Kids, College and Chocolate (LOTS AND LOTS OF CHOCOLATE)!

I have been for the last 6 years, with my husband's support, a stay at home mom.  In the past, I have worked as a nurse, secretary, restaurant worker, babysitter, etc.  But I recently had to make some concrete decisions due to the fact that my LPN license now needs working hours along with the CE credits to keep it active.  Gone are the days where I just pay my money each year and hope someday I will return to nursing.  This has presented quite the challenge.  It would be a financial nightmare to try and have me work and have to put kids in daycare.  I looked into the option of getting my RN but there are significant challenges since my credits are now too old etc. 

So I have decided to pursue a new career. Teaching.  It was what I planned on when I was in high school so why not.

I decided to do the double major program (Elem Ed/ECE) through CWU at Highline.  I worked with GRCC to register and finish my AA and found out I couldn't attend due to financial aid restrictions.  I already maxed out the amount of quarters I can receive aid at GRCC, so I have to go elsewhere.
So I started looking into WGU and the Interdisciplinary Studies degree which is basically Education (K-8).  I decided to talk to their staff and after careful consideration applied.

Yesterday I was officially placed on the rolls as accepted into the program for September.

About 1 this morning it hit me.

Am I stupid? Crazy? Loony? Disturbed? Daring? Insane? Mad? Unbalanced? Cracked? Nuts? Silly? Demented? Deranged?  Daft? Bizarre?  I am thinking I must be all of these things!

How am I going to do this with my 5 kids at home, 1 in college, and the kids I watch for the extra money?  I was thinking I thought this all the way through but right now I am not so sure.  I am sitting here trying to write this post and have already been up at least 10 times managing kids, phone calls, and snack times.  Will I really be able to do school work with all this going on around me?  Will I never sleep again?

I wandered the house early this morning and as I was preparing for my day I spied the fudgy brownies I made the other night.  You know the really gooey ones with the cocoa frosting and it hit me.  CHOCOLATE IS THE ANSWER!  I will have lots and lots of chocolate to get me through this.  It will support and bear me up in those moments when I think I am going to go ballistic.  Dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate in every way imaginable.  All of this I will be able to do with a good Hershey dark chocolate in my freezer.

Scarlett had tomorrow, I have chocolate.

5 FREAKING CHILDREN!

Apparently to some I have to many kids.  The other night our family trekked into the local Wal-mart to pick up much needed ice cream sundae supplies for Family Home Evening.  Chris and I had seperate carts because we were also doing some shopping so I was taking the 5 kiddos with me to choose the ice cream and he was picking up the practical items.  Me and my five kiddos were traveling together to the back of the store when passed by a man and his wife/girlfriend and his eyes just kind of looked me over with the kids.  I just smiled as I passed and didn't really think anything of it.  Meanwhile Chris is trailing behind us and when the guy comes up past him he hears the guy complaining about the woman with "5 freaking kids"  she has "5 freaking kids".  Now if Chris had been smart he would have quipped to the guy, "NO, she actally has 7!" 

Do I have to many kids?  We have 7 wonderful children in our his, mine, and ours bucket.  Would I change having all these beautiful people?  Kenneth is almost 23 and works for costco and is extremely talented in art.  Keith is 20 and has an AA and leaving for CWU in a few weeks to be an accountant.  He has over $15,000 saved for school after working full time the last couple of years so he doesn't have to take student loans.  Kyle is 16 and a junior this year in high school.  He Eagle Scout board of review is next week and then he will be officially an eagle scout.  Brett is 10 and enjoys cub scouts, science, and being a good helper with our new baby.  Ruby is 4 and is as smart as can be, Alora will be 3 tomorrow and she is so beautiful when she smiles and her eyes sparkle, and then we have little Ross who is 2 months and is named after his Uncle Ross, who would have turned 44 today.  Ross has an engaging smile and loves to talk (if you knew Ross you totally understand that one!)

When I look at these kids, I can't imagine life without them.  I think of the good they are and will do in this world.  We are not welfare parents, we are not overpopulating the earth and we are not horrible people.  We are two parents who are invested in our family. We prove this by living modestly, we do not recieve welfare.  We prove this by holding weekly Family Home Evenings and Family Councils.  We prove this by consistently having daily family prayer and scripture study.  We prove this by paying our own medical insurance.  We prove this by giving our children chores and teaching them the value of work.  We prove this by teaching them correct principles and how to stand by them.

YES, I HAVE 7 FREAKING CHILDREN!!!!!  AND YOU SHOULD BE GLAD I DO.

Am I just insane?

So here I am, 15 weeks pregnant with my sixth child and I am wondering how did this happen.  I mean, I know how "it happened" but I swear never in my dreams did I ever believe I would be the mother to six children and a step son.  Currently my kids' ages range from 20 years to 2 years.  If feels like all I have done with my entire life is mother children.  I was hoping to get to that point where you send the kids of to school and do whatever you want.  Oh well, I will just have to enjoy the little things in life like Ruby refusing to wear anything but a dress, Alora dumping out the crayons and drawing on anything she can find, and shortly listening to the cry of a newborn baby every two hours.  Life unexpected sometimes is the greatest. 

IT'S ONLY 10:05AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here it is only 10:05am and already this is my day.  Ruby got into my scrapbook stuff on the table while I was cleaning up breakfast.  She was happily cutting and stickering away on the props I was making for my new calling at church (primary music leader).  After saving my supplies, my "mommy sense" started tingling and I found Alora in the bathroom with cups dipping into the toilet.  There was water everywhere and I am pretty sure she ingested some, so now wondering if I should call poisen control.  I grabbed Alora and got her changed, cause she was soaked, and then came downstairs to find Ruby dumping the DVD's off the shelf again.  So I gave the girls some crackers to help keep them distracted as I moved the DVD's to a new location.  Well that was a mistake.  Came back to crackers all over the carpet and had to vacuum.  While I was vacuuming the girls went upstairs (I had told Ruby to get dressed).  Ruby was jumping on my bed and Alora was in my bathroom doing, yep you guessed it, playing in toilet water.  So another clothing change later we are now downstairs and I am typing this while they are fighting over toys and watching the movie "Cars".  I am exhausted and it's now only 10:13AM!!!!!!!!!!!

Why this blog.  Cause I need somewhere to whine!