No sick days for moms!

Being a mom has got to be the most rewarding job in the entire universe! I am saying that in all seriousness... I totally love my job! In what other job do your co-workers love you no matter what you've done? In what other job are you the most popular person around? (That can be good and bad... the word popular is used very loosely here. I thought about this "perk" long and hard one day as I was trying to find a hiding place to have a quiet phone call and ended up locking myself in the bathroom with children pounding on the door just to be in my presence).The benefits are "heavenly." However, with all the perks and rewards of this totally coveted and amazing job, there is one slight drawback... no sick days. That's right applicants. Not one. From the moment you "sign on the dotted line" you are on call 365 days a year.

So this last week I was really really REALLY wishing for a sick day... a lot of them. My husband showered me with sympathy and then kissed my poor little sick head and left for work. (Bless his heart, he even took our oldest to school so that I didn't have to worry about the carpool). So blah blah blah... very sick and all that jazz.

A few of the highlights from this week:

1. My oldest was a wonderful little nurse!
2. After 6 brothers (with really nasty brotherly habits) I still can't... ew, I hate to say it... hawk a loogie or cough up that nasty stuff.
3. Sympathy from (I'll generalize it to protect his innocence) my family and then, "So when will dinner be ready?"
4.To see how concerned my kids are for me when I'm not my usual self.
5.Its amazing to know how much we women really can endure and still do our "jobs."
6. The comment that my hubby and kids have made the minute I am starting to feel a little better: "Wow, look at that mountain of laundry!"

So to all you ladies out there who have joined the ranks of motherhood and have marched on through sickness and health... cheers! And may the fun continue. (PS... I thought about taking a picture of the laundry just to show you all, but I couldn't fit all of Mt. Stink-a-lot in the picture).

Missionaries!

My Parents have been called on a mission! They have been called to serve a two year service mission in their area in the humanitarian room. They supervise and prepare humanitarian aid "things" to be made, put together and shipped out. (Its darling to picture my father tying quilts and chatting with the people who come in to help!) Mom got a kick out of showing the grand kids what she does on her mission.
It was great how many family members were able to be there for Mom and Dad. (The two on the left are my mom's dad and her sister). Hooray for you Mom and Dad!

En' Guard!

The bigger they are, the harder they fall! "Bring it on big brother!"

"You've got a handful!"

If you have more than one child, or even just one who happens to behave LIKE a child from time to time, you're bound to run into THEM. You know who I am talking about... those people in the grocery store, in the line at the bank, the library or just about any public setting... They take one look at your darling little crowd and issue intelligent comments like, "Are they ALL YOURS?" "Do you PLAN your family?" "Are you done YET?" or my personal favorite..."Boy! you've got your hands full!" Most people mean no harm and are just admiring your "gaggle" (that one is for you Mel) but some are down right rude. (I opted to leave those comments out).

I used to just smile and laugh with them until one day, out of the blue, my four-year-old said, "Mommy, why do people always ask if your hands are full?" It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about. Then it occurred to me that I had never considered my children's feelings about all those comments. That was when I started to think about my reactions. If I shrugged or smiled wearily, what was I saying to my children? They are the best decisions my husband and I have ever made!

So now I have a ready response to those comments that inevitably come our way. And you know, it has been really fun to see the reactions that my come-backs cause. My favorite: A man just leaving the neighbors house saw us all playing in our front yard. He said the usual, "Wow, you have your hands full!" To which I smilied and quipped "Not yet." He started to drive away and then kicked his truck into reverse, stuck his head out the window and asked, "Did you just say 'Not yet'?"

A FEW TO HAVE FUN WITH:

~They had a buy one get two deal.

~You should see the twelve I left at home. (I love this one!!!!)

~Makes for great fun!

~We are trying to market chaos.

~(This one was my uncle's) Let those who want to have a big family, go ahead. We only have ten.

~We'll keep going until we have an ugly one.

If you've ever read the book Cheaper by the Dozen (A true story by the way) the father, who is very proud of his family, had quite a few of these. The obvious one "They come cheaper by the dozen!"

Hope you have fun and I would LOVE to hear some of your family's incounters! If you have a good come-back, may I have permission to use it too?