Visions of Dutch Ovens and Pie Irons Dance in My Head....

There is about a million things I should be doing right now. I just heard the dryer buzz, telling me that yet another load is ready to be added to the "need to fold" pile (and maybe even get folded!) There are a few dishes that should be washed and a huge paper due Monday that I haven't even started, but here I am-googling "campfire cooking" and checking out Dutch ovens and Pie Irons. There is some amazing stuff you can make in those things!
I do believe that the camping bug has officially bitten! I am so pumped to go camping, I can hardly wait. There are times that I doubt my sanity in this excitement because when we camp, we sleep in a tent in all kinds of weather with our 3 little hooligans all under 5! But, crazy as it may seem, I am completely ok with that. It is true that I have never camped when it was brutally hot, so that might change my opinion, but I kind of like sleeping in the fresh air. I never have a problem getting the kids to sleep because they have so much fun during the day, they are tuckered out and ready for some shut eye.
In the past we have stayed in a cabin, or borrowed a tent, but this year, we are buying our own equipment, so I am looking forward to using it more once! Growing up, we went camping every year for our vacation, and I really enjoyed it (most of the time). We tease my dad that he wants to be a hermit because when he goes on vacation he likes to "get away"-literally. We wouldn't go to fun places that had lots of activities and fun stuff to do-we would go to places like Wyoming...up in a mountain...with no showers or flush toilets...and VERY few people. That's what he liked, so that's what we did! Granted, I was far from thrilled at the time (pretty sure I wouldn't be thrilled with those accomodations NOW) but I have to give him credit. It was very relaxing-sitting by a fire reading a book (it's cold in the mountains!), eating food cooked on a fire, my dad's ghost stories (he's VERY good at them, but that's a story for another time) and then curling up in a warm sleeping bag, drifting off to sleep to a medley that only nature can provide. We had some fun times that I will always remember.
That's why I'm excited. Camping definitely isn't my idea of a perfect vacation but when I see my kids covered from head to toe in dirt, grinning from ear to ear, and then asking as we pull out of the driveway of the campground how long it is until we go again, it makes it all worth it. THEY are worth every bug bite and sunburn, every long hour it takes to pack and unpack, every second of planning and preparation. The fact that they have been ready since Winter to go camping and the fact that they haven't stopped asking if it's almost July since they heard me make the reservation. I see them outside with a little pile of sticks they picked up, pretending it's a campfire. I smile when I hear Darren say "Marshmallow" every time he hears the word camping. So I will sleep in a tent in the middle of July and forgo conveniences because I love them and I love to see them happy. THEY are why I'm pumped! :)

Here is why I do it!

25 Random Things

So I have been browsing on Facebook lately and I LOVE to read "25 Random Things About Me" that people posted. I never did one back when that was the thing to do, so you, my lucky loyal followers, are blessed to be reading (drumroll, please)......

25 RAMDOM THINGS ABOUT ME!!!!

1. I do not have OCD like another member of my family (ahem, TRAVIS) but I do have a couple tendencies. They are as follows:
a.)My money in my wallet (when there is some there! :)) has to be all facing the same way, in numerical order, smallest to biggest.
b.)towels and washclothes all have to be facing the same way and showing the "nice" sides.
c.)I hate it when things don't match such as bottles (the ring has to be the same color as the bottle, etc) and sippy cups (each cup has it's own lid-do not mix and match)
2. My name is spelled with an "i" at the end so as to be different from a lamp.
3. When I get stressed, I power rock in our recliner. If it's really bad, I can do it for a couple of hours at night. Sometimes I have to put the blanket over my head. Don't even talk to me if there is a blanket over my head.
4. I hate decorating. There-I said it! Anyone who has seen my house, this is not a surprise. My walls are bare, except for the ones Andrea has decorated for me. I think this is because I am not artistic in the least and I get so stressed about it not looking good that I just don't do it!
5. I have the DVR programed to record "Jonas". It's a show about the Jonas Brothers. It's such a teenage girl show, but I love it. I don't know any of their songs at all-not even a title of one-but I still like their show.
6. I've never had a pedicure.
7. I really do not like cooked carrots, but I eat them because I want my kids to do the same.
8. I had a dream about Sam before I started dating him. I told God I was done with men-HA HA I was like, 18-dumb girl! :)
9. I hate fingernails. My kids get theirs clipped all the time because it drives me crazy.
10. I love to decorate cake. Sam gave me a kit last year for my birthday and Ellie and I love to use it.
11. I want to learn how to tap dance.
12. I have a slight pillow obsession. I take it with me whenever I travel and no one is allowed to touch it or breathe on it. Seriously! I don't even let Sam sleep on it. I trace it back to when Trav and I had to share a bed-his head smelled funny.
13. I would rank Berenstien Bears very close to the top of my all time favorite books list.
14. I really do not like popsicles.
15. I had 2 goals in my life-to be a football cheerleader and have a job where I could run stuff over the beeper thing. I am happy to report, I met both goals by the time I was 17! :) (I do have new goals now....) FYI-I still do love to run stuff over the beeper thing. Self checkout anyone????
16. I changed the spelling of my son's name because I saw a football player on TV that I thought was good looking...so Darin became Darren! :)
17. Even though I am not pregnant, I still cry sometimes when I see touching commercial on TV or things like Extreme Makeover:Home Edition.

