The Artis 6: Life Unwrapped

Fashionable uniquely function-able?

2011-01-20T04:59:00.000-08:00

Last night as hubby and I cuddled on the couch watching tv together alone. Yes, it was a rare moment. The kids were supposed to be in their beds allowing Mr. Sandman to sing them a lullaby but I don't think they have been formally introduced to him yet, either that or they don't get along because bedtime can be tortureous in our house. But that's a different post all together. For the sake of the story I will be honest and tell you that the kids were upstairs running and playing way past bedtime but both hubby and I pretended not to hear them because neither one of us wanted to move from our cozy cuddling place...awwwwww. So as I am sitting there I looked around the room and realized that there are very few pieces in the family room I love. There is the rug which I spent more than hubby wanted on, but I love it. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. And there's the ottoman that hasn't found the perfect place in our home. The point is, my home has the decorating touch of a tired mom with lots of kids! I think it's time for a change. My hubby wanted to know what sparked this desire for change, who can he blame for the money I now feel the need to spend to create that feeling of hmmmmmm, when I walk through the door. I told him he could thank Tam over at Get it Girl Style. I have been spending free time drooling on her blog. She finds the most unique things and puts them together so beautifully. I am feeling inspired. I'm going to create an idea board for the dining area. It's time for the Artis house to mone from function alone to fashionably uniquely function-able...is that even a design category?

Dream or idea?

2011-01-18T04:47:00.000-08:00

We've all had a dream about something that seems like it would be a good idea, but every now and then we get those dreams that make us sit straight up in the bed and wonder if God is giving us a glimpse of our possible future, if only we make the right decisions...you know one of those dreams where you make one simple decision that changes the rest of your life for the better, or maybe sometimes for the worse, but then you just never know because it was just a dream, right?
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For the love of milk

2011-01-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Leah with the full pouty face:
Mommy why can't I just go to H.S. Elementary school.

Me in serious know it all mommy mode:
Well sweetie, we live down the street from your school. Your school is so nice and It's a new school. The teachers are very sweet and your friends are at your school.
You can't leave your friends and teacher. They would miss you and feel very sad.
(feeling proud because I had provided her with a great mom-logical answer. Of course I had given her enough information to help her realize that her school was the right school for her)

Leah: Awww man, but H.S. Elem has strawberry milk!

Parental Brainwashing Gone Wrong...Somewhere

2011-01-11T06:23:00.000-08:00

So you read the title...Don't give me the evil eye! If you're a parent at some point and time you have participated in parental brainwashing too. Its a part of being a parent. We all do it. Its the only way you would get your kids to share some your views. Ok, let me be clear...

2011-01-10T01:27:00.001-08:00

Swap Mamas

2011-01-07T08:53:00.001-08:00

While blog hopping today, I stumbled upon a website that has the potential to give moms everywhere that "ahhhh" moment. Swap Mamas! For awhile now I have been swapping clothing and toys with friends that have children that are a size larger or smaller than my little ones. Not only is it the green thing to do but its also the most economical thing to do.

A mommy must-have!

2011-01-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

Once I became a stay-at-home mom, I became obsessed with feeding my kids the healthiest and most nutritious foods I could get my hands on. One of the great things about not working outside the home is that I have the time to cook and prepare tasty REAL foods for my family. I'm not saying that we don't ever eat out but it is rare that you will find me in a McDonald's drive thru. Kids meals are a thing of the past for my kids. One positive result of this is my kids are much smaller than their classmates. One result which sometimes doesn't feel so positive is the fact that they are exploding with energy. No sluggish kids or teens reside in the Artis household.
So a few months ago my brother-in-law introduced me to the many many benefits of carrot juice. I was amazed at the things carrot juice does for the body. We've all heard about how great carrots are for your eyes, but no one ever told me about Vitamin E, and Vitamin A, which is great for healthy bones and muscles. And there are studies being done right now to research the benefits of drinking carrot juice to prevent cancer. So needless to say, I was convinced that all my little ones needed carrot juice. The big question was how to get it into them. Thats when I found the Jack Lalane Juicer. It has been wonderful. Not only am I able to throw 3-5 carrots in a cup of juice for them but I usually mix it with a couple of apples, mangos. spinach, or any other fresh fruit or veggie I have in the house...except celery. Mixing celery in guarantees that no little ones will drink it. I have taken a liking to preparing fresh orange juice or apple juice for weekend breakfasts also. The juicer runs about $99 at Target but I found an open box deal with everything in it for $70. It has been worth every penny. Even the ever so picky hubby has begun drinking fresh fruit and veggie juice...well if I fix it for him. Oh, and before I go, I do hear you moms asking about cleanup because the last thing any busy mom needs is another huge mess. Well relax, clean up is simple. The juicer comes apart very easily and all parts are dishwasher safe. I usually just hand wash my really quickly and lay it out on a dish towel to dry. And if you are really interested in some the great benefits to drinking carrot juice visit www.living-foods.com.

