Best present ever!!!!

Santa was very nice to the Bradley family this year. Scott may not agree with that statement entirely. While seeing Santa, Courtney asked for a guitar and a sewing machine. Mason asked for a guitar and a bow and arrow. I don't believe Santa spoke too much to Makenna as to not upset her - being grateful she sat in his lap was enough! Well, Santa heard them loud and clear. Courtney got a sewing machine and a knitting machine - very cool. Mason got a Nerf bow and arrow set, and a few other things that shot out nerf-like items - poor dogs. They all got guitars. Of course, Makenna's is a Backyardigans version of a guitar, but the other two are true guitars - picks and all. If that wouldn't be loud enough, they also got a battery-operated keyboard. Yesterday morning, Courtney and Mason were playing their guitars while Makenna played the keyboard and sang. The making of the Bradley band - move over Partridge family!!!!

Scott and I must have been very good this year as well. We received a DVD player with two monitors for the car. Let me tell you, this present has saved my sanity!!!! I no longer have bickering children riding in my car. They are quiet. Halleluha!!!!!!!!

The best present of all is actually two events. One, my Mom has returned home from rehab center. She is still a bit weak from the pneumonia, but she is on the mend. I am truly grateful that we got one more Christmas with her. Secondly, Scott's dad has regained some of his speech. He can speak a few 3-4 word sentences. Woo Hoo!!!!

It was a very Merry Christmas. Next, I need to work on my New Year's Resolutions - oh, yeah! Until next time....

Party at the Millar's House

My friend Tracy and her husband Ray held their annual Christmas party last night. We had a great time. Hopefully, I will be able to post some pictures later. We used one of our new babysitters, Alex. Alex's twin sister Chloe was to come over too, but she felt ill so she stayed home. I must tell you, I love having babysitters. It makes life so much easier. Now, hopefully, Scott and I can have date nights.

Anyway, back to the party. I love hanging out with my friends, especially the Girls. The Girls are 5 of my closest friends - Cindy, Tracy, Lori, Joanne, and Kathy. We may not see each other or talk to each other every week, I know these ladies will be there for me in a heartbeat and vice-versa if need be. I love my Girls!!!

Normally, we are a pretty casual bunch, but this year we all did something very special - we all wore high heels with our jeans!!! This all started because of an Oprah show I saw last year. It was the show were they discussed wearing the correct size and type bra and jeans. Oprah says that if you were high heels, you look a lot thinner. Well, that simple phrase sold me. After all, I am always trying to look thinner. This year my friends joined me in the high heel endeavor. Let me tell you, we looked HOT!!!! All of us!!!! Even the men in our lives or as we call them - the Boys, commented on how good we all looked. WOO HOO!!!!!

Everyone is getting together at Cindy's house tomorrow evening, but we are unable to attend. We go to my in-laws on Christmas Eve to open presents. My dad is checking my mom out of the rehab center tomorrow evening so they can join us. I am very excited about this as I have seen my mom all week. The kids have been ill, and I can't take them into the rehab center with me. According to my mom, they have been keeping her very busy so she's been pretty tired herself. My mom will most likely be there for another week or two if not more. She is so weak. It really stinks to see her like this. I just keep praying this isn't the last Christmas with her.

Well, the kids are in bed and its going to be a long couple of days so I am off to bed myself. Until next time....

PS. Merry Christmas everyone!!!! God Bless!!!!

Ill Child Syndrome

I don't know what it is, but when one of my children is ill, then none of them want to get out of their jammies. There are times that I even get caught up in it. Nothing like a jammie day.

My little man, Mason, is sick. He's had a cold for the last few days that has now progressed into a chest cold and cough. This all started around a week or two after he decided he didn't need to take naps anymore. His poor body is so tired that he has slept for 11 hours now and he is still asleep.

Here is my question - why do they call it "childrens" medicine when you have to be at least 6 years old to take it??? Or at least 2 years old for "infant" medicine??? Why do they sell the cough medicine that is for certain symptoms in such large bottles??? My medicine cabinet is overflowing with all the different medicine I have for colds. Oh, I guess I should have said questions...

Well, I need to get some things done around here. Until, next time....

