I've been tagged!

Well I guess I have been tagged by Corrie and I'm always ready to play a game so here it goes.

Here are the rules: "MY UNSPECTACULAR QUIRKS"
1.Link to the person who tagged you
2.Mention the rules on your blog
3.Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you
4.Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5.Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

1. I'm obsessed with anything that has dancing in it. I will watch any movie or tv show that has any type of dancing in it. Even if it is the lamest movie--which unfortunately alot of the movies that center around dancing lack in plot and acting ability. I guess I like to live vicariously through people who can dance.

2. I have to finish a book/movie that I start. Even if the book/movie turns out to be painfully boring I have to know what happens. Even if I don't care the least about the characters. I know it doesn't make since--my mom when reading will just skip ahead if it starts to drag but I just can't do that. I have to torture myself with every last boring word or watch every last painful minute of something until it is done. The one acception if it's too inappropriate than I won't finish.

3. I am a walking contradiction. I hate any type of cherry filling or toppings but I like fresh cherries or cherry artificial flavoring in candy is ok too. I hate banana artificial flavoring in anything but I love fresh-real bananas. I hate coconut but every now and then I'll eat an Almond Joy(Ok that's mostly because I can find no other form of chocolate around). You see it makes no sense.

4. I hate watching people brush their teeth. Not just kids either. Anyone. I have always and continue to hate seeing people brush their teeth. I should be pleased they have good hygiene but instead it makes me gag. Even if it's on a movie I turn away especially if they are trying to talk while they are brushing. I guess it may be related to the fact I don't like spit. Perhaps my sister chasing me pretending she was going to let spit fall on me-just to see me get hysterical helped encourage my weird dislike.

5. I have an obsession with office supplies. I love them. I get excited when I walk in an office supply store. I have to work hard to maintain focus as I take in all the wonderful, glorious, organizational products, paper, staplers, etc. Several years for christmas I got gift cards from Staples--and loved it! I guess it is no shock that I loved my accounting office jobs and would often be found organizing the office supply closet. I know how lame is that!!

6. I have a great need for efficiency and a touch of OCD but I'm too lazy/tired to carry it out. I love things in perfect order. I feel anxious when my house is messy or I can't see my kitchen counter. If I wasn't lazy and or tired I would have all my pantry alphabatized and in perfect symetric order. Same with my linen closet and all shelves. I sit and think about how I could arrange things for optimal efficiency. I'm constantly obsessing over finding the perfect schedule or organization that will make things run the smoothest but I rarely take the time to actually make it happen.

Even typing these makes me think maybe I need some therapy or something. Well that's probably more than you really wanted to learn about me-- so here is an opportunity to read about more people. I tag.
1. Maura
2. Michelle J
3. Jamie
4. Dory
5. Shayleen
6. Sarah H

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! I hope you have a great day with lots of rest and good food. It was fun getting to see you guys in August. We love you!!

Today..

Today I stopped chipping away at my mountain of laundry to help create this.
I love to see kids using their imaginations to create and how excited they get over something so simple. Colin needed blinds on his window for the house. He also wanted a doorbell that would light up. So he came up with putting a goldfish cracker inside a water bottle cap so we taped it on and sure enough it kind of looked like it had a glow to it.
Kristen made her self right at home--snack and all.
Sometimes it is worth putting everything aside to do something fun! However no one might think so when they don't have clean clothes tomorrow. Oh well!

The Open Window Theory..

I've spoken before about Colin and his Deals..
Yesterday I really wanted to take a shower before I left the house. I know it seems like it should be a pretty easy thing to accomplish but for me to take a shower takes at least a ten minute strategic planning session. To proceed to put on makeup and dry my hair promptly after that shower literally takes the moons to align in the universe.

So I see my window where everyone is occupied in a non-destructive activity, seemingly calm, and Ben is asleep. I act with lightening speed. These windows are never open long and you have to hit it just right. Kind of like a space shuttle reentering the atmosphere. You hesitate just by a second and it could be disaster.

So I tell Colin I'm going upstairs and for him to keep an eye on Kristen and I will be right back. I come back down and everything is still intact and everyone is happy. Awesome! Colin approaches me seeing my pleasure and says can I have 2 Starburst now. He had been bugging me all morning for candy. I said well you did do a good job helping me so OK. Colin must know about this Open Window Theory as well because as he's eating his candy he turns to me and says "You know Mom you should pay me for babysitting." I point out that he just got paid in candy. (His favorite currency). He thinks about that and says "Umm no I mean with money." Playing along to see where his mind will go I say-- well you know it was really only 10 or 15 minutes that would probably be like 25 cents or maybe 50 cents. He said well "that's good but how about not 50 cents but 50 dollars."

Extortion I tell you!! In his defense he had no idea just how insane that request was. His money knowledge is very limited--cents don't buy much at Target but dollars do. I then say "Here's another starburst and were even." He quickly responds, "OK that's good!" Man if the whole world could be negotiated that easily with candy we would not have this economic crisis....although we may have some major dental problems.

Lessons Learned..

