Where did all the money go

It has been unbelievable to me how much it costs to get these kids ready for school.

They went in for their sports physicals this morning. Since they had been to the doctor about 4 months ago, Dakota has grown an inch and a half and gained 10 pounds. Cheyenne has grown an inch and gained 3 pounds. Dakota is now just a half inch shorter than me.

Not counting school clothes that they both had to have, since everything they currently own is either trashed, too short or too small, we have spent

Sports Physicals.......................................$90
Sports Fees.............................................$130
PE Uniforms.. ..........................................$40
nut cup, football cleats, volleyball shoes,
knee pads, mouth guard............................$120
backpack and school supplies.....................$150
                                                              $530


I know there is nothing we can do about it and it is just another fact of life but it is ridiculous. Having to spend that much money to get kids ready for school. I can't imagine how much people who have more than 2 kids.

I will get off my soap box now and go off to get kids prescriptions filled and spend some more money we don't have.

3rd and FINAL party

For Dakota's third and final birthday dinner he wanted to have enchiladas and mud pie. I worked all day yesterday preparing the food. I even attempted to make homemade enchilada sauce. I FAILED miserably. The sauce was horribly bitter. I searched online and everything said add cinnamon and sugar. That just made it worse. I ended up throwing the whole mess down the drain and buying canned sauce. Then last night Drew and I went to the Mexican restaurant to say goodbye to our good friend who works there, she is moving away next week. I asked her if they sold the sauce they make, turns out they do. I bought a truck load of their sauce and spent several hours making enchiladas. I made 6 pans. They turned out delicious.

We were not sure how many people were going to be here. There was going to be anywhere from 7 to 18. We didn't know until a few hours before how many were going to be here. There ended up being only 11 of us, some who did not care for enchiladas. We will be eating enchiladas for many, many meals.  It was just the right amount of people for our house. Anymore we would have been screaming over each other.

Gramma and Papa, Uncle Doug, Logan, Maddie and Kiersti, Aunt Lid and the 4 of us.

Kiersti

Kiersti, Maddie, Uncle Doug and Logan

Gramma Jane

Drew and Papa Dan

Cousins

Some of my family came over to celebrate Dakota's birthday last night. My sister, brother and 2 nephews came. We had a bbq and it was decided that dad is a much better bbq'r so mom should stick to the kitchen, where she knows her stuff. The burgers were raw slightly undercooked in the middle. The rest of the food was a hit though. Dakota chose key lime and peach pie for dessert. (That lucky stinker gets to have 3 parties, 3 dinners and 4 desserts... someone must really love him)

I took a few pictures of the kids but they were so busy goofing around it was hard to get a decent picture. Bryan was the only willing participant to the picture taking and posed for several by himself. I threatened the other kids that until they let me take a good picture I was going to keep on trying and that I had allll night. :)

Cheyenne, Bryan, Kristafer and Dakota

Bryan

Bryan, Kristafer and Dakota

NO LONGER A CHILD BUT ALWAYS MY LITTLE BOY

Our boy turns 13 today. He is no longer a child. He will now and forever be our little boy. It is hard for me to believe that my baby is growing up so fast.

He is almost as tall as me. He can wear his dads clothes. He outgrew my shoe size a few years ago and his feet are now bigger than his dads. He is not the "little" brother just the younger brother. He has towered over Cheyenne since they were 3 and 4. He is getting ready to start the 8th grade. He is going to play football for the first time.

I feel such joy when I think about the young adult he is becoming. He has come along way in the last year. Very noticeably in the last few months. He has worked very hard to overcome his obstacles. I am so proud of him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAKOTA!
We all love you very much :)

We ran out of boy birthday wrapping paper so Cheyenne wrapped most of his gifts in pink "birthday girl" paper.

The bad thing about letting sisters wrap the gifts is she blabbed and told him everything he was getting so there was no surprise :(

WHOA!!

Since we moved again the kids needed to be registered at a new school once again. This year they are going to the same junior high their dad and I went to.

I drove over to the school this morning and walked in the door and it was like I had never left. It sure didn't seem like it has been over 20 years since I last went to school there. Total de ja vu.