Family has come and gone.... now for our Christmas

My family was down last week-end for our family Christmas. We used to take turns having Christmas at our different houses, but its been at our house the last few years since my mom has been sick. As a matter of fact, my mom was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia 2 days prior to our Christmas celebration. Keeping in the spirit of Christmas, we took the adult gift exchange to the hospital. The nurses were very nice and allowed all 12 of us in her room at once. We stayed for about an hour and then returned to our house so the kids could open their presents. Makenna's shopping cart was a huge hit. Every child of mine has taken it for a spin around the house and chased each other or the dogs with it.

Mason had his school Christmas program last week. He was the inn keeper. He did so well. I was very proud. However, I must admit I was a bit nervous for him because he kept talking in a silly manner whenever we practiced his lines. I guess he was listening when I told him to talk properly and loudly for the show. Since most of my family was down, they all got to see his show. Some people were getting upset because we ended up saving an entire row for our part of the audience. It amazed me some of the things some people said especially since we were in God's house!

My oldest nephew, TJ, is getting married in May. He and his fiancee, Emily, came down so she could meet my mom. While they were here, they asked Courtney and Makenna to be flower girls in their wedding. Of course, they said yes. So I will be off to Dallas with my children the first week-end in May. Scott won't be able to go with us as that is his busy time of year for work. My dad is planning on going so hopefully we can all travel together.

The beginning in May will be a very busy and very expensive time for us. We have TJ and Emily's wedding the first week-end, Courtney is receiving her first communion the following week-end, and a friend of ours is getting married the week-end after that. After the first of the year, Courtney and I will be looking at some patterns for her communion dress. A friend of mine's mother will make it for us. The best part (for me at least), I am having her dress made out of my wedding dress. Hopefully, there will be enough material and still in good shape.

Well, I better get some things done before I am off to bed.

Worst Mommy EVER!!!

This has been a very typical yet very hectic Bradley family week-end. It all started early Friday morning when Scott left for a hunting trip to Georgia around 4am. His moving around the house woke Makenna and she ended up climbing into bed with me. The alarm clock went off around 6am which felt more like 15 minutes later. Dragged my children out of bed, and got them off to school. Next was grocery shopping. This task has gotten easier since I only have Makenna with me, but it is one of my least favorite chores. I really wish the baggers would come and put it all away for me as well.

Last night was a party at my neighbors. I went alone as Scott is still in Georgia. It was a nice party, but I didn't stay too long as I didn't know too many people there and we had church in the morning.

This brings us to today - the day I became the worst Mommy EVER. It started out in a hectic fashion. Once again, I am dragging my children out of bed to get ready for church. It just kills me how slow they move when we need to get ready. I started telling them to hurry up so we aren't late. That didn't work so I began to yell. That didn't work and that led to my screaming at them. Yes, screaming. When we left, my throat hurt. My heart rate must have been through the roof!!! After we were all in the car and on our way, I felt terrible about how I handled the situation. What kind of Mother was I???? After church, we made a brief stop at my parents house for a late breakfast. Then it was off to my friend, Cindy's, studio for the kids' Christmas pictures. It started out very nice. Got lots of "Cheese" out of my kids. Then just like a light switch, Makenna didn't want to take any more pictures. UGH!!! We waited a few minutes to see if her mood will change. It did - from bad to worse. Told Cindy sorry, and left hoping she got some good shots while everyone was behaving.

When we got home, I put Makenna down for a nap. Courtney laid down as she had a headache. I told Mason to lay quietly on his bed and look at books for some quiet time. I went to lay down as well. Next I hear Courtney yelling at Mason to get out of her room. I told Mason to come lay down with me. He kept tapping my hand, putting his legs all over me, etc. I told him to go lay on the couch. I hear Courtney yelling at him again to get out of her room. Then Makenna is crying because Courtney's yelling woke her up. I looked at Mason and told him..... "Boy, there are times I could just kill you." OH MY GOSH!!!! What did I just say to him???? I wanted to take the words back, but I couldn't. I was so tired and frustrated that I finally exploded. To be very honest, it took all I had to not hit him. I was so angry. He has become this little.... I don't even know a word to describe it. He drives me absolutely crazy!!!! Can't keep his hands to himself, can't sit still, keeps asking the same thing over and over again, argues with you about silly stuff. For example, he didn't want to get dressed this morning because he was convinced his navy pants were black. Even after I showed him the difference between his black pants and blue pants, he still didn't believe me. So yes, my friends, today I have earned the WORST MOMMY EVER title.

