December

Is December everyone's busiest month?  Geez..wouldn't it be nice to just hit pause for a couple weeks.  Get everything caught up, breathe....read a book....take a bubble bath.....without anything pressing on a TO-DO list..ick.  Yea, well not so much this month.

BIG EVENTS FOR US THIS MONTH:

I am graduating *spin cartwheels with me* (well, if I could do a cartwheel).  When I ordered my cap and gown over the phone I started feeling very warm and fuzzy.  She said, "This gown will be different from your Bachelor's degree.  Special sleeves, don't be scared!"  HAHAHAHA I am now very anxious for my Fed-Ex man to drop it off....funny sleeves? What the heck does she mean?!?!  

Momaha.com is launching!  Now this doesn't require much work on my part but it sure gets me excited!  I feel honored to be a part!!  Tomorrow is our photo shoot---I'm a gonna be famous ya'll:)!  And the site officially launches on Tuesday of next week.  Don't worry, I'll remind you.

Parties, parties, and more parties.

Some super secret event as well---it involves a friend, a good one.  Who just maybe has some incredible opportunity.  That just maybe would make me uber uber uber excited...I'll fill you in when I can!!!!!

And then of course the normal Christmas hug-a-baloo...which I truly love.  I ain't complaining at all.  I want to make cookies, lots of cookies and deliver them to people.  It's like my favorite thing.  Bourbon Balls, Sugar Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Peanut Butter Fudge, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Reindeer Poop (so silly), and whatever other recipe I get my hands on that looks appetizing!  I fill up little tins, just like my momma does.  Delivering goodies makes my heart smile:)  and keeps all those calories off my already thunder thighs!! 

I want to make Gingerbread houses with my children.  All standing around the dining room table, christmas music in the background, smells of pumpkin and ginger filling the air....kids grabbing candy and icing left and right.  They'll probably even get in at least one argument...but it's those moments where we are all together that make me the happiest of all.  I think about the Kenny Chesney song "Don't Blink"......country lyrics describing how fast children grow up and it reminds me to savor every single moment with them.  The smiles, giggles, hugs, kisses AND the arguments, messes, time-outs, and disobedience.

I LOOOVE being a MOM.  I love December.  I love Christmas.  

Selfless acts, with purpose?!?!

Translation

Dear Daddy and Sarah,

Don't worry about making your bed.  I already did.

I love you.  Your the best. No need to thank me I'll be in my room.

Love, Skyler

My New Role

I have been writing this blog for nearly 2 years now.  I still love sharing stories of the kids and keeping the family updated on some of our goings-ons.  Throughout this process, my passion for writing has grown even deeper.  I am fascinated with the growing community of mommies on the web.  Mommies searching for community, advice, and fresh ideas.  Also, as a newbie to Omaha I am constantly searching for ways to network with other moms, writers, and the business community as a whole.

In pursuing the Internet the other day for my client, Pin Curl Girls, I stumbled across Momaha.com.  Momaha.com is a product of the Omaha World Herald - see more information on the website here.  They are in the process now of compiling a group of local mommy bloggers to help in the building of their site.  I applied and was offered the position the next day!:)

As a member of the Momaha Team I will be writing some more general blogs about life raising a blended family, life as a mom of 5, life as a step-mom, etc.  My unique roles are quite vast.  I'll share the links here and hopefully some of you will enjoy!:)  My first post discussed the difficulties of keeping up with the laundry 7 people produces and a new trick I have discovered to help me not despise the process.  I'll let you all know when the site is live and you can follow me there!:)

Zack's Adventure in the Kitchen

Last week-end Zack and I ended up spending a lazy morning hanging on the couch together.  It was wonderful until we realized we had two hours before we needed to leave for Lincoln for Grandpa Jack's birthday.  No one had showered, we still needed to make our culinary contribution, and get 5 kids loaded in the car!

I had decided to make Homemade Macaroni & Cheese from the Pioneer Woman's web-site.  Please keep in mind that I have just discovered The Pioneer Woman about a month ago and it's one of my new favorite things!  The author offers a beautiful step-by-step account of each recipe she provides.  The pictures and description allows for a fool proof way to create yummies!!!!!!

So, back to last week-end.  Zack and I were making the game plan of how to accomplish everything we needed to and avoid being late to the party!   He decides he could make the MacNCheese while I take a shower.  Now, this conversation ended up priceless:

Me:  Honey, are you sure?  It's homemade, you'll have to make a roux, etc.

