Autism....maybe??

Sorry for not writing in a long time I have been so so busy! We have had so much going on it is crazy, With all the holidays 5 kids, school and working full-time.  We have also recently learned my son may have autism, so my blog is going to a little more diverse while we go through this time in our life. I will be posting all about the situation, how it came about, what the outcome is and the process of everything from testing to diagnosis. I have looked all over the web and no one gives clear specific answers. So that is my goal. The other thing that has been hard to find is signs and symptoms, especially if your child is high functioning like mine. He fits a lot of things but seems to have a much milder case than what is described over and over. I want to go over all the signs and symptoms and compare my sons symptoms and how he does with each thing. To let parents see it's not the end of the world. Most of the stories we hear with autism are very sad, but also inspiring. but I want to keep a journal of every step of the way, so parents know what to expect, where to start, and how long the process takes. I hope everyone will join me on my journey and find all the information helpful.

Kids Blogging

So we have decided to make a deal with my kids.....Here is the deal.

All five of my kids always want everything new and high tech. You know the normal, tablets, kindles, nooks, PS3, PSP, DS, ipod, iphones and yes laptops! Well as you all know I have 5 kids and all that stuff x5 is a lot of money. So we now have a contract in place. I will help them start a blog and they have from now until christmas to write in that blog at least one time a week. If they write quality researched articles we will get them a notebook for christmas.

I told them they cannot just make some small kindergarten entry and expect that to be ok and get them a notebook. It has to be a real quality post with some truth and research behind it. i can ne opinions and views and how to's but quality it the most important! If they do not write in the blog every week then they will not get a notebook for christmas.

 So they are all in the process of choosing a blog subject that they will enjoy writing about and that gives them a lot of different topics to cover.

Hailey has decided to write about her pet rats in her blog called  Hailey's Hero's. In her blog you will find everything about her rats, from training to care and even just fun things and funny moments. She will be starting a rat naming contest this month too. So tune in and maybe you will win!! she has done amazing job so far, so you all may want to check it out. I am very proud of her.

The next blog I will be helping set up will be called Babbling Brittany. That one will be set up tonight and I will update this blog with her link as well. Her blog since she is smaller will be about whatever she wants to really write about that goes through a 4th graders head. She struggles with reading and writing and I figured this could help her improve a ton, especially with it being something she will really enjoy writing about.


Brooklynn's blog called Brooklynn's Beautilicious Blog , she wants to write about fashion, makeup, hair, nails and all other girly things. She will also be learning how to make all thinks fashion so join and learn how to sew and make all kinds of other amazing things!!

 Logan is still really small so we are going to be doing his a little different. He will be having his dad help him with his so that he can work on spelling and writing. He wants to write about cars, farms, games and tractors. So his will be called Logan's Logomotive.

 Last there is Lexi she also has a blog name undecided but knows she is doing her on the life and random thoughts that go through a teen head. It should be interesting lol. She will also include informational post about bullying, and stuff she sees in high school on a daily basis. I know stopping bullying is one of her passions. from experience and seeing it first had happen to kids and feeling helpless and not knowing what to do. In her words bullies don't only pick on kids with no friends, even us in sports with a lot of friends see what it is like. So her blog also should be a must read if you have kids or teens. She will also be starting a pen pal writing group with her blog so anyone getting bullied no matter where in the world can write to her and she will be their friend! Again so very very proud of her ideas, and can't wait to see how it turns out.

I also thought this would give all the kids a great outlet to express themselves while also learning and improving their reading and writing skill. Plus I have told them that with any money their blogs make under me, I will give them the money to pay for a cell phone every month, or to get whatever they like at the time.

Here is also a great website that talks about the benefits and kids blogging and tons of other cool stuff for kids:) The school run and another great site is Educational social media

The Working Mom Juggling Act

How do working mom's do it? How do they find the time for everything, when there don't seem to be enough hrs in the day? Or all any mom wants to do is relax, after a long day at  work. Why do we always feel guilty and like in some part of our lives we have failed to meet the standards we have set for ourselves? 

Are you a working mom that feels guilty all the time because you spend so much time at work, or school?  You feel like your kids, husband, and house are getting the shaft? 

I know for a fact I am one of them mom's, I feel guilty for not being at home all day with the kids cooking and cleaning and spending time where I feel I should be. Or even after I get home I feel like I do not have a right to relax, because I need to make up what I didn't get to do during the day. I am also one of those mom's that feels like she should be able to do it all and, seeing someone try to help makes me feel even worse. Even if I want to ask for help I cannot, even if I just need a day I won't take one.I mean how could I? The dishes need done, dinner needs fixed, the kids want to go swimming or have friends over, laundry is piling up and you now have massive mountains, the dogs need to go out the floor need mopped and you still need to dust and clean the bathroom. 