Tag, I'm it

My friend, Colleen, tagged me. The rules are simple. I need to reveal 7 weird and/or unusal things about myself. I am to link my answers to my friend's blogs, however I don't know how to do that nor have my friends started their blog pages. So here are my answers and hopefully, you all will see them.

1. I have never climbed a tree.

2. I went mountain bike riding and hated it!!! Give me a paved road anyday.

3. I was engaged before and called it off 5 months before the wedding.

4. I have never seen ET.

5. I attended 3 different colleges (Southwest Missouri State, Manatee Community College, and the University of South Florida).

6. My ultimate dream car is a '67 Mustang convertible.

7. I am afraid of being on ladders, but heights don't bother me. Just ladders.

Tis the season....

I just noticed that I haven't written for about 2 weeks now. This is terrible. I really need to get on here more often.

Ok, here is the latest. Thanksgiving was very nice. We had it at our house with my parents and my in-laws. The food was good, the company was better. Colleen, we deep-fried our turkey as well, but ours definitely didn't turn out like yours! Sorry. I tried a new dessert recipe (I like to tryout a new recipe whenever we have a family gathering). This year it was a Black Forest Pie. Oooohhhh, it was sooo good and so easy. I will post the recipe if anyone is interested.

I did my traditional after Thanksgiving shopping. I wish some of my friends liked to shop after Thanksgiving. I normally end up going by myself. I found some really good deals. I bought a couple of things even though I had already gotten them earlier. After last years' TMX Elmo fiasco, I decided that I would buy the items I wanted to get my kids whenever I saw them. If it goes on sale later, I will return the originally bought items. This way my children will get the items I want for them. The best deal I got was a Nine West purse and an XOXO purse for $25.00. Not for each, but for both! What a bargain!!!! Merry Christmas to me!!!!! I have most of my shopping and the shopping I have to do for my parents done. I only have a few things left to get. Yeah!!!!

We had two birthday parties the week-end after Thanksgiving. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. The one on Saturday was a combination party for one of my son's friends and his twin siblings. Gavin, my son's friend, goes to school Mason. When Mason first met him, he couldn't remember his name so he kept calling him the "tough guy" because he tipped over a play kitchen set in the playyard. Gavin's twin siblings just turned one so sharing a party now isn't so hard, but in a few years....

The party on Sunday was for a very good friend of mine's daughter. Little Miss Rylee turned 4. It was a fun party with a ton of people and I do mean a ton! I told Tracy (my friend) that she should hide some of the birthday presents, wrap them in Christmas paper, and put them under the tree. I am not sure if there is anything left in the stores that she could get for Christmas! That's the downside of having birthdays so close to Christmas. I know because Makenna's is in October, Courtney's is in November, and Mason's is in February. Oh to have a birthday in May!

Courtney had a birthday party to attend yesterday. It was an ice-skating party. Yes, we have ice-skating here in Florida. She had a good time. She had only been skating once before, but she did pretty good yesterday. After a couple of times around the rink hugging the wall, she ventured out and was skating around with the masses or should I say shuffling along. I think this might be it for birthday parties until after the first of the year.

We tried out a new babysitter last night, and we will be trying out a different one next week-end. We were invited to our neighbor's Christmas party so we thought that would be prime time to tryout someone new. The kids just loved Chloe. She even got Makenna to go to bed and stay there. (We just put Makenna in a toddler bed and its been a bit of a challenge to keep her in it). Needless to say, we will be using Chloe again. Next week-end, we have another neighbor Christmas party to attend. We will be using Chloe's twin sister for that one. Yeah!!!! We finally have some babysitters!!!! Date night here we come.

Well, I think I have written a book here. I will once again try not to wait so long to write again. Until next time.....