New Holiday Tradition

2011-01-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

Every year as the calendar inches closer and closer to Christmas I get more and more stressed. I love shopping as much as any other lady, but Christmas shopping is what I refer to as "Forced Shopping." Who likes to be forced to shop, certainly not me. Secret Santa or name exchanges are the worse...that usually means I am going to have to find something to buy for someone I wouldn't normally shop for because I wouldn't know what to buy them even if I had the striking to shop for them. Anyway, this year I decided I was not participating. I refused to get caught up in buying a bunch of crap that people probably didn't want anyway cause if they did want it they would have purchased it for themselves. Just before deciding to refuse to participate I took a poll in our household. Not one of the Artis 6 could name more than 2 gifts they have received in the past couple of years besides clothing and shoes. Once the results were in I decided instead of buying christmas crap we would take a family vacation. Surprisingly enough every child could remember most family vacations we have taken. As I listened to them recount our adventures their little faces brightened up and huge grins appeared as their minds took them back to wonderful memories of fun and frolic and stress free parents. That did it for me. We quickly decided to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in Florida. What's better than 70 degree weather when its snowing at your house? We are a family of people who are extremely attached to extended family so we invited everyone and tried to convince as many family members as possible to go.
Christmas day we gave each child one small gift, ate breakfast together, laughed, played, and watched movies while waiting on the crew of family members to arrive. Early the next morning, we left snow and darkness and headed for FL in a huge 15 passenger van...I need to make a side note here to say that normally we hop on the train to go to FL. Its a wonderful option for folks with more than 3 kids. Not only is it affordable but the kids can walk around and eat snacks that you pack from home while someone else does all the driving. Its great! Unfortunately, because this wasn't a trip planned well in advance, train tickets were sold out. So we drove. We rented a huge 6 bedroom vacation home for a mere $750 for 8 days....thats cheaper that one night would have cost all of us. Once there we did Busch Gardens Tampa this year and shopped and slept and partied and watched TV and guess what I have heard NO complaints about not getting tons of Christmas gifts. As a matter of fact I am listened to the kids complain about leaving FL too early. So it goes without saying that I have officially been delivered from "Forced Shopping." From now on we will travel during Christmas. As a matter of fact I'm thinking a cruise next year..with the cruise I won't have to cook, clean, or plan tons of things for the kids to do because someone else has already thought of all that for me....maybe the Bahamas or Mexico or Turks and Caicos...you should join us.

No Big "BUTs" this year

2010-09-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

Its that time of the year. My babies are in year round schools, which means they have completed the first quarter. All parents know what that means......Parent/Teacher Conferences!!! This may or may not mean anything to you. It all depends on who and what your child is like as a student. I have little ones that fall into every category. I have the quiet as a mouse during school hours Leah Peah Deah....Miss Leah Peah Deah always does well academically and never gives the teacher an ounce of trouble. I always sign the conference forms the minute she brings them home. I'm anxious to meet with her teacher because I know there are only gonna be sweet words said about her and then some years, I even have teachers who want to know how to get her to speak more in class.....Then I have my precious middle son. I always put his conferences off to the last day. I carefully prepare myself before visiting the teacher. Its not that he's a bad child or a bad student but he hasn't quite grasped the concept that school really isn't a social event. Just last week he accused his teacher of not giving him enough time to talk with all the kids in his class. Well, I have spent the past few days in parent/teacher conferences.....and as always Leah's teacher had more than enough wonderful things to say about her personality and progress academically. But today was Ike's conference. Now remember, I said he's not a bad kid. His teachers always start the conferences off with telling me how much they love him, and he's such a joy to have, and he brings an element of happiness and fun to the class, and how adorable he is, and how he gives them that huge smile while staring at you with those big brown eyes, and he smothers them in compliments daily...(yes, my 6 year old son is a huge flirt with older women)....So I was breathing and waiting, waiting for the big BUT, and guess what?!? There was no huge BUT!!!! He's on target academically, although he hates doing his reading, and writing, and his teacher doesn't give him enough social time, and oh yeah, he does have to sit at the table alone so that he doesn't feel the need to question his peers about what they are doing, and where they are going after school, and what did their mom cook for dinner last night, and did their dad have to work today, and she did say that he organized a "slapping contest" during recess last week to see who could slap the hardest, and a play fighting contest for the boys to see who is the best warrior, and don't worry there was no hitting or punching involved in the fight only real kicking and air swords,(he loss both contests, ending them in huge crocodile tears as he layed in the floor, rolling and being dramatic) and don't worry he happily explained to the teacher that his friends should not be punished because it was all for fun, they were just playing, and did she say he has been doing flips in the cafeteria? Yes, I think she did .....but other than that he's doing great. Thank God for the first year of no big "BUTs"! We're off to a great start!