Almost everything looks the same, even some of my old teachers are still there. Visited with one of them for quite a while. She didn't remember me but she remembered the long line of Tailleur's that had come before. It was really neat.

It was actually really cool to be able to walk in and go right where I needed to be without having to ask for directions or look like an idiot.

I was already excited for kids to go back to school and get them out of the house for several hours every day. Now I am even more excited knowing that they are going to the same school Drew and I did.

Cheyenne wants to take drama. My old drama teacher is still there and still teaching drama. It will be interesting to find out what Chey thinks of both the teacher and the class. Me, personally, didn't care for either. ;)

You want HOW much for a signature???

Called the doctor's office to see about getting a form filled out for each kid so they can use their inhalers at school if it becomes necessary. To make a long story short, they wanted $15 per form if I dropped them off and picked them up in 7 days or $20 per form if I made an appointment and came in.

I know our doctor and he does not practice medicine that way. The third receptionist I spoke to went and talked to the nurse and she is getting the forms filled out and ready for me to pick up in the morning along with new prescriptions for inhalers. All at no cost. WHOO HOO!!!

Dealing with some people really makes me want to stab people poke my eye balls out with a fork.

Thats My Boy!!

This morning Dakota was being just as serious as could be and says "Hey sis, I know what I am getting you for your birthday." She gets a lil excited and says "What?" Then being the sweet and generous boy that he is he says, "A stack of job applications."  

I was cracking up, Cheyenne on the other hand was not impressed by his comedy.

Cheyenne wants a job, she wants money and she wants stuff. We have been talking for a few weeks now that in our state you can get a job at 14. She can't hardly wait for the next month and 8 days to go by til her birthday so she can go find a job.

She says she is NOT working at McDonalds. I have been trying to explain to her that a lot of places will not hire 14 year olds and McDonalds money spends the same as anyone elses. She is not convinced yet.

Sister Wives ;)

My sister in law, Elizabeth, is one of my best friends. One of the first people I tell things to, a shoulder to cry on and someone who will laugh at all my stupid jokes. I feel very lucky to have her in my life.

Tonight while Drew was working, we went to a birthday party for one of mine and Drews friends. We had a great time hanging out without the kids. We went to a casino near us and had some delicious dinner, then we hung out by the fire with friends.

This is a crappy picture but this is us in front of the fire.

Headaches

Our boy has been having some sharp stabbing pain in his temple for 4 days. It has been getting worse and every bad thing starts running through my head. Drew took Kota and I to Urgent Care so we could have him checked out.

He was not at all amused that I was taking his picture while he was laying in bed in pain. I told him it is my responsibility to document everything so he had to let me. :)

Turns out he has cluster migraines. The doctor didn't find anything neurologically wrong with him in the tests she did. That is very good news. Unfortunately, he will probably have these headaches for the rest of his life. My poor baby.

The doctor prescribed some Tylenol 3 and mom and dad prescribed a blizzard. We are hoping the medicine works, if not he will need to have a CT Scan and possibly a MRI.

We also had his knee looked at. A few weeks ago he decided it would be fun to ride his cousins tricycle. The trike didn't survive the ride and Dakota landed on his knee. The knee is swollen and painful but it is nothing serious, just some fluid on the knee cap. The doctor told us that his growth plates have big gaps in them and she expects him to grow 6" in the next year or two.

My baby is only 2" shorter than me and is not going to be 13 until next week. Sounds like I may be looking up at him before he turns 14. Oy Vey!!





Best Money Ever Spent

Our family is all slightly obsessed with a show called Top Shot. On several episodes they have shot blow guns. Ever since the first time Cheyenne saw that she has "needed" a blow gun.


We had to go to Cabelas today and it turns out they have blow guns for $12.99. We got one for each kid. It could very well be the best $26 we have ever spent. The kids are having a blast.

Its 3 days later and the blow guns are still a huge hit. For kids young and younger :)

Horseback Riding Lessons

Cheyenne has started babysitting for a friend of ours in exchange for horseback riding lessons.