I am working and trying to go to school and let me tell you with 5 kids it is a LOT!! I will say that one more time it is a lot! I do have a wonderful man that supports me but I also feel like I am not doing what I should be doing for him as well as the kids. I mean it cannot be that hard to come home and do the laundry and clean the house and make dinner and spend quality time with everyone, except I just run out of time and hrs. in the day. So yet another day goes by when i finally go to sleep and feel like I am not providing for my family like I should.

I want to be the best mom, wife, the best at school, the best at work, and after a long day of getting up for work at 5:30 a.m. and not going to bed until after 3am I fail once again! I know I am being totally hard on myself but, I strive to be perfect( I know and unreachable goal) but there is no reason for my house, husband or kids to have to suffer because I work 60 hrs a week :/ I could cut back on working and school, but then my kids and house still suffer because then they have to go without, so what is a mom to do? Writing a blog to get rich is not working :) At least not so far "wink wink". 

I want my kids to have the best life possible and give them everything I can, all while making sure I take care of my man!  I am definitely old fashioned in that way, i want to be the one cooking, cleaning and doing everyone's laundry. i feel horrible when Josh has to do it cause I am gone all the time.  I think he deserves one of them so called super wives, as much as the kids deserve on of them super mom's! 

So now that you all know my feelings on this issue, this is what I am going to do about it. Well the simple solution is become a super mom and super wife, but I know that will never happen, because there is always something I am going to be slacking in and I will make myself feel guilty all over again.

So what can I do? How can I be everything to everyone? Well blogging helps, but I have done some research, and this is what I have found and a new plan for myself. I hope all you other mom's out there can find a way to be that super mom and super wife you have always dreamed of. 

I am going to refocus on what is important to me and my family, Is a spotless house more important or is giving the best of the hrs I do have at home a day to my family, you guessed it I will have to let the little stuff go and spend time with my kids. They only grow up once and if I focus on all the small petty stuff I will miss it, and I do not want to know the guilt I will feel from that. When you combine motherhood and career you are going to have a few trade-offs. 

Here are the reasons I work and go to school. #1 I want my kids to have the best life possible, #2 I need money to provide that, #3 I am in school to make my own dreams come true and give my kids and family an even better life, #4 sanity, and #5 MONEY! 

I am going to stop thinking about what I should have done and start thinking about what I have done! I should do the dishes, but instead I played a game with the kids or I cuddled up with my love and watched a movie instead, oh yes that sound like a much better idea to me. The dishes will be there tomorrow. But just one of them perfect memories may not be. My kids and Josh will always be the center of my world, but it is not all on me to make everything perfect all the time! It is ok to ask for help and accept it when it is offered. I now realize with a career i will not be able to do it all alone and I will miss games and special moments, but I think it will be all worth it one day when I can look back and say I raised some pretty perfect well adjusted adults and I did everything I could for my family. 

I have to lower the bar or I am always going to feel like I have failed everyone. Somethings are just going to have to be good enough! I know my kids are happy and healthy thats is all that matters. You know how young girls get images in their head that need to look a certain way because of all of the air brushed models in magazines, well moms have the same struggle. We see all the so called super moms in books, and magazines and we read how moms should be, and everything in that picture or on T.V. looks perfect. Well in real life, we all need to remember life happens and out=r kids need a place to live and the bills paid so we are not living in our car. We just need to enjoy raising our kids and know that none of our meals will look like the ones on the front cover of ny magazine. You really do not have to be perfect to be a great parent! 

Don't worry about how other mothers are, or how great you think they are. Do what is best for you and your family! Make decisions based on your own life and your kids and family needs. Don't let the parenting police get to you. Don't make anyone make you feel bad for doing what you have to do for your family. They don;t know your family like you do, or even what makes your kids tick. You need to do what makes your family happy, and makes your family stay connected with each other. Remember you have the right to raise your own kids your own way! 

No mom or wife is going to perfect including me, and every mom needs to realize even if we are not perfect our family will still love us and all of our imperfections and shortcomings! We can all be perfect in our own ways and will all fall short in some way or another. If we were all perfect all the time what would we have to strive for? Read my next blog to see things I have changed, and different schedules for the kids and cleaning I have set that work for my family. My family schedules may not work for you but they can give you an idea of something you can do for your family, that will work for you. 