Little Kid's Word of the day

2010-09-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

Today's word: deogurant - dee-o-gu-rant
meaning: cold deodorant
used in a sentence: Drew: "Yes, I put daddy's deogurant in the refrigerator"
Mommy: with a puzzled look....."Why?"
Drew: in a matter of fact tone....."So his underpits don't get hot!"
Mommy: "Ok. Sounds good to me. If you like it, I love it"

I know, It's been forever

2010-08-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I shared on my blog and of course being the wonderful always prepared mommy that I am, I have the reason prepared, quite simply I've been extremely busy doing double duty as a mommy and tutor, (for the life of me I can't understand why my kids teachers keep giving ME so much homework! Don't they know all that paperwork is multiplied times 6 in my house!) back to my list of excuses for neglecting my blog......an all knowing wife (I've been doing a pretty good job of keeping up with hubby's shoes, sock, etc. Any good wife has learned that at some point hubby's is going to begin asking you where are the things that only he wears) a full-time student, overworked cook, And housekeeper. The list could go on and on but all moms have the same list and right now who cares to hear the violins playing to my woe is me list....there are much more important issues at hand like the whole reason I am able able to blog with ease this morning while waiting for child #2 to hop on the bus. This is my first post from my handy dandy iPad! It's wonderful. It's a busy mom's answer to the prayer for help with organizing the lives of the pupils of AU (that's short for Artis University). In an attempt to install family pride and a sense of "I descend from greatness" in our children, my hubby created AU. It's where they learn come from and how to be the best them. The hope is just maybe they won't grow up and realize that we were "feeling" our way through this whole parenting thing. Just maybe they won't find out that we don't have a clue of what to do next, we've been experimenting on them the whole time. It's been awhile since he gave them a lesson. Actually I had forgotten all about AU until my niece came over yesterday singing the official AU anthem. Anyway, this post is about my shiny new iPad not hubby's ingenious AU idea. (the whole iPad thing was his idea too). Wait a minute, is it 7:52? Dang, #2 missed the bus. I gonna have to finish this later. That gives me a great idea. Can one of you creative app folks create an app that allows me to yell out to my iPad what I want it to do? Then I need a iPad holder designed for my truck, you know one of those things like the state troopers have to hold those laptops huge enough for me to read from 2 cars over. Well I gotta go. #2 has to be at school in 4 minutes and we live almost 5 minutes away....and the hectic-ness begins.

"Women, Food, and God"....AGAIN

2010-06-07T05:57:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone.....you know its never good when I start a blog post with hello. It's my way of shyly coming forth to say.....I messed up. I was doing so good. I was reading "Women, Food, and God" by Geneen Roth, and it was really impacting me and touching me and forcing me to think about things in a way I hadn't and I was blogging and sharing my thoughts and revelations with you guys and then, summer school punched me, my birthday tried to revive my spirits but back pain came right back into my life and ripped through my days like a horrible storm, and I found myself in the same situation I always do. Instead of feeling and dealing with the stress and emotions of too many assignments in French class in summer school, and embracing and celebrating another year of life the way I promised myself I would, and then dealing with the pain that comes with having major back surgery 2 months ago......I ate. And boy did I really eat. Everytime I felt back pain I reached for something rich and sweet and I stuffed my face and I smiled and for a few moments it seemed that everything else disappeared. I could feel this warm gush of familiar comfort moving through every inch of my body as I bit into those delicious chocolate walnut brownies. It felt so much better than thinking about all the other stuff and wondering why the dogg-on surgery didn't take away my back pain. I'm not ready to accept or come to grips with the possibility that at 34 I may have a chronic debilitating disease that threatens to change every aspect of my life. I never intended to be a physical burden to my husband. He married a happy, healthy, slightly chunky, but beautiful woman 10 years ago who was able to get up and down without his help. Things aren't going the way I planned. But food seems to fix it all, until yesterday I went to put on the dress he thinks I look so beautiful in, and it wouldn't zip! The waist band was riding up across my boobs. So, this morning I picked the book back up and I am starting from the beginning. I fell off the wagon but I am determined not to stay off. I will overcome this love/hate addiction I have going on with food.......well, here goes nothing, AGAIN!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-05-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday to Me!

