My Kids Mother..an ongoing tale of mayhem

My family, my life

2011-07-19T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it would seem once we a become stay at home mom, we as individuals cease to exist. Why does this happen? I think part of it (an only part of it) is due to our nurturing nature as females. The rest is the kids simply sucking the life from you!! Well, I am only half-way joking. When you have 3 kids and each with their own demands coming at you at the same time, not to mention your husband/significant other arrives home from their day, you are immersed in their needs wants and desires. You don't have a moment to think of your own let alone make some attempt to see it through. .

By the time you have run the errands, gone shopping (and not the fun kind)picked up the kids from school or from their friends house, helped with the homework, picked up the house, washed some laundry, refereed some arguments between the kids,and then your husband arrives home from his day..and of course dinner still needs to be made. Oh crap! I forgot to take anything from the freezer, so it's scrambled eggs and toast, bacon if they are lucky. Then berate them into the showers and pajamas, stand over them as they brush teeth (5 seconds is not long enough!) and if you're really on your game have them little critters in bed before 10pm, that's a good day. After all this I can't seem to carve a little time out for me. I am simply too damn tired Oh, to read uninterrupted or watch something besides Sponge Bob or "American Idol" or the like. Someday, someday. That's what I keep telling myself anyway!

Realistically, I know that my little critters will one day be gone (one can only wish!) and I will be ......... I will be what? A mother that is no longer needed on a daily basis. My husband will not be retired yet so no one I can travel freely with. These thoughts leaves me with only one conclusion, I need to either get busy doing something now, or I will simply go crazy! \What a wide open opportunity. Can't wait to see what I do with it.!

Where did 2010 go?

2011-07-19T00:33:00.000-07:00

You must have noticed that my blog is running a bit behind, (my friends say I always do). Other than being disorganzied and frenzied I have no other excuses to offer. Rather that try to fill in everything i will submit a summary of the previous year to present date. I request you indulge me by affording me a bit more time to complete my titalating update and post my blog post haste.

Almost Thanksgiving.......

2009-11-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

Well....it's almost Thanksgiving which means SCHOOL VACATION!! I will be off chauffeur duties for 5 days!!! Whooooo Hooo!!!! The kids will be able to sleep in (as will I). I love school vacations. Can you tell!

Thanksgiving will be held at my house with my family this year. mmmmmm Turkey, stuffing, mashed taters and family. I enjoy it. Now if only I can keep my house tidy so it won't be so much work at the last minute......one can hope!

Pacey is sick the last two days. Poor guy. That being said, hope no one else gets his sickness! Just a sore throat and fever. No symptoms of the pig flu.....yet!

When will the laundry faires make it to my house? I keep waiting but the piles keep growing taller! I hate the white load....too many socks. And of course there are more mis-matched socks that those that make a pair (thanks to the little boys in my house who could care less if their socks matched!). Ian leaves me notes on the counter requesting a load of jeans be done. He must have forgotten he knows how to do a load of wash. Silly boy! Now when it comes to sorting the colors, poor guy, he can't do it....he's color blind. Pink looks white to him. Can you imagine what our laundry would look like if left to him?????? AAAAhhhhhh. So Pacey must be trained in the ways of laundry sorting. He's really looking forward to that I am sure!
My wonderful husband is off for the day and has brought me lunch...so I will be done blogging for now to go eat.

Happy almost holidays.

Seven weeks of school

2009-10-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

This picture is of Chris & I on our 11th wedding anniversary. We were at The Crows Nest in Santa Cruz. What fun we had. Can't you just tell by the expressions on our faces???? It was a good and relaxing weekend. We all need more of those types

But all good things must come to an end....SCHOOL STARTED!!!

We went camping for Labor day weekend. Here is a pic of Pacey and his cousin Curtis while fishing. Chris caught one, no one else did. He also had to put it back due to it's small size! But at least he got to enjoy something he hardly gets to do.

I have been counting the weeks since school started so I know there is an end in sight. I want summer vacation!! But I will accept any vacation that may come our way. Ian is doing great, straight A's on his first progress report. He was thrilled. Seventh grade is showing him what homework is really like...and he isnt' impressed. Pacey is actually trying to do his daily reading. He has figured out if he wants to play Xbox, ALL his homework must be done.

Chris is working too hard, but I have actually seen him sit on the couch for more than 10 minutes to watch the NASCAR races on the weekend. Good for him. Me, I am just plugging along. Looking for a way to make some money but not have work interfere with the boys school schedule. Not all that easy to find a job with such flexibility. Or maybe I really don't want to "go to work" I would rather do some work on Chris' websites to help increase the income that is already there. That would be nice if it started making enough so Chris could become a consultant and not a full time employee to someone else.