A lot to be thankful for

Last week-end was my daughter's birthday party. She turned 8. She wanted a party at the bowling alley. Let me tell you, that was the way to go. The cost was around $14 per child with a 10 child minimum. However, they took care of everything: nvitations, thank you cards, goody bags, shoe rentals for the kids, two bowling lanes for an hour, bowling balls for the kids, pizza, drinks, decorations, and a real bowling pin for Courtney that her friends got to sign. They set up and clean up afterwards. I only had to bring was a cake and items for the goody bags. If I tried to have a party at my house, I probably would have spent a lot more than that especially trying to keep 10 kids entertained for an hour. This is Courtney at her party.

I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. My in-laws and my parents are coming to our house for dinner. We deep fry our turkey. It is sooo yummy and only takes 45 minutes versus the several hours in the oven. Every year I try out a new recipe. Last year was my sister's sweet potato casserole. It turned out so good. Even my father-in-law liked it and he doesn't like sweet potatoes. This year I am trying a black forrest pie. I will still have my creamy pumpkin pie and my parents are bringing an apple pie just in case this new pie doesn't turn out ok. I will let you know.

We have so much to be thankful for this year. My mother is still with us. She has been ill for a few years now. She has COPD and emphyzema(?). She has been oxygen for about 6 years now. She still has her good days, but her bad days seem to be increasing. It hurts me to see her struggle to catch her breath. I thank God everyday that my kids have her around one more day. I lost my grandparents when I was very young so I missed out on the whole grandparent experience. I wish my children didn't have miss out as well.

My father-in-law had a stroke right before I left for my class reunion. He is so young. He is 61 years old. Physically he is doing fine, but he has lost his speech. He is going to therapy 3x a week. They worked with him a lot so he could sing Happy Birthday to Courtney on her birthday. He did pretty good. He got some words out. He has a long road ahead of him, but he is a strong and determined man.

Well, I need to get going. I have some shopping to do as well as some things around the house. I will try not to wait so long to post again.

Until next time....

Introducing the Bradley clan

I just realized that I told you all about my dogs, but not too much about my family. Here is the scoop. Scott is my husband and we have been married for 13 years. He is two years younger than me. We met each other at a grocery store I worked at while going to college. We were friends first for about a year. He is a native Floridian. Not too many of them here. Most of us are transplants. He owns a lawn service business and does very well. The summers here are hard on him with the heat. The downside of this situation is that he does the work himself so we don't get to take a family vacation together too often. Maybe one day.



My oldest daughter is Courtney. She just turned 8. She is my lucky charm. When I found out I was pregnant with her, I just got a promotion and had 5 out of 6 numbers in the lottery. I didn't win alot, but got enough to get the baby furniture. She is very artistic. It amazes me what she comes up with. I have started a portfolio for her masterpieces. She is also very smart. She does very well in school. She is in second grade, but reads at a level of a 6 month 3rd grader. She loves to read. She gets it honestly. I love to read, and I love to read to my kids. We try to read every night. She is having her birthday party on Saturday at the local bowling alley. I will let you all know how that goes later.



My middle child is my son, Mason. He is 4 years old and is all boy. He is quite the shock to the system especially since Courtney has always been a very self-sufficient and self-contained child. Give her a box of crayons and some paper and she is good to go. Not Mason. He is non-stop except when there is a movie or a show he wants to watch. He likes to play rough, but loves to cuddle with Mommy. He attends a VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) program at a local Christian school. He loves it, but there is one little boy that is very mean to everyone in the class. Mason comes home and tells me what Sammy called him or someone else everyday. I know I must be doing something right when he tells me that Sammy's behavior is not acceptable. Good boy!!!!



My youngest is my baby girl, Makenna. The funny thing about Makenna is how I found out I was pregnant with her. I was in the ER with a kidney stone attack when they advised me that I was 12 weeks pregnant. She was quite the surprise especially with what we went through to get pregnant with my first two. I was very upset at first. It took me a while to get used to the idea. Now I wouldn't trade her for the world. She is one of the reasons why I quit my job. I missed out on so much with my other two. I figured God was giving me another chance to do what I always wanted to do... be a SAHM. Makenna is 2 years old now. She does her very best to keep up with her siblings. She is very loving, but will certainly put you in your place if you cross her. We will probably start the potty training after the holidays. That should be fun. I am looking forward to removing the expense of diapers and wipes from my budget.