"Women, Food, and God"......Loving the skin I'm in

2010-05-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

Its day five of reading "Women, Food, and God" by Geneen Roth and the strangest thing happened today. As I was brushing my teeth this morning, I happened to glance up at the mirror and I found the most beautiful brown eyes looking back at me. It shocked me for a moment. I had to look closer and upon closer inspection I discovered that those beautiful brown eyes belonged to me. They are the same beautiful brown eyes that intently watch and pay attention to every detail of the lives of the Artis 6 so that I am able to detect any hint of danger. They are the same eyes that lovingly look deep into the eyes of my wonderful husband every night as I tell him how much I love him. They are the same beautiful brown eyes that pay attention to every detail of our home, always inspecting it to make sure its comfortable for my family, the same beautiful eyes that watch my children play and achieve, and enjoy life. They are the same beautiful brown eyes that I passed on to a few of my sons and daughters that I love so much. Its been high school since I realized that my eyes or anything else on me is beautiful. Its been a while since I noticed how wonderful I am. I am a great writer. I am creative. I am an "out of the box" thinker. I'm a problem solver and a great leader. I can plan a great organized event on a shoe-string budget. I am able to stay calm in intense situations and think clearly. I'm a great multi-tasker. I'm smart as a whip. I'm caring without being mushy and smothering. I'm an awesome wife.....just ask Papa Bear Ike.....he knows how lucky he is to have me. I don't argue and cause alot of tension in our home. I pride myself on creating a loving and comfortable home environment. There are so many wonderful things about me that I ignore everyday as I beat me up for being overweight. Yes, of course I need to lose the weight, for health reasons and other stuff too, but what I have been missing is the fact that I lost me in my obsession to lose the weight. Losing weight has been the focal point of my days, months, and past 14 years. I have decided that yes I'm going to work on losing the weight but it won't be what my mind revolves around and obsesses about. I will enjoy my food without over-indulging. I will live life as I lose weight. I will see the beauty in each day and realize that I don't get these days with my family back. Once a day is done, its gone.......I don't want to come to the end of my life and realize that I wasted so much time refusing to enjoy life because I was obsession over being overweight. I promise to take each day one day at a time and I promise to live each day.

Courtney, Food, and God

2010-05-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

I finally have my book in hand. For a day or so, I talked myself around getting the book. I was in denial. I was desperately trying to convince myself that I am not an emotional eater. Yeah, I know after all of that stuff I said the other day, I still returned to thinking that maybe, just maybe I was eating to live......like my body really requires double chocolate cupcakes, ruffles and french onion dip, doritos, with diet coke on the side to function. It took me nearly having a mental breakdown while I struggled to function through the chaos of a day with 6 kids, and 1 husband all talking to me at the same time, all needing something different but at the same time without turning to food to realize that just maybe I'm an emotional eating. So, bright and early this morning I drove to Barnes and Noble and picked up "Women, Food, and God." The author Geneen Roth is really on to something. I walked into Barnes and Noble to find a wonderful display of several of her books. I found myself torn between which books to purchase. I think I need them all! Since I only had a few dollars on my Barnes and Noble gift card, I had to choose. If only you could have seen me standing in front of the Geneen Roth display counting up whats left on my gift cards while the voices of little ones circled around my head, "Mommy, can I get this book, what about a puzzle, can you do this, can I go over there, do you like this shape, do you like this???......" Nothing at that moment seemed as important and getting the tools to help me get free. I've made a list in no particular order. I'm circulating this list out to friends and family members because my birthday is only a week away and we all know that I don't need anymore junk to fill my house that I will eventually end up blogging about b/c I will have to clean it, remove it, or the kids will break it. What I really want for my birthday is to be able to control my eating and lose this extra weight that I have been dragging around with me for the past 14 or so years. Its actually scary to think that I may be on the verge of getting free. There is self control around the corner for me. I can't wait, I think this just might be my year.

