babywearing, Dawn from The Herald News, and Amy from The Ladybug and Her Blogging Mama.

Before we walked into the meeting room, Joe called me to say that Lexi had fallen off the bunk bed. Her wrist was swollen and he was taking her to the ER. Ugh. Now what? Even if I left right then, I wouldn't get home for almost 2 hours because of the train schedule. I stayed and told Joe to update me.

The presentation had just started when Joe texted me saying Lexi's wrist was broken. :( A splint that goes up to my poor Lexi's arm pit was applied. They told Joe that she'd have to have it set tomorrow. When Savannah broke her arm, they had an orthopedic guy set it right there in the ER. Of course, her break was really bad with the bone completely out of line. I guess Lexi's wasn't that bad, but it sounds like it might be worse than Jackson's recent break because his didn't need to be set at all. I guess I'll see tomorrow. Someone asked me how I could be so nonchalant about it. Don't get me wrong, I feel awful that she broke her arm. I feel really bad about it. But I guess after 6 kids and numerous trips to the ER, things don't tend to freak me out too much.

On the way home there was a guy on the train giving a very loud lecture on happiness to no one in particular. I wondered how much he'd had to drink. He was quite emphatic, in a very disturbing sort of way. The strangest part of crazy-man's speech was the fact that everyone completely ignored him. They acted like there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Anyway, I'll tell you about the Disney thing later and I'll update you on Lexi tomorrow. Right now, I'm so overtired. I really need some sleep tonight.

She hasn't taken this dress off for the past 2 weeks. It's just not worth fighting over. What other time in your life can you get away with this, right? Could you see a 38 year old woman walking around in a Sleeping Beauty dress day after day? People might think she was a bit strange. Although I have been tempted to wear a tiara to the grocery store...

Yes, she has chocolate smeared all over her face and a scratch under her eye from where Austin headbutted her. He's part mountain goat. They were jumping around in a pile of leaves at the time.

The kids were ever so helpful. They went into the neighbor's yard and raked up all their leaves. They raked and scooped and gathered them up. They loaded up their arms and carried the leaves out of the neighbor's yard for them. And they dumped them into our backyard. Joe was thrilled with this. We have like 50 trees of our own too so they had a leaf pile back there that was 10 stories high. Gotta love the fall!

And, on an unrelated note, I did a review on my other blog for the VTech Kidijamz Studio HERE. I noticed that Peggy Larson had left a comment on that post saying,
"Caden: ooooo I want that!
Cman: yeah, I want it too!
Can we get it?
will you get it for us?
will ya? pweeeeze?
will ya?
Good enough for me- ummm of course they say that about EVERY toy commercial that comes on tv! But it would be cool to win something, so it's worth a try. LOVE YA DAWN! And we're not saying that to win- we know you do the random thingy."

I really wanted to give them the Kidijamz Studio, but I'd already said I was going to draw a random number, so I asked Stephen, the PR guy for VTech, who I was working with on this review, if he might be able to come up with a second one for the Larsons. And he did! I'm so happy to be able to send the boys their own Kidijamz Studio courtesy of VTech! Thank you Stephen and VTech!

If you see this, Peggy, act all surprised when you get it. ;)

Austin is back to his usual goofball self, I think. On the way home from church today Austin said, out of the blue, "If I had three wishes, I'd wish for a paperclip and a pickle flavored milkshake and a tree with a family of blue gerbils living in it and they'd jump from branch to branch like monkeys."

I looked at him like I usually do - you know, like he's from another planet. I asked, skeptically, "If you had three wishes, you'd wish for a paperclip, a pickle milkshake and a tree filled with blue gerbils???"

He gave me a sideways smile and a knowing nod and said, "Monkey-like gerbils."


To bake, preheat oven to 375. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm and toasty. Yum!

Hey, Dawn...did you happen to buy that birthday banner at a discount party store?
LOL! Ya think?

Do you make your own fondant or buy the tub at Michaels?
This time I bought the box of Wilton fondant. It's expensive and it tastes like glue, but I didn't have that much time so I just got the store bought stuff this time around. If you make your own fondant, it tastes SO much better.

Ok, so someone must ask (assuming it has already been asked but since it is saying "no comments yet" I'll take the plunge...Why the "A" instead of the "y" on Happy?
Because it was made in China?

That is one cool cake. You make the rest of us look bad. When will you be doing v-blog cake decorating class?
Is this something you guys would be interested in? Maybe I could do a monthly or bimonthly feature and teach you guys something about decorating? Let me know.

Oh, and what's fondant and spankonita? Sounds like stuff on Cinemax.
Spankonita??? That sounds somehow naughty. Spanakopita is a Greek dish made with spinach and feta cheese between layers of buttered phyllo dough.
Rolled fondant is a kind of taffy-like icing that you roll out and use to cover cakes and/or make decorations. It has a smooth, porcelain-like look to it.

How's the neck?
It's great!
As long as I don't turn my head.

And, so you know, November is Prematurity Awareness Month. In order to help prevent premature births, Johnson's has partnered with the March of Dimes to launch the "Prevent Prematurity Campaign," in which Johnson's will donate ten cents to the March of Dimes for every Johnson's Baby product purchased during the months of November and December, up to $100,000. So go stock up on all those great-smelling Johnson's baby products this month and help a great cause at the same time!

And finally, the Larsons got some sad news about Coleman's scans. The cancer has spread quite a bit this past month. He won't be able to receive chemo or this other protocol they were thinking he'd be able to get. :( Instead, he qualifies for a new trial that they'll be starting soon. Please pray for Coleman, his twin brother, parents, and doctors.