Update

Well, I almost completely forgot that I had this thing, so I guess I should update it a little. LOL Here's a picture taken last month of the "crew" just north of Sedona at a trout farm. From left to right we have Chase 12, Trevor almost 13, McKenna 9, Miranda 15 and Caya 7.

There really isn't too much going on right now except for getting ready for school to start. Only have 5 days left and I seriously cannot wait!!! This is the first year that Kenna and Caya (9 and 7) have stayed home for the summer and I simply can't find the words for how it has gone. I had the older 3 kids be in charge of the younger ones so I didn't have the daycare expense anymore. Now, Kenna and Caya are not the super mischievous types, so it only requires that one of the older ones be there in case someone gets hurt. Sounds simple enough, right?? Hahahahahahaha!!! On average, I get about 8 calls a day from the kids because someone is bored, being picked on, wants to go somewhere, broke something or hit someone else. Some days are obviously better than others, but that's about the gist of how it goes. You would think with my husband home on Tuesdays and Fridays, that I wouldn't get those phone calls, right? Once again ............ hahahahahahaha!! I get MORE phone calls when he's home because the kids don't think he's fair to them or they don't want to ask him if they can go somewhere because he always says no. Ok ... I have to admit ... sometimes they are right. Jeff and I don't exactly have the same views on raising kids. He expects them to be absolutely perfect at all times and I, on the other hand, understand that they are kids and that they are going to make mistakes. I think (I'll save all of that for another day when we've had a falling out over that particular topic and I just need to vent.) LOL Anyway, the kids are finally going back to school in 5 days!!! Miranda will be a Sophomore, Chase and Trevor will be in 7th grade, Kenna in 4th and Caya in 2nd. Trevor (TJ), Kenna and Caya all will be starting a new school this year and I think I'm more nervous than they are!!! The school that TJ has been going to is about 8 miles from our house and about 12 miles from his mom's house. He's gone there since like 3rd grade and his mom wanted him to go there til the 6th grade, since it's only a K thru 6 school. He was going to have to move to a new school anyway, so HE decided he wanted to go to school with all of his friends, but that would make it EXTREMELY inconvenient for everyone because we all have to work and can't go and pick him up everyday. We decided to give him the option of going to school by his mom's house or over by us. He opted for the school by our house. Now, where we live, we are directly down the street from the high school and then next to that is the elementary school where TJ will be going. My other 4 kids have gone to a different school that is across a major street from us, so they've had to have a variance. It isn't very far, but I don't like them crossing that busy street (especially since we're so close to the high school). So this year, we've decided to let Chase stay at his school, but move the 2 little girls to the school that we're zoned for. I've gone to a total of 14 schools in my life (not by choice), so the thought of them switching kinda freaks me out a little. I know that they are both VERY friendly and will have made at least 3 new best friends by the end of their first day, but it's still hard. LOL We have the meet and greet with their teachers this Friday, so we'll see how it goes.

I think I've typed enough for right now, so if there's anything else I think of later, I'll just jump back on here and go for it.

I'm just me

When I look back and see where I've been and what I've been through in my life, it never ceases to amaze me that I am where I am now. I'm a 32 yr. old mother of 4 biological children and 1 step son, married now for the 2nd time to a wonderful man that knows how to and does drive me insane in many different ways. How did I get here in one piece? How am I not one of those extrememely messed up individuals that trusts no one, does all kinds of drugs and is just a victim of life? Who do I have to thank for that? Is it hereditary or was it just in me to overcome it, learn from it and just move on? We all have our issues and we've all been through our fair share of trials and tribulations, right? How is it that some of us can move on and so many others hold on to it all and use it as an excuse to continue to remain victims? I'm not saying that I've completely overcome everything and that things from my past don't come back to haunt me from time to time, but in my own personal opinion, I think I've done pretty well.

Just a brief synopsis of my life as it is now would consist of 3 girls (Miranda - 14, McKenna - 8, Caya (pronounced Kya) - 6 and 2 boys (Trevor (step-son) - 12 and Chase - 11). It would also consist me surviving my first year of marriage to my husband, Jeff. We've actually known each other for about 17 years, but lost contact after high school, only to regain it and eventually fall in love and get married. It's definitely been tough, but it's to be expected too.

I've never done this whole blogging thing before, nor have I ever even read one, but there have been so many times that I've wanted and needed to just "talk" and get things out in the open, so I decided to try this and see where it gets me. When I was younger and all the way thru my first marriage, I would TRY to find a quiet place to sit down and just pull out a notebook and write to my heart's content. Now in my new marriage, I don't often get the time or the quiet place, so I'm trying this instead. I tried doing the writing thing once before at home because things were especially rough and I thought my husband was going to have a coronary. He's very insecure and needy at times and he just couldn't grasp the concept of me doing something without him and especially the thought of me writing something he wasn't privy to. That was almost a year ago and I STILL hear about it from time to time. Until I get my computer up and running at home, the only time I'll ever be able to do this is at work. Heck .... even if I did have my computer working at home, I'd never have the opportunity to be on it ..... not with 5 kids that all want to be on it. Not to mention Jeff probably wanting to know what was going on and what I was writing. Insecurity is a dangerous thing and not something I handle very well, but we're definitely working on it. LOL As time goes on, we get better and better, but it's been a very long and difficult road. It seems like our biggest issues deal with money, kids and me wanting to be my own person from time to time. It seems like I've always been someone's mom or someone's wife.