" Women Food and God:
An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

Breaking Free from Emotional Eating

3. Appetites — On the Search for True Nourishment

4. Feeding the Hungry Heart

5. When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair

6. Why Weight? A Guide to Ending Compulsive Eating

7. The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat Who Fixed It

"Women, Food, and God"...hmmmm

2010-05-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not a faithful Oprah follower but last night I found myself glued to the television, DVR remote in hand, quickly zipping past every commercial. From the moment I found out that she would be revealing the cure for the fat lady blues, I vowed to watch it. For 3 days my mind wondered and guessed at what this miracle cure could be. I not so intentionally waited til late in the evening to watch it. The not so intentional part I will explain in tomorrow's post, there's never a dull moment with the Artis 6. But anyway, I thought of what foods she could reveal, or what pill, or form of exercise she had found. I was not prepared for what she revealed. I expected quick fixes, that would melt away tens of pounds in minutes, what I got was a harsh reality jolt.
Oprah's big answer which is based upon a book,"Women, Food, and God" by Geneen Roth is to go within and heal my pain......what?!?!? What addict wants to hear that? No food addict or any other addict wants to hear that you must realize that you are using food or your drug of choice to push down emotions that you are afraid to feel, only to realize that you're self medicating after feeling the pain anyway. I sat in shock as I listened to Oprah talk about how she had spent a lifetime trying to make other people happy. The fear of feeling other people's disappointment in her had driven her to eat, and eat, and eat. She confessed to using food to numb herself. I listened to woman after woman confess to hating themselves because they were fat, and they were fat because they were eating when they weren't hungry, and they were eating when they weren't hungry because they were feeling something else, maybe loneliness, or heartache, or the pain of losing loved ones, or feeling like where is my life going, what am I doing, does my life really revolve around baking cookies, and washing clothing, and building my husband up? Don't get me wrong, each woman is happy to have the blessing of family and friends, and the things we as women do to build up and nurture family and friends are labors of love that we willingly do to see our loved ones happy. Why are we eating/numbing ourselves into lala land, slowly killing our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves? Constantly eating is a way of punishing ourselves for the hurt we feel. Oprah said that one of her friends once told her that her overweight self is an invitation to her best life. At first I didn't understand what she meant, but by the end of the show I clearly understood. As I sit here clicking and tapping away as this keyboard I feel my overweight self inviting me to finally take a good look at those things which I have been avoiding. At what point will I see that I am punishing me and robbing me of the joys of being emotionally free, and physically light? What is it that I am afraid to feel? Is it the pain of seeing dreams unrealized, or the fear of chasing them down? Is it the young Courtney from years past who felt like she was never quite accepted by her peers or is that young Courtney from years past alot closer to being me today than I care to admit to? What causes me to be so shy around others, afraid to say what I really think and feel, all too willing to keep my thoughts to myself and voice them later when no one is around, b/c at that point there is no one around to challenge, disagree, or criticize what I think or feel. I always agree with me. I feel like I'm a good writer and I still sit and stare at a post for hours or sometimes days before posting for fear of what someone will think of what I've written........ What causes me to shun the physical contact of people and prefer to be with just me, keeping friends and family members at a comfortable distance.....in a place where I can easily unplug them at a moments notice? Right now I don't know the answers to this questions and just thinking about them makes me crave a big ole slice of molten chocolate cake, but Oprah invited me, and anyone else who watched the show to join her on a 2 month journey and find the answers that will heal our pains. I think I just might take her up on this offer. Its about time that I turn and face the crowd and stop allowing the fear of feelings paralyze me........whew. So I'm off to purchase the book.............

Shame on Me!

