71* Dec. 27, 2008

For posterity's sake I have to document this past week!

Monday was a holiday, 5 kids ended up with haircuts... taking the entire morning.  Victoria's last haircut you can read about here!  Short story... she didn't like it all one length so she "fixed" it!  Today I tell the lady she doesn't like it one length but Victoria is saying she doesn't want layers either.  She ends up with layers and loves it until it gets in her eyes while playing basketball.  Now she is crying, no bellering!! that she didn't want layers.  You don't want it all one length and you don't want layers, what do you want?  She holds up her hands and says, "Like this!" I guess she wanted all one length hair that is uneven!  I threaten her with, "If you cut one hair I will take you back and they will cut it like Porter's!"  The girls didn't believe me.  They didn't think I would give her a boy haircut.  I educated them on the Pixie cut!!  I yelled at Ryan, he went to bed for the day and the Call's came out to play for a little while.  While here Jeanie helped me with my nutty idea of a gratitude wall.  We slapped some paint over the brown and tan stripes and ordered vinyl lettering.  Victoria's friend and family came over for dinner.  She has 3 little ones and her husband travels for work a lot.  I finally got everyone in bed and found Sam on the computer writing a last minute paper.  It was suppose to be a satire but read like an expository.  When it comes to English, Sam is a horrible procrastinator and it is driving me CRAZY!!!  I couldn't even sit down and help her.  I had to walk away, do something else, then come back.  After my little timeout I sat down and we hammered it out.  I threatened her academically with the equivalent of a pixie cut!

Tuesday started out horrible!  I HATE mornings!  I HATE mornings!  I HATE mornings!  Did I say I HATE mornings!  I have never been a morning person.  February 1997 put an end to my sleeping in.  Sam as well as ALL her siblings (as babies, toddlers, and kids) woke up at the crack of dawn every morning no matter what time they went to bed.  Now, when there are no babies waking me up at those horrific morning hours I have a teenage daughter up at 5AM!!  I HATE 5AM!!  I get Sam off to seminary but Casey needs his sweats stitched up and Porter forgot to write in his homework journal and  Isabelle is grouchy and Victoria hates mornings as much as I do!  She is crying and whining and still needs to read her book.  Finally, they are all off to school.  Ryan and I decide to go to the temple.  We pick up groceries on the way home.  He goes to bed, he has to work overnight.  I fix dinner and clean the house.  We have piano lessons today and Casey has a basketball game 40 minutes away.  Taco's it is!  The house is clean, dinner is on the counter, off we go to Casey's game (they lose).  Sam and Rebekah take care of feeding everyone.  They finish up piano lessons as I walk back in the door.  Ryan eats and goes back to bed.  I get the 3 youngest kids to bed and my 3 oldest keep me hopping until 9pm.  Ryan leaves for work at 9:40 and I head to bed.  

Wednesday starts again at 5AM!  I get a run in after dropping kids off at school.  Taylor comes over for lunch at 11 until 1:45.   I get dinner ready setting it out on the counter again.  Today I have Cub Scouts right after school.  I rush around finishing everything up so the kids can feed themselves before mutual.  I pick up the boys from school and off we go to the vet in Leavenworth.  The boys love it.  Porter got to hold a horses tongue as the vet ground down the horses' teeth.  He thought that was SO cool.  We are rushing back, dropping boys, then running Porter home just in time to turn around and go back to the church.  It's New Beginnings for the YW.  Isabelle and I are to be there with Rebekah and Sam.  Casey is at a ball game that could be his last... I can't go, I have scouts and Isabelle's New Beginnings.  Ryan can't go, he has YM and the teacher advisor is out of town.  Jeanie can't go, she is babysitting for all the mom's going to New Beginnings with their 11 year old daughters.  Talk about guilt!  They ended up winning and played on Thursday.  New Beginnings was wonderful.  I can't express the spirit I felt that night.  It's been a long time since I've felt that peace.  We get home, Ryan tries to catch a nap before heading to work.  I get the younger ones in bed and Isabelle calls me back to her room.  Her head is itching.  Yep!  Head lice!  Ryan is walking out the door for work, I am going through her hair and find lice... Jeanie runs to CVS and Walgreen's to buy shampoo and spray.  She goes home and finds lice in Jaycie's hair!  Yes, Isabelle gave a few to Jaycie.  I work until 1AM going section by section pulling every tiny egg and nit out of her hair.  

Thursday is spent just surviving the day... kids off to school.  Isabelle and I head over to Jeanie's.  We spend the entire morning going through the girls' hair section by section.  It is so tedious!!  The school refuses to send out a notice there is lice in the 5th grade.  5 girls in the same class have all had it in the past 2 months.  They say it isn't a health hazard, only a small inconvenience!  Obviously, they have not had lice in a house of 8 people.  Thankfully, no one else got it.  I get home in time to leave again to pick Sam, Porter and Tori up from school.  We drop Tori off at Jeanie's with Isabelle and drive to Casey's last game of the season.  He plays a great game but they lose.  We enjoy the ride home.  Ryan tries to get a cat nap, he's working overnight again.  We arrive home at 7PM.  Porter is mad.  He gets sent to his room.  I am pulling leftovers out of the fridge.  Everyone is finally fed, Porter and Tori are in bed.  Someone mentions it's my birthday tomorrow.  Isabelle, a little frazzled, said, "I forgot to get you something!"  She ALWAYS gets gifts for every one's birthdays, Christmas, Father's day, etc.  She's so very thoughtful.  As she sat there a moment thinking, she sheepishly added, "I got you lice."  Unfortunately, the school doesn't take returns!!!!  Isabelle is waiting for me to go through her hair.  Sam wants me to check her hair.  Casey needs me to help him write out his High School schedule.  Sam goes down to exercise and I sit down with Casey.  She finishes, I am still helping Casey and Izy is still waiting & Rebekah wants me to tuck her in.  I stop with Casey, check Sam's head (NO LICE!) and tuck Rebekah in.  Casey wants to graduate a year early.  We fiddle with his schedule, Ryan leaves for work and Isabelle is still waiting.  Casey & I finish just before 10PM.  I kiss him goodnight and start on Isabelle's hair.  After going through section by section again we both climb into bed around midnight!

Friday is a repeat of Thursday except we head to Mercury Gym with the kids after school then Five Guys for burgers and fries.  Ryan leaves at 7:40PM for work.  Porter, Tori and Izy are in bed by 8.  I end the night watching the A Team with Sam, Rebekah and Casey.

Saturday morning Porter comes to snuggle and we watch Iron Man & Iron Man 2.  Then we clean, clean, clean!!!  Ryan takes Casey to the earn his climbing merit badge... they are gone from 9-5.  He walks in, I walk out and so the week ended!!