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The Ultimate Challenge! 31 Days To Better Behaved Kids

The Ultimate Challenge! 31 days To Get Well Behaved Kids!

The Kids for my own 31 day challenge:)

I know I have seen a lot of blogs about a 31 day challenge to make a better blog or 31 day challenge to post 100 post. So I thought well, what if I challenged parents to getting their house back? To Make their kids better behaved and to have a more peaceful enjoyable time raising the kids.

Being a stay at home mom can be stressful and really hard work, but I know every mom has had one of them days where they think they can not take anymore! You feel like the kids are running a circus act and you are the star of their show. I have read post about kids being to spoiled and how mothers let the kids walk all over them.

Well it’s time for us mothers to ban together and take a stand right here and now on the world wide web!  Together as a united force with support every night from moms just like us we can have a great rest of the summer.

No my kids were not that bad today but they have been! I also realize that they act a lot different with me than when their dad is home(they walk all over me) I want to change that I want to see what techniques work and what ones don’t, and I want your help!

My plan is to try 31 different things so I will implement 7 new house rules on Monday! I want all of you parents to join me. So we can discuss what ones worked and what ones were just plain stupid! I want to hear all of your experiences and how you changed the techniques I give you to meet your families specific needs. I also want to hear your what you have tried or what works for you.

On Monday these are the new things we are putting into effect, I would love to get all of you parents to try them with me! Please feel free to post this on your sites or share it as you wish!

1. This technique is supposed to stop them from leaving their stuff all over the house for mom to clean and learn to clean up after themselves. It’s called Mommy’s Ransom Box. You get one of the big totes from Wal-mart.  

Every time your little one leaves out a toy, you put it in your ransom box and they have to do a chore to get it back. I made my own twist on it though. I know my kids and they would let it sit forever. So I am putting a two week limit on that item in the box. If it sits in there for two weeks and they have not done what they need to get it out of the boy I will either throw it out, give it to Goodwill, or put in my yearly garage sale! This takes away the stress of threatening that you are going to throw out their toys, and i figure if they can go two weeks without it then they really don’t need it.

2. The clutter busting game. All of my kids are very competitive and will love the idea of trying to beat their brother and sisters and even mom and dad. This is how it works. You get a large basket and buy ping pong anr write all kinds of different chores on them. You give them a set time 30 min or an hour whatever you want. Whoever at the end of the allotted time has the most completed chores gets a prize. It could be money, no chores the next day, or a prize.

Clutter Busting Game using ping pong balls. Each person chooses a ball, completes the task, then chooses another one. After 30 minutes, whoever has the most balls gets a prize — like a no-chores day, or gets to pick a movie. Such a great idea!

3. The Dollar System. I went online and printed off free printable money here. This is to keep them from spending hours on the internet, games, or watching t.v. It also helps them to get stuff done, that you want them to do:)

The following are ways the children can earn $1:

Make their bed, get caught doing something nice for their brother or sister, doing what they are told, reading a book, finishing chores, walking the dog, memorizing a bile verse the list could go on and on you choose how they earn it.

The following are things they can buy for $1:

Movie night with parents, watching however many t.v. shows, playing for an allotted time online, talking on the phone, again the list could go on forever!

If they save up their dollars they have earned then you can do something more special like take them for ice cream of out to get an outfit or toy it’s all up to you  You can change the amount also like $10 dollars to go get ice cream or $3 dollars for a whole movie. That’s just some ideas, I can not wait to hear what all of you do!!

4. I don’t know about your kids, but mine whine all the time!! So I have found an idea called theWhining Jar.

The Goal is to get your kids to do stuff without whining. So you put a set amount of quarters(I think I will use nickles), and every time they whine you take money out! At the end of the week they get to keep they money in the jar. Every kids get to make their own jar and wha-la hopefully no more whining LOL!!

5. The Time-Out Jar. You need fine glitter, hot water, and clear gel tacky glue. You mix them all together and when the glitter settles to the bottom the time out is over:) For the best tutorial I have seen to make these go to the link I have in blue above The blog is Called My Crazy Blessed Life.

6. One of my favorites is the Tattle Monsters! I can not wait to do this. The kids get to have fun making them and I hopefully don’t have to hear, MOM! She is looking at me, she touched me, she has my toy, or whatever they come up with that day.