2010-05-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

Shame, shame, shame on me! Its been forever since I've written on or even visited my own blog! I broke the first rule to having a successful blog with faithful followers.....oh, well today is another day and a chance to start over. Life has been CRAZY to say the least. Let's see if I can give everyone a quick update in a couple of sentences.....as you all know by now, only because I say it in every single post, I'm in school full-time. As if wife-ing and mother-ing 6 happily wild children doesn't include enough tasks to complete a lifetime, I decided I had to complete college so, I'm still working on this degree that has taken me 15 years on and off to do. I will be done in Dec!!!!! I'm throwing a huge party and then I'm jumping right back in and completing my Masters. So homework has consumed all of my computer time, in addition to that I had major back surgery in March....ugh is all I can say about that, Ike went from lovin' school, to hating school and back to lovin' school, but he still kinda hates reading, My Leah Pea Deah has developed into an awesome little reader. We have her reading books 2-3 grade levels above her grade and she doesn't even know it. She just keeps asking for more books. Daddy's precious Say Say is still working to discover more ways to manipulate and woo her daddy. She has my husband wrapped around her little finger. I can't complain though, because I always prayed that my girls would be Daddy's girls. There is nothing more wonderful than the bond that a father and daughter share. I should know because I have the world's most awesome daddy. Miss Sister-Girl is quickly approaching teen-ism and I see it in her demeanor everyday. I'm not so sure I'm ready for this just yet because Mr. Ty is using up all the patience I have for teen-ism. I have reached my limit on teen #1. Don't get me wrong he's a great kid but there is some sort of confusion that takes over your child's mind and body when they become a teen. Make up your mind already.....he doesn't know whether he thinks he knows everything and doesn't need parents or if he wants to return to being Momma's baby. Who knows I just go with the flow. Drew pushed a bead up his nose that stayed there for 3 days before the hubby and I even realized anything was stuck up there. The constant drip of mucus and subtle complaining of mild nose pain prompted me to dig a little further and find a clear hair bead hidden beyond all the mucus, but of course by day 3 its way to far for me to retrieve so we had to cough up $100 bucks to get the ENT to retrieve it, and did I happen to mention that this $100 bucks had to be coughed up a day before we closed on our new home. And for those of you wondering, we chose the beautiful new home in a small town located a little further from my husband's job, but the small town charm has been delightful and the schools are awesome, which is the main reason Ike went from hating school back to lovin' school again. So for the past week I have been attempting to unpack our lives that is tucked away in a million boxes and bins stored in our new garage. Of course I labeled and numbered every box and even created a sheet that gives me detailed information of the contents that each box contains but, that whole system fell apart the last 2 days before moving so I still have 1/2 a million boxes that are neither labeled or numbered......I tried! So overall I can say life has been wonderful, and now that I have a short break before the next semester starts, I solemnly vow to happily blog everyday......yeah right, even you don't believe that, but I'm gonna aim for every other day, and in between I'm gonna visit all of your blogs.

Personality Test

2010-02-08T04:46:00.001-08:00

My Personality


Neuroticism	54
Extraversion	31
Openness to Experience	41
Agreeableness	23
Conscientiousness	61

You very rarely feel depressed and are usually in a good frame of mind, however you feel strong cravings and urges that you have difficulty resisting. You tend to prefer short-term pleasures and rewards over long-term consequences. People generally perceive you as distant and reserved, and you do not usually reach out to others. You prefer dealing with either people or things rather than ideas. You regard intellectual exercises as a waste of your time. You are willing to take credit for good things that you do but you don't often talk yourself up much, however you are not affected strongly by human suffering, priding yourself on making objective judgments based on reason. You are more concerned with truth and impartial justice than with mercy. You are well-organized and like to live according to routines and schedules. Often you will keep lists and make plans.

Earrings

We have snow!!!!

2010-01-31T12:30:00.001-08:00

I love the snow.......until it keeps the kids out of school.

What do you think?

2010-01-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

Decisions, decisions, decisions.....It seems that life as an adult is a huge string of decisions that have the potential to not only impact your life but the lives of others around you. My hubby and I are at one of those critical points where we must make an important decision. So we are getting ready to purchase another house and I am at a place where I just don't know which direction to go. As you can image, as a family of 8, we have always put size at the top of our list when it comes to "must-haves" in a home. And with the previous homes that we purchased, we chose the house that we fell in love with. The first house was great, we just out-grew the cute 3 bedroom starter home after baby 4 arrived. The second house was nothing short of a night-mare. I've always tried to find the biggest house that we could afford, with as many up-grades that we could afford, even if it meant living in the middle of no where. But now I just don't know. I'm beginning to wonder do I want to live in the middle of nowhere? To be honest I always hated living next to nothing and the schools aren't that great either. So here's the problem.....Do we choose a great 3400 sq. ft. home with granite, hardwoods, fresh paint, and new carpet, 15 min. from everything with no traffic, and mediocre schools, average area and property value. Or do we go with the slightly older 3000 sq. ft. home with counters that I kinda dislike, in need of new carpet, existing hardwoods ok, but bathrooms need updating, structure and layout are great but really needs paint, backyard is beautiful, neighborhood and area of town are great, great schools, and close to everything, and did I mention even with the market crashing, houses in this area still sell pretty well? What's more important to you? How do you choose? HELP!!!! comment please Do you prefer to have a larger home with more upgrades in an area you just kinda like or do you prefer the home that needs a little work in an area of town that you love?