I was afraid she was going to change her mind at the thought of giving up her Saturdays for 10 hours for anything other than cold hard cash. Its only been a couple of weeks but so far so good.

It is a lot of commitment and responsibility. So far she has been very excited. She looks forward to babysitting. The boys look forward to her coming over and the older boy has instructed her that he needs macaroni and cheese and huge M&M cookies every time she comes over.

She also looks forward to her lessons. I never imagined that riding lessons would include homework. I also never thought she would be so happy to study. She has spent several hours studying her assignment. She also has had a little bit of instruction from Dakota about tying knots, another important part.

Its good to see my girl so thrilled about something. Its also good to see her doing something that is just hers and not something she has to share with Dakota.

Mental Illness and Suicide

 CLICK HERE

A very important message on suicide.

Recently a guy I went to school with committed suicide. We were not close and hadn't spoken since Jr High School. It still hurts to know that another person has taken their own life.

I have known several people who have committed suicide. No one extremely close to me but each time it has an impact on me.

Probably the biggest impact was when my dads longtime girlfriend, who I only knew from a few short visits, hung herself. It was the only time in my life that I can recall my dad ever crying. He lost the most important person in his life and 7 years later the pain is still very real for him. She was a wonderful woman and I feel so sad that I didn't get to know her better. Sadder yet that she didn't know what else to do because her pain was so great and her struggles so big.

I have heard a lot of talk about how suicide is such a selfish act. I personally do not agree. I know from my own personal struggles when I am in that place it has nothing to be with being selfish. It has to do with an illness that I cannot control. An illness that has control over me. Some days are better than others. Some days suicide never crosses my mind. Some days it is all that I think about.

Mental illness is a taboo subject in our society. It really shouldn't be. All that does is makes it harder to reach out for help. It is something we should be able to talk about with our friends and family. Instead we are afraid to say there is anything wrong. We are afraid to talk to the doctors or to check ourselves into the psych ward. There is a negative stigma attached to mental illness when there shouldn't be.

People with mental illness are not crazy. We did not ask to have this illness. It is a chemical imbalance in our bodies just the same as someone with diabetes. You wouldn't think badly of someone with diabetes so why would you think that of someone who has a mental illness.

I hope and pray that someday there is a better understanding of mental illness. I hope that if someday my children suffer from an illness that can impact their lives in such a way that there is more awareness and acceptance.

If you need someone to talk to please call 1-800-SUICIDE

Stuck in 2nd gear

My mind has been stuck in 2nd gear for quite some time now. I don't quite know how to get out of this place and into 3rd. I am stuck between the idea phase and the planning stage.

I REALLY need to help generate some money for our family. I REALLY love baking. Cookies, especially. Everyone who tries my cookies tell me they are fantastic.

My idea is to start a business where I could sell my cookies and make some money.

The problem is the task of making it happen is a daunting one. I don't know where to start.

I have kind of sort of looked at a few commercial spaces for rent in our town but they are pretty expensive. If I can't sell a whole lot of cookies I will be screwed.

I am not sure how much of an income I could generate off cookies alone. I guess I could include cupcakes and other things but I still wonder if I could make it happen.

So how do you get from the idea stage to the planning stage when your brain will not engage?!

My Darling Daughter

I love you so much. You have a beauty in you that is comparable to no one I have ever met. You are funny and witty and snarky. You are kind, loving and compassionate. You are intelligent beyond words. You are beautiful inside and out. Your big brown eyes, long eyelashes and cute little grin have had the ability to melt my heart since I first saw your face.

You have so much potential in life. You can be anyone and anything you want to be.

I want you to make the best of your life. I want you to be a mom, a doctor, a vet, the president, a police officer, a sailor or solider, a teacher or a truck driver. I just want you to live your dreams.

I don't want you to ever let someone else make you feel like you are not good enough. YOU ARE

I don't ever want you to feel like you are less of a person than anyone else. YOU AREN'T

I don't want you to let someone dictate to you how you should feel about yourself. ITS YOUR DECISION

I don't want you to settle for second best. YOU ARE FIRST RATE BABY

Never let someone pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do. YOU ARE WISE ENOUGH TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS ON YOUR OWN

Always demand to be treated with love and respect. YOU ARE WORTH IT

Never allow someone to put their hands on you. YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO BE HIT, EVER!!