Kids write down non-emergency tattles that can wait and put them in here. At the end of the day they decide if it’s still important enough to bring to you. and then you decide what you are going to do about it:) Click here for the blog I got it from and a step by step tutorial!

7. Last but not least the one I can not wait to try called The Road Trip Clips.

This is so stupid simple I wish I would have known about this 12 yrs ago, when my oldest was born! I get so sick of saying I will turn this car around! I hate hearing them all 5 constantly fighting in the back seat, or every time I go into the gas station hearing get us something. They get the same response every time for what acting like fools LOL!!  Okay back to how it works. Make One clip for each kid, if they are sweet, clip stays up, if they are not, clip comes down. Everyone with a clip on the visor gets a treat at the next stop. You could even revise is and do something for the store. Like make a clip for the shopping cart, and at the end whoever has a clip still on the cart get a treat!!

I really hope you all enjoy this and come back to see what else I have to post! I Would love to hear what my readers think and want. What problems you have with your kids that you would like to see corrected?

Well lots of work to do now before Monday to get all this started!! I will be updating every detail about how this project works!

Family Beliefs: Morals and Values

Alexis the catcher:)

helping kids develop strong morals and values

Family morals are beliefs that families have about right and wrong, and good and bad. Morals are the foundation of discipline. Discipline teaches children to make good choices, to cooperate, and follow the rules. This is important, because without the moral basis of "right and wrong," Kids would feel confused about boundaries, and wouldn't be able to make proper moral judgements!

Family values are the moral guidelines that family members believe have worth. When a belief has worth it has value. So if you are teaching your kids no hitting , no fighting, be respectful. Those are all morals you expect your child to practice. So my question is where do parents blur the lines, and think that any of their morals will have worth when they themselves don't follow their own moral beliefs? Like its not OK for the kids to hit the dog, but it is OK for you? Or don't hit your brother, but you walk over and hit him to make him stop hitting? I don't understand lol. So the moral of treating people and animals with respect is then thrown out the window, and will have little value! If your morals are to have worth, then shouldn't everybody in the family practice what they preach?

Accompanying an emotional component to the learning experience truly is the difference weather something has value or not. These experiences can be good or bad. What I mean is this...you remember all the great things that you did or had during your childhood. You also remember the horrible experiences or even traumatic things. The good memories make you feel good,smile, and have good thoughts. Negative feelings make you mad,hurt, maybe even resentful. Which is why you are less likely to recall these moments in life, although they influence our daily decisions and morals. Some parents feel that where there is pain there is gain???? I know that my kids will fall down and get hurt, or have broken hearts, and maybe even do really stupid stuff like a slip 'n' slide in the kitchen. But in no way would I want them to feel pain. What could they possibly gain from that? How would incorporating unpleasant experiences around a lesson teach them anything? Yes they will learn from broken hearts, or a bump on the head, but as a parent arn't you supposed to try to protect them? Children are threatened with a spanking, or even loss of parental love if they even think about doing something bad.

Statements like:

"Are you asking for a spanking" (what kid would say yes, please spank me?)

Stop crying before I give you a reason to cry? HUH? yes you want your kid to stop crying, so in order to make her stop your going to cause her pain???? This makes perfect sense ha ha!!

The only moral that is being learned is not a positive one. It's showing them how to make threats, or bully people, and using violence to get what they want. I have spanked my kids I am not going to say that i havn't but it don't happen very often, and I always feel horrible after it. I believe if spanking was the right thing to do then why do so many parents feel the need to say they are sorry after? Don't we apologize for stuff we did wrong?

To sum all this up, the goal of getting kids to have positive moral beliefs and family values In treating others with respect has to be a learning experience that exemplifies what parents want their kids to learn.

Kids Sports and Parents Don't Mix: A Mothers Humorous View!!

I Am One Of Those Mom's :)

So every Saturday is crazy running 5 kids to different basketball games. I always have to tell myself that it's for their own good, and it is beneficial to them throughout their adult life. Believe me I have to tell myself that a million times before I get out the door :) So today I found out I AM ONE OF THOSE MOM"S!! You know one of them moms that yells from the bleachers at all of the team, saying get open, get the ball, good job, or REALLY? The benefits for the kids doing sports are great, but I am not so sure they have taken the parent benefits into consideration. I am pretty sure my blood pressure was a little high, and I was winded from yelling, and on top of yelling to the team, I had to chase my youngest kids all over the place.