2010-01-22T08:04:00.001-08:00

“You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.”
ecaptus Adlin Sinclair quotes

Wonderful Weekend

2010-01-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

Remember the feeling of dating when it seemed that all of your man's actions were a result of feeling like his every thought was of making you smile? Remember feeling like he forgot your imperfections because he couldn't bare to live without your unique perfections? Have you ever felt like he payed attention to every little detail wondering how many surprises he could fill in a day and overwhelm you just to see you smile? That's what I've felt like all weekend. This weekend was one of my wonderful but few child-free weekends. Usually I take it upon myself to selfishly plan every detail of these weekends. I usually plan some sort of weekend getaway b/c I don't want to look at all the toys and clothing that need to be put away, the weekends usually turn out pretty nice but always fall just a little short of perfection. This time I left all the details up to my husband, and of course I told him in plenty of time, a week or so.....I've come to learn over the years that he really doesn't have that mind-reading thingy down so well, I've tried the whole subtle hint thing and that doesn't always go as planned either. Its so much easier to just be....CLEAR....rather than romantic and confusing when letting him know what I expect.

Well, he created a perfect weekend. Friday he planned a quiet romantic dinner at a wonderful local restaurant. Who knew I missed talking, and laughing...or giggling rather, while gazing into my hubby's eyes in a dimly lit room. Sat. a wonderful cleaning service came in and magically made all the dirt and clutter in my home disappear. It was followed up with a shopping trip for shoes....my favorite, a pedicure, dinner, and a movie, and DUTCH APPLE CARAMEL CHEESECAKE. All my favorite things. He has been listening all these years! Did I forget to mention that he gave me the pedi. Yes, my wonderful hubby dug out that expensive vibrating foot soak that I swore I would use all the time when I purchased it and prepared a bubbly warm foot soak, then massaged my feet, moisturized them, and he even painted my toes.......and toenails....hehehe. I hardly lifted a finger to do anything other than hide my grin all weekend. Ahhhhhhh, he's so wonderful.

Choice or destiny?

2010-01-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

Life is choice driven, not destiny driven......I choose to take hold of my life and future. I choose to succeed. I choose to be happy. I choose to soar. I choose to overcome. I choose to love. I determine what I shall have. When I decide to leave things to destiny, I am no longer an active participant in the direction of my future. I shuck all responsibility for my mistakes and failures but I also release the power to create my successes. No matter what happened yesterday or what happens today, I choose to be happy. I can't always choose what situations will arise or what things I may endure, but I can always choose how I will react to them. I choose to remain sane and enjoy everyday of life that I am blessed with. I choose to go after all of my dreams until they become a reality. In a world and life of so many choices, I will not use destiny as a reason to sit by waiting for things to happen or come to me, I think I will do just as the good book says.........I will fill my mind with thoughts of the future I choose. I will speak life. I choose Life!

Unexpected Events

2010-01-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

Today I fully intended to blog this awesome thank you message to everyone who stopped by to make my SITS Day so wonderful. I wanted to let you know how awesome comment love is. I planned to tell you how I could hardly sleep for the past couple of nights because I have been up reading and responding to all the comments. I am in Comment Heaven, but thanks to one little person in my house, I must write about something else.

Writing and sharing with you guys is my way of venting my frustrations and right about now I am about to explode! For months now I have been smelling this horrible urine smell in my downstairs bathroom. I scrub it just about everyday trying to rid it of the fresh smell of urine. It smells like a little boys restroom at a nasty daycare center. It has been horrible because it is the only restroom downstairs for guest to use and the upstairs is off limits to guest, so I always find myself explaining to guest that I'm not completely nasty. I do clean that bathroom nearly everyday and I just can't seem to get rid of the smell for longer than about 1 hr. I mean I scrub on my hands and knees and polish that toilet and I lysol the wood and wipe the walls down and 1 hr later the smell is back. Today I found the problem. I walked into the bathroom to find one of my precious little boys urinating in the heating vent!!! I thought I would pass out. Out of 14 years of mommying, I've never had this happen. I lifted the vent to find a horrible urine odor floating up into the restroom on the wings of that expensive gas heat. If I lived in a cartoon I would have seen the odors waving at me. How did I miss this? Who told him this was a good idea? And when I asked him why, he replied that he liked the way it sounded. What?!?!?! Breathe, breathe......now how am I supposed to clean that?