That is my family in a nut shell. Now when I talk about Scott, Courtney, Mason or Makenna, you all will know who I am talking about. Well, its time for us to go to lunch.



Until next time.....

The house has gone to the dogs

I just have a few moments to write this before I leave to pick up Mason at school. As I stated before, we recently added another dog to our household. I will add some pictures of my dogs later, but let me tell you a little bit about our pets. We got Mickey a little over a year ago. We got him from the pound and he is supposedly a German Shepherd/Collie mix. We aren't sure that is an accurate description. We just call him a mut. Anyway, he is a pretty good dog. The problem we have with him is his fascination with chewing paper. He will leave the shoes alone, but if there is a magazine on the table - forget about it! He has even chewed up toilet paper while its on the roll. He has destroyed the blinds in the game room and kitchen. When we first got him, we kept him in the bathroom while we were gone. Needless to say, our bathroom door needs to be replaced as he almost chewed through it. My husband decided that Mickey needs a playmate to calm him down. I never had pets when I was growing up, and my husband had several so I believe him - yes I know what you all are saying and I agree! Anyway, a friend of ours had this dog that they got from someone who was moving and couldn't take the dog with them. Scott (my husband) and this friend got to talking and the next thing I know, he is bringing home this dog. Our new dog is a chocolate lab named Coco. She is beautiful and very calm. I don't think I've heard her bark yet. She doesn't lick, but she sniffs alot! Two downsides to Coco. One she is not housebroken. She is doing pretty good. Its helpful that I am at home, but when I need to get some shopping down, I get a bit stressed over it. Did I mention that we have carpeting throughout most of the house????? Yeah, that makes for a lot of fun. We are planning on replacing the carpet, but in the meantime..... The second issue with Coco is that she isn't fixed. Mickey is - thank goodness, but Coco is not. And wouldn't you know it, the week we get her on a trial basis, she is in heat! Mickey has been following her around for the last few days. He really likes her!!!! Both of these things can be fixed literally so I have a feeling Coco is here to stay. So my house has gone to the dogs. When I am home, I am busy trying to housebreak Coco and vaccumming the dogs hair. And now I pick up all the toys, shoes, papers, etc before I walk out the door. Like I have nothing better to do everyday!!!!!! Oh, the sacrifices I make for my family.... I must go now and pick up my son.

Until next time.....

First time poster

Well, this is my first time posting a blog on this website. I have a few friends who do this, and I truly enjoy reading about what is going on in their lives at that moment. I was a member of a certain village, but I haven't been on for a while and now I can't seem to figure out how to get to my blogs so here I start anew. I am a SAHM of 3 children. I have been married for 13 years. And we have recently added another dog to our lovely family so that brings us to myself, my husband, two daughters, one son, two dogs, and a goldfish. Boy, my house seems so small all of a sudden!

Please don't let my title "Not Just Mommy" fool you. Lately, I have felt like just a Mommy and nothing else. Don't get me wrong, I love my children and would try my best to move heaven and earth for them. HOWEVER.... there are times. When I quit my job, I didn't quit realize that I would be trading in my "worker bee" identity for a larger version of "mommy bee" identity. When my husband quit his job to start his own business, I never thought of him as just a "lawn guy", and I guess he never let himself be that either. That is my issue. He was able to maintain his friends who call him to play cards. He continued to play softball and fish. He really didn't lose anything during that transition. Myself, on the other hand, was not so lucky. I have friends who love me and will be there in a minute if need be, but we aren't the kind of friends who put together a poker game at the last minute. We are planners and organizers. We try to arrange a girls night weeks ahead of time and it always seems to fall apart at the last minute. Why is that???? Why is it that I feel slightly guilty if I want to go somewhere without my kids for awhile???? And why is it that when I tell my husband that we need a date night just the two of us, we end up at a restaurant with the kids in tow???? Maybe if I can figure out why I am made this way, I can figure out a way to fix it and regain a lost part of my identity.... the part that is not just mommy.

Until next time......