Do not allow anyone to talk down to you. THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT

Mistakes happen. OWN UP TO YOURS

If you can't be proud of what you did. DON'T DO IT TWICE

Keep yourself and your home clean. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT STOP BY

Always keep your promises. SOMEONE MIGHT REALLY BE COUNTING ON YOU

Always treat people the way you would want them to treat your children. SOMEDAY IT MIGHT BE YOUR CHILDREN WHO BENEFIT.

Always stand up for whats right. SOMEONE HAS TO, IT MIGHT AS WELL BE YOU

Remember how your daddy treated me. NEVER SETTLE FOR LESS

I love you, I adore you and I am blessed to have such a wonderful daughter.

Love you all the way to the sun and the moon and the stars and back.

Love, Mom

Dear Sweet Son

You are smart and wise. You are logical and you can really think out side the box. You are sincere and compassionate. You can love and understand others like most adults cannot. You are charming and sarcastic. You are dependable and determined. You are a hard worker and you have an uncanny ability to figure things out. You are a math whiz and an animal lover. You are a joker. You are someone who should be admired.




You have so much potential. You have a whole world of possibilities ahead of you. You can be ANYTHING you want to be.


I want you to be a dad, a chef, a crab fisherman, a hunter, a doctor, a lawyer, a preacher, a teacher, a pharmacist, a truck driver, the president or a nuclear engineer. There is no one who gets to make that choice but you.


I don't want you to ever feel like you are not loved. YOU ARE EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF EVERY DAY


I don't want you to ever feel unworthy of love. YOU ARE WORTHY


I never want you to feel second best. YOU ARE #1


I never want you to settle for less than the best. YOU DESERVE IT


I want you to always respect yourself. YOU ARE RESPECTABLE


I want you to always do your best. IT IS IMPORTANT


I never want you to let someone pressure you to do anything you don't want to do. YOU ARE WISE, YOU CAN AND WILL MAKE GOOD CHOICES


I want you to remember that you are human and you are entitled to make mistakes. OWN UP TO YOURS


I never want you to let someone tell you how to feel about yourself. YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN GOLD AND SILVER


If you can't own up to your mistakes, reevaluate your life. YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT


Never take anything that isn't yours. YOU DON'T NEED ANYTHING THAT BAD


Never let another person put their hands on you. YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE HIT


Never put your hands on anyone. YOU HAVE MORE VALUE THAN THAT


Always keep yourself and your house clean. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN I MIGHT STOP BY


Promises are to be made and not broken. OTHERS COUNT ON YOU


Never tell someones secret (unless they are in danger, then its not really a secret). YOU ARE TRUSTWORTHY


Be the person you want your children to be. VALUES ARE EVERYTHING


Never degrade another person. YOU MAY BE ALL THEY HAVE


Always stand up for what is right, even when its not the popular thing to do. SOMEONE NEEDS TO, MIGHT AS WELL BE YOU


There are always going to be people who are different. MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE THEY AREN'T


Always remember how your father treats me. NEVER GIVE ANY LESS OF YOURSELF


Son, the day I had you was truly one of the best days of my life. You have brought so much joy into my life. I love you more than words can say. Thank you for being you.


I love you all the way to the sun and the moon and the stars and back!


Love always and forever, Mom

Damn Dog

I heart this little girl

but....

I am about 3 seconds from drop kicking her across the room.

That's right I want to punt her like a football!

Why?

The door has been open and she has been outside for the last 2 hours,

then she comes in the house,

door still open,

and not more than 2 feet from her,

and she lifts her leg,

(yes, she is a girl and yes she lifts her leg)

and she pisses all over a garbage bag on the floor.

NO matter how cute she is,

and how sorry she is acting right now,

and how snugly she is trying to be,

and the fact that she is laying on my arm to keep me from typing,

she is in serious trouble right now!!