And so continues the fun and mayhem in our lives. If you like to know what's going on with our lives. keep checking back for updates.

Kay McGarry

here we go again...another school year!

2009-08-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

The end of another summer is upon us. Drat! Most parents at the back to school picnic were looking forward to the first day of school!! I can't imagine. I like the freedom that comes with summer...go anywhere most anytime. Perhaps I never grew up. Most likely. I even considered becoming a teacher just to keep that school schedule. But, alas I would have to be in the same room with 30 kids that weren't mine. Doesn't sound like too much fun. My sister does it.....my hat is off to her. She also does summer school.... just a glutton for punishment I guess. I do have the utmost respect for teachers. They are heavily overworked and terribly underpaid. And don't get me started on the educational cuts that are taking place in California. GGGGrrrrrrrrrrr. Curses.

Summer was great although too short. We went to Santa Cruz with the boys (the only two kids left at home)Chris & I went to VEGAS!!! Such a blast!! It was our first time there....wow what a place! We did have time to enjoy our pool and home just relaxing. It's been nice.

I have now got a 7th grader and a 4th grader and two kids over 18!!!! One in college (oh did I mention she's not talking to us) and my oldest already working his life away. Where does the time go? Oh and another one of my birthdays has passed.......yippee! Time is just killing us!

First day of school is Monday. The first week will be exciting, then......all bleh! Keep all of you posted who care enough to keep up with my life!

Kay

I am still alive!!!

2009-02-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

Terribly sorry to have taken so long to post again. But as all mothers know, it goes that way sometimes.

The holidays passed with a bit less stress than usual. It was good to have more fun than stress!! I spent the holidays with my family as well as my husband's.

My husband needed a break, from work and reality. So just where does one go to lose reality??? DISNEYLAND of course!! Chris and I took the youngest boys (and only kids left at home) to Disneyland for 6 days. It was great!! Didn't have to cook one meal or clean up.....now that's my kind of vacation! New Years in Disneyland is very crowded, but fun. The fog kept us from really seeing the fireworks, but they seemed cool.

With the close of the holiday season, so came the close of my job. Yep, I had a job! First outside-the-house employment in, ummmmmm 12 years! Nothing spectacular. Just taking orders over the phone. It was kinda fun, but I did miss being home and available to the kids. I had forgotten the stress of being a working mother! Hats off to all of you working moms.

My 3rd child just turned 12! WOW! It's not like I haven't experienced this age before, but I don't think I ever thought my youngest two kids would grow up. Duh! What will I do once they have raduated high school??? Yep, that's the type of thoughts crossing my mind.....in between driving the kids, laundry, cooking, and the shopping! Gee, just what will I find to do???? I'm thinking I'll think of something!

What was I just saying about cooking...it's that time of night. Dinnertime. And guess who will be making it?? Me of course! And who will complain about it? My kids!

And so...these are the days of my life......... to be continued

I made it to Friday!!!

2008-09-02T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I made it through another week of the school year. Not without a bit of insanity though. Two parents meeting in one week, with one being a lengthy 2 1/2 hours. I didn't get back home until 9:30pm! Course the kids were still up and an after school guest, Luke ending up spending the night which made my youngest get up easily the next morning. Maybe we should adopt Luke and then my son will always get up in the mornings! Ha, Ha, Ha. Kay made a funny!

After the first parent meeting for the 6th grader in the family, another parent/friend came over and we enjoyed a couple of margaritas! Best way to end the parent meetings I'd say. Perhaps I'll have to make it a tradition. Nicole and our kids have been in the same class every year since kindergarten with the exception of the last 2 years. Drat! However, my friend, Nicole has taken "1st day of school" pictures every year of the two kids together. Now my kid is a boy, and hers is a girl. You can imagine when she started taking the photos, the two kids were arms around each other, then the next year, not quite so close and so on. This year it was all she could do to get them to stand next to each other!!! Ah, but she got it anyway! The two kids will be glad. Probably not today, but in the years to come.

The school our younger kids go to only goes to 6th grade. After this year, it's on to middle school with all the kids having a several middle schools to chose from. Not all will go the same one. It's a little sad for me I must say. I will miss this class. I have worked in the classrooms, driven on field trips, worked the carnivals and spaghetti dinners, stayed on overnight trips and just watched them all grow up since kindergarten. They are a great group of kids. They all get along so well and play nice and everything!! Now, some of the parents........ that's another story I won't get into now.