DUDE! This is harder than I thought....I'm only on 17!
18. Movies scare me. They always have. My poor husband doesn't get to watch anything remotely scary or even too dramatic. I have to leave the room when the scary parts come on.
19. I always said I refused to have an odd number of children. Then Claire Bear came along.....
20. I love it that Ellie is a girly girl and that Darren is all boy. Claire is just mischevious.

COME ON! 5 MORE! YOU CAN DO IT! Hmmmmm.....
21. My son does not drink from pink sippy cups or use pink plates. My girls do not drink from blue sippy cups or use truck plates. Wierd, I know. And what's even wierder is that I don't have anything against it! It doesn't bother me in the least if someone else's kids do it or even if someone else gives it to my kids that way, but I just can't!
22. I hate dusting. That is the first job I am giving to my kids. They do it a little now, but I still have to do it after they do. But I am longing for the day.....
23. I have a group of moles on the back of my leg that look like 2 eyes and a nose. If I would ever get a tattoo ( I NEVER would, but run with me on this) I would just tattoo a little mouth under it and make a smiley face. How cute would that be?
24. I would love to write a children's book someday. I just don't have a clue about what.
25. Daffodils are my favorite flower and when our garden blooms, my children bring me handfuls of them! :)

TA DA!!!! Wow, that was harder than I thought!

It is now almost midnight and I have successfully procrastinated going to bed for several hours. I should probably think about heading there now and see if I can think of some more random stuff to share with you all.....

One Simple Reason....

Yes, I am still alive-I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. There has been a lack of posts for one simple reason-barf. A couple weeks ago, all 3 kiddos had a HORRIBLE stomach flu-stuff coming out all over if you get my drift. Then to top it off, Sam had to be gone for a couple of days right in the middle of it-although I am pretty sure that he planned it that way to avoid the barfing! Actually that's not true and I shouldn't even joke about it. Sam is superdad anyway, and when there is barf involved, he is even better. Knock on wood, I haven't had to clean up barf off the floor yet. I honestly believe that God knows that I CANNOT handle barf, and Sam has always been home when the kids get sick. I can do the clothes and clean up the kids, but anything major makes me heave. Once again, I am reminded that God has given me the gift of someone who is strong where I am weak!

So, back to lack of posting...I can hear you saying that you understand sick kids=no time for blogging, but since all 3 of them were sick, I seriously got nothing done and then things were stacking, and Stacking and STACKING!!!!! You know those weeks where you wish there were about 4 of you and then maybe you could actually make a dent in the stuff that needs to be done? I have had a couple of those in row! :) However, I am happy to report that things are getting caught back up a little. Claire still can't tolerate any milk and very little to no milk products (pizza with no cheese anyone?) otherwise she gets terrible tummy aches and blow out diapers, but we are working on it. Her pediatrician says that's normal after being as sick as she was, and my little milkaholic is adjusting to soy milk for the time being.

My Elliegirl, not feeling so hot, barf bucket never far away

During my time of trial and barf, a friend sent me a hillarious "barf story" about her daughter and it made me laugh, which was EXACTLY what I needed. So, in honor of her and in honor of my lovely week, if you have a funny barf (or any illness) story (something funny or sweet that was said while sick, etc-I realize sickness in itself isn't funny), post it in my comments section or send me an e-mail and with your permission, maybe in the future when the flu is rampant again (or maybe when we all need a good laugh!) I will post them to remind us all that laughter really is a pretty great medicine!

BUSTED!

While Mommy was busy helping Ellie keep it in the bucket, Little Mr. Hooligan (who was definitely on the mend as you can see) manuvered a chair to where he could reach the M & Ms (a fav for both of them!) and would eat one, and share one with Little Miss Hooligan (not so much on the mend, but obviously enough to climb into that chair and snarf down candy!), and then repeat, and repeat, and repeat! When I came around the corner, they both shoved a whole handful in their mouth-they looked like chipmunks! They thought they were pretty clever!

Silver Lining: At least he was sharing.....

Have a wonderful (and barf free!) weekend! :)