First of all I have to declare to all that I am evidently a big fat liar. I promised my 6 year old when we were watching the recent weather updates on Hurricane Gustav and then when they started talking about Ike coming that there was no way a Hurricane would ever come up to Ohio. It's the Midwest for heavens sake and not an Ocean within miles and miles and miles. This comforted him and his weather anxiety and then....Well what do you know I have to eat my words and get the look of complete betrayal as we sit in the dark with winds swirling around our windows. At least we just had the wind and not the rain right..Still getting the stare.. OK I'm sorry I was wrong!!!

I did learn some other things this week. I learned I'm not nearly prepared enough for any emergency. We did have a 72 hour kit but it needs some work. Cheap batteries and flashlights are not the way to go. Unless your emergency is approximately 1-2 hours and then in that case you are set. Candles may be good as well. I had two scented candles that were 3/4 of the way gone. They didn't make very much light but dang if it didn't smell great in the dark.

I learned that it is impossible to explain to a 2 year old why her beloved TV and computer don't work. She thought I was holding out on her or punishing her. She just kept carrying around DVD's wailing and crying. I don't know what is more sad the fact she was so confused and distraught or the fact she is apparently way too dependent on TV and nickjr.com. So I guess I'm a liar and a negligent mother.

I also learned that in an emergency I will be a single parent. I kind of knew this in theory but the reality never really hit me until this trial run. Kevin will always have to go in to work during any emergency situation. I am not a particularly independent person. I feel quite comfortable relying on my husband for comfort and support. Yet everything in my adult life has pushed me to realize that I can be a strong independent woman. DISCLAIMER: I may realize it and can do it but I still don't like doing it. Dealing with 5 kids with no electricity in the dark who are scared and at times completely irrational(I heard many cries of "We're going to die!") was not fun but we made it through and I know that I need to better prepare myself with knowledge on how to do "survival" type things so I can have the confidence to handle whatever comes. Hey maybe it will be a tsunami next. Sitting there hating the situation and wishing it weren't so doesn't really accomplish anything so you just have to accept it and deal with it so to quote the great show GI Joe--Knowledge is Power! I will be more ready next time.

I also learned how great it is to have wonderful neighbors and friends. They gave me some support, good company, and a flashlight that worked! Also thanks to the great firemen who put up with me and my 5 kids running around the well lit firehouse. They also gave me some extra water and food which I greatly appreciated! So we survived and have learned a lot. It's funny how we have to learn things isn't it.

Musical Beds...

You know we only have the best most exciting "games" at our house. I hope you can sense the sarcasm intended in that statement. Our newest is a game we call Musical Beds. These are all our bedrooms and where the "game" takes place nightly. Kristen has her own room with an extra twin bed. Colin and Ryan share with the bunk beds, and then Luke and Ben.
It begins when we put Kristen to bed in her bed. She then promptly moves to the twin bed in her room. After a couple of minutes she makes her way to the top bunk where Ryan is sleeping. Which then causes Colin to complain-not that she's making noise and disturbing him but that she picked Ryan and not him. OK so we put her back in her bed. She then makes her way to visit Luke in his bed where she either brings a book or just grabs his Gameboy and starts "playing it". I put her back in bed and then go deal with Ben and just wonder where I'll find her when I'm done feeding him.

Now for the next part of the game. I usually then find Luke and Kristen asleep in his bed. However now I need to put Ben to bed which happens to be in Luke's room. The problem is I have to let him cry to sleep soo.. I move sleeping Kristen to her bed..get Luke to wake up enough to shift to the extra bed in her room and then when Ben falls asleep later I move Luke back to his bed(per his request or I'd just leave him). Almost done now..Usually in the middle of the night sometime here comes Kristen who tries to climb in our bed.
I take her back to her bed and in the morning...can you guess which bed I find her in..Luke's. Luckily he doesn't mind--I think it makes him feel kind of cool Her Royal Highness has chosen him (over the other two brothers) to find comfort with.

As you can imagine this game has gotten old real quick. So a couple of days ago about 10:30pm it dawned on us that maybe we should just rethink this whole situation. We start taking the crib down right then and we moved Ben so he now has his own room where he can cry and not disturb anyone..Then we put her toddler bed in Luke's room. So far so good. I guess Kevin wanted to play this game too.. hopefully we can fix that too.

Not again!

I'm SO not ready for this---
Ben went from crawling to pulling himself on things in about a week. He is only 6 months old!!! He kind of skipped the whole sitting up process. Kristen pulled this exact same stuff too and was walking at 8 months. NOOOO! I'm probably the only parent that finds no delight in there advanced achievements but truly wishes their kids would stay immobile for the 1st year of life. Did I mention he already climbs too. He keeps getting stuck places-- for example:

Why is it my kids are advanced in areas I don't want them to be but in the areas that would be useful like let's see maybe.. Talking or perhaps retaining the alphabet maybe would be good too.
But no I have little monkeys that can scale any apparatus at pretty much birth or can sniff out any form of sugar or sweets within a mile radius. I love them all so much but come on!!!