There are the obvious health benefits to sports. Like cardio, and being active for extended periods of time. Everyone knows that childhood obesity is on the rise and this is one way to keep your child healthy and fit. Then their are us parents that sit our fat butts on the bleachers yelling, as if we could play any better. Yeah, maybe in High School, but I may break a hip now LOL.

Sports can also teach your kids about commitment, teamwork, and problem solving skills. I think that is all very valuable for them to learn. On the other hand why can they not do this at home. I mean, cleaning your room = teamwork, homework = commitment, problem solving = working out a fight with your brother and sister, but "no" they still haven't figured that out yet.

Sports gives the kids a different outlet to turn to other than drinking, drugs, or smoking. Again benefits for the parents...Ummm no. Cause if your one of them mom's that yells, after getting the kids to the game and when the games are done we are ready for a drink.

Putting kids in sports also makes them feel like they have value and are apart of something important. They know that the team needs them and they have a job to do. I have debated on putting this part in my hub, but what the heck. Parents learn valuable lessons to, the pretty mean girl in school is not so pretty anymore, but is really nice. Imagine that.

Oh yes I forgot the best part!! Scholarships, need I say more. Free ride to college that can coast you thousands. What could get better than seeing them go to the school they wanted to, and playing the sport they love? Plus that means they are out of the house!

On a more serious note, having your kids in sports is a great thing for the whole family. It really is a lot of fun, and very beneficial to the kids. They learn teamwork, discipline ,respect, confidence, and many many other things. I had fun writing this, and wanted to try to put a new twist on the benefits of having your kids in sports. By the way I did not really see the pretty mean girl from school at the game!

I'm A Mom...Whats Your Super Power?

I’m a mom, what’s your super power?



I am a stay at home mom of 5 kids (enough said blog done lol) just kidding.



There are days that being a stay at home mom is great and rewarding, but most often than not I feel like no one realizes what I do to keep this house running smooth. There are days when I have cleaned all day, done the laundry, dishes, cleaned up muddy foot prints from the dogs and the kids, ran them to horseback riding, volleyball, basketball, softball, a friend’s house, went grocery shopping, paid bills, been referee, made dinner, helped with home work, been a nurse, read bedtime stories, explained why it’s not ok to tie up your brother or slide down the stairs on your toy box lid!! Then there are days like today! Let me explain.

I wake up thinking today is going to be a great day, and then I realize the kids are already awake and downstairs. I immediately think OMG! It is 6:30am, and takes me waking them up 5 million times to get ready, eat breakfast, get dressed, get your bags and homework, hurry up your going to be late, throughout the week(when they have school). Then on the weekends they are up at the butt crack of dawn? My second thought is, the house isn’t on fire and I am still alive. So I get up and go down stairs, to see Alexis my oldest on the computer talking to her friends. I think it’s a conspiracy, because apparently all kids wake up early on the weekends. Hailey is sitting and reading her newest book, so far so good. Right? Wrong!! Right away I see that they all decided to make breakfast and there is cereal and milk all over the table and the floor. Then the shocker of my life! My three younger kids, Brooklynn, Brittany, and Logan have decided to make a slip ‘n’ slide in the kitchen! NO JOKE!! They made it with eggs and maple syrup. It was all over the kitchen floor. They were sliding from one end of the kitchen to the other. I thought I was going to have a stroke right then and there! I start yelling and screaming at them” only god knows what I was saying” and they go running through the house with egg and syrup all over them. I run after all three of them yelling, telling them they are cleaning the kitchen and are grounded forever!!

So of course now they all have to take a shower and get cleaned up. Well that went bad to! I really just want to scream, because now the bathroom is flooded, and the kids decided to give our American Bulldog a bath too. Anyway I dry up the floor and dry off the poor dog, and start making them clean!! Against my better judgment, I ask the questions every mom should know not to ask. It went something like this……….

ME- Why would you do that?

Logan- It was Brooklynn’s idea.

Brooklynn- Whine, whine, whine. No it wasn’t it was Brittany

Brittany- No it wasn’t everyone blames everything on me!

Me- well it don’t matter who’s idea it was, why would you do that? You knew you would be in big trouble.

Kids- We don’t know, it sounded fun.

Me- well now you’re cleaning the entire kitchen until its sparkling!

Logan- But we don’t have any sparkles!!

Me- Laughing, laughing, laughing……………..

What can you say to that? He was so serious lol. Needless to say they are still grounded and have lots of cleaning to do. Let me tell you it really took major super powers today, not to completely lose it. All in all it still turned out to be a pretty good day:)
I need some feed back and yes this is a true story this actually happened lol!! This is my first blog post ever