We enjoyed our Labor Day weekend tremendously! We went to my in-law's cabin in the woods. No electricity, but we did have propane. There was a fridge, running water (hot and cold), a bathroom, stove, oven and a heater. All the luxuries of home only surrounded not by people and buildings, but trees and a creek. Pure relaxation. Did a little hiking (by hiking I really mean strolling along the dirt road) lots of reading and played games with all the family and their guests. I didn't think about the real world all weekend long! Hmmmmm, I'm thinking I just may want to move there!

Here I am back at the real world with kids to chauffeur, bills to pay, places I am supposed to be,I I'm sitting and telling you about what I should be doing and not doing it!! Just daydreaming about the beautiful forest and how I wish I were still there.....er with my family of course!

My Kids Mother

Another Day.....another five hundred dollars

2008-08-28T09:04:00.001-07:00

So...we have 4 kittens. (which my husband is very anxious to be rid of) as well as, according to my husband, too many other cats. Two of the kittens have already visited the vet for injuries from the other kittens.....to the tune of $550.00! Just as with kids, one injury occured after office hours so we were lucky enough to pay the after-hours prices!!! Swell! I still have to get them their shots so three of them can go to their new homes this weekend. Of course all the low cost clinic are on the weekend and we won't be home. Once again, my poor planning will cost me.

Ahhhh...the second week of school. I'm already waiting for summer vacation. I am one of those parents that loves summer vacation. I also hate homework. Most people don't take home their work, why should our kids. Besides, homework cuts into my nap time!

My youngest is the most difficult to get up in the mornings. He's worst the later he goes to bed. Have you ever noticed how kids are good at making an 8:00pm bedtime into a 10:00pm bedtime? That's what he did last night. Dragging his feet into the shower (you know the 5 minute kind that you know he didn't use the soap) then he decides he's scared and wants me to snuggle......in my bed with him. Of course I do because he's too cute. Besides, I'm ready for bed..the dishes can wait til tomorrow.

Our 11 year old tells me after coming home from a friend's house, that he has a rough draft due tomorrow and would I please type it. Has he even started writing??? No way! But he did get some online information on the subject the day before. However, he hadn't read it yet. Once he did, he realized it wasn't the correct type of information. So, there he is at 9:15pm Googling Benjamin Franklin. He actually wrote a good one page report. I told him I would type it after his teacher proof-read it. Ha ha, got out of that one. Besides, I had to go snuggle in my bed with by frightened 8 year old, remember? Friday won't come soon enough. It never does.

And so it begins.....the school year!

2008-08-25T13:33:00.001-07:00

Hello to anyone who takes the time to read this!

I am new to blogging, so bear with me.

The school year has just begun and I am already behind! Nothing new there. It doesn't matter how early I may start to get supplies and etc. together. So this year I didn't start untill the day before school started!! Much to my kids dismay. Besides, school shouldn't even start until September anyway. The middle of August...you've got to be kidding! I wanted to keep my kids out of school until the day after labor day, but they would've missed hanging out with friends. Nobody wants to hang out with Mom. She's boring.

My 4 kids are all in school. My 19 year old son just started college out of town, my 17 year old daughter began her senior year of high school, the 11 year old is in 6th grade, his last year of elementry and my 8 year old (who is older and wiser than he should be) started 3rd grade. Gee, only 2 schools to drive to this year!

Yesterday I caught a preview of a Martha Stewart episode. Wow, she really needs to spend some time in our "real mom world". Martha was showing all of us Moms how to protect and cover our children's school books. The plain ol' brown paper bag and some tape isn't enough anymore. Nope. Now you have to laminate the covering which "could be wrapping paper of something just as pretty". But first, tuck photos of your dog or cat or your family or the latest hottie or whatever else you can think of in. So if Buffy or Chip get bored listening to the teacher or class reading they have something to entertain them. Yeah, I got that kinda time on my hands. Besides,...I always thought school books were to learn from, not be distracted by.

My days are now pretty much spent ignoring the stuff I should be doing. Like the laundry. Can't wait until the youngest is 12 and will be doing his own!! Now how to get my husband to do the same. Ideas anyone!!! I'll sort and wash if only he folds and puts away. Seems fair. Instead I have two baskets overflowing on his side of the bed. Well, someday it will get done. And someday I'll completely unpack from my latest trip!! Yeah, right! Keep wishing Kay.

I'll close with this. I am now 10 minutes late picking up my daughter, my 17 year old daughter. This will be fun. As I said in the begining... I am already behind.

Kay