Zack:  Babe, it's this Pioneer Woman, Right?  She has pictures...nobody can screw that up.

Me:  For the record, I am worried!  This isn't just chop, mix, and plop....

Zack:  I can handle this babe!  Go take a shower and don't worry about it!

So, I head to the shower all the time thinking of how he was certainly going to burn the cheese sauce.  Zack doesn't cook....at all.  He MIGHT make quesadillas which involves plopping some shredded cheese and meat on a tortilla and I just knew this wasn't going to end up well.

I came out of the shower, dressed quickly and dried my hair...still worrying about what was happening in my kitchen.  I finally emerge from the bedroom and to my surprise the stuff looks delicious!!  I was shocked and so pleasantly surprised.  I also felt a little sad, like this is my thing --- you can't be good at cooking too!!  Zack's a freaking genius.  A controls engineer that can do complex algebraic equations as simply as I would do addition or subtraction.  A guy that tutored and pulled me through my economics, finance, and managerial accounting courses for my MBA.  A guy that is undefeated at both Monopoly and Scrabble when playing with me.  This guy is smart he doesn't need to steal "my thing."

I begin cleaning up the kitchen and preparing the children to head out while he finishes the casserole.  Finally, he asks me to taste his dish and he is oh so proud.  He dishes up a small bite and places it in my mouth.  It takes every ounce of self-control I can muster not to spit it out.  AAAAAAAHAHAHAHA it takes like a big pile of gooey mustard!!!  What the heck?  This genius of mine didn't recognize the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon.....

Yes, I still have my thing.  I am the cook, I'll forever be the cook, and Zack is no longer trusted in the kitchen alone!!!! :)

Happy Halloween!!!!

Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween!!  Our Halloween festivities began Thursday evening at Livie's Daisy Scout Party.  Friday we attended the elementary school's Harvest dance, Saturday the older kiddos attended a birthday party, and then we hosted a little mini pre-halloween party followed by a fabulous round of trick-or-treating in our neighborhood....SHEW what a busy week-end!!:)

Skyler rocked out a beautiful angel, Livie pranced around as the quintessential Fairy Princess, Trendon (and most of his friends) wanted nothing more than to be a character from Star Wars -- he finally chose Anakin Skywaker, and Abbie happened in to Albert Einstein.  Her original choice was scientist but after I found white hair color spray at Wal-Mart we had to go all out!  She even went home with the best costume prize from the elementary schools costume contest!

We are already thinking about next year's costumes and Skyler is adamant that I should make hers (like I half way made Abbie's) so that she was have a chance to win the contest!:)  As of now, she wants to be an artist....the other kids don't have a clue yet!

What were your kiddos for Halloween?  Did you make or buy their costumes?

Want a Flip Ultra HD?!?!?!

I have a new friend in Omaha that does product reviews on her blog.  Right now she is actually running a giveaway for a free Flip Ultra HD camera!!! HELLO!?!?!  So, one way to enter is to blog about the giveaway--her it is Megan!!  I really want this camera.  The kids have SOO much fun making "movies" and this would be an easy camera to teach them on!

All of you should go enter too---if I can't win maybe one of my friends or fam can!:)

http://www.newlywednewlybred.com/2009/10/flip-ultra-hd-review-and-giveaway.html

Holiday Week-End

Friends & Fam:  Check my Gallery page for TONS of new pictures!!

Halloween costumes are purchased and ready to go!  

Skyler: Angel

Abbie: Doctor

Trendon: Anakin Skywalker

Livie: Rainbow Fairy

Mia: Duck

Shew, that was a lot of running.  Of course no one store carried everyone's choice of costume so we spent an entire day running around Omaha on the hunt for each kid's choice outfit!  We had a lot of fun together and even got to make a pit-stop at Zio's pizza (My FAV) with Zack for lunch.  The kids have parties, parties, and more parties today, Friday and Saturday so Grandma's can expect lots of pictures!!

Saturday, after the kids attend their first costume party of the day....we'll be having a fun little celebration here.  You have to check out these adorable recipes I am planning to make:

Pre-Trick or Treat Menu

The Cheese Ball Goblin

Snake Bites

and then to top it all off a nice warm pot of our favorite:

Chicken Taco Soup