Welcome....I'm the featured blogger!

2010-01-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited I don't know what to do! Whenever I have guest over I always find myself running around like a mad woman trying to pick up everything and stuff it in closets or behind couches or my favorite hiding place, in the washroom.....but not today because I am among friends. Friends who no doubt have laundry to be washed, floors to be vacuumed, and many other things that they should be doing instead of blog-hopping. If you are a true SITS lady you have spent time reading, laughing, and crying as you happily hop from blog to blog...addicted to peaking into the lives of other people at your own leisure. Me too!!! So Welcome! Kick your shoes off and spend some time getting to know The Artis 6. In case you don't know I am a mostly wonderful wife to 1 almost perfect hubby (I still can't get him to fold clothes, but he does wash and mop), and 6....yes 1,2,3,4,5,6 mostly wonderful little ones. On the first date my hubby and I had, he informed me that he wanted 5 boys. Well he got 3 boys and 3 girls, and I'm done. As you can imagine there is so much drama in a house with 8 people living under the same roof. There is more than enough material to make you laugh or cry. Feel free to re-visit some of The Artis 6's most entertaining moments.........let's see there was the time Sarah (age 3) encouraged me to go on a diet, "Its Official!", and after that I began riding my bike...briefly, and the time the twins got into my make up "Color that lasts and lasts", Sarah asking about Papa's Underwear, Little Ike's First Kiss, Sound Probation, oh, and this is what happens to toothbrushes in our house, and of my few serious blogs...."Thoughtful Nuggets" and my sweet Andrew's Cholesteatoma Story.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Start the New Year Right!

2009-12-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

LeVive Juice

There are 25 reasons to take Le'Vive Juice every day!

1) Decrease the levels of harmful free radicals, the cause of aging.
2) Keep your skin and hair healthy.
3) Fight funguses, virus and bacteria.
4) Increase your energy level.
5) Feel and look younger.
6) Prevent cancer.
7) Maintain a healthy blood pressure.
8) Control your blood's sugar level.
9) lose weight.
10) Sleep better.
11) Improve your vision.
12) Enhance your sex drive.
13) Improve your digestion.
14) Prevent gastritis, reflux and ulcers.
15) Maintain a normal cholesterol level.
16) Improve your memory.
17) Prevent diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
18) Control inflammation and arthritis.
19) Prevent tumors.
20) Protect your kids' health.
21) Keep your joints flexible and healthy.
22) Prevent respiratory conditions such as tuberculosis, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma.
23) Improve your fertility.
24) Keep your liver healthy.
25) Maintain an overall state of good balance health.

Where does this juice come from? Le'Vive juice comes from the 5 most powerful berries on earth:

1) Pomegranate - (Egypt & Asia). One of the oldest fruits known to man. Rich in vitamins A, B & C, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, sodium and fiber.
2) Goji - (Himalayas - Tibet, Mongolia). Considered miraculous since ancient times. Rich in polysaccharides; with 18 amino acids, vitamins A, B, C & E, 21 minerals, proteins, fiber and Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils.
3) Acai Berry - (Amazon Brazil). Legendary fruit from the Amazon that contains 10 to 33 times more antioxidants than grapes used for red wine.
4) Noni - (Polynesian Islands, India). Used as a medicinal plant for thousands of years to cure different conditions. Contains polysaccharide-based nutrients, organic acids, vitamins and minerals.
5) Mangosteen - (Thailand). An Asian native that has caused a commotion with its splended flavor. Known as the "Queen of Fruits", possesses high levels of xanthones.

ORDER YOUR LEVIVE JUICE TODAY!

Holiday Special!!!

2009-12-28T07:41:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of the holidays, I'm offering an awesome special on any and all of my products. I am offering everything at wholesale price until Jan. 1. Remember those awesome before and after pics HERE I have, well now you can have your own transformation for half the price. Interested yet? Sure you are! Skip on over to my website HERE and decide on one of my awesome reshaping garments or nutritional products and shoot me an email at courtneyartis3@yahoo.com and we'll get you set up with an order in no time. Have a wonderful holiday!

Creepy Crawlies for Dinner

2009-12-07T06:36:00.001-08:00

Every family has a picky eater....you know that 1 child who has a grand total of 5 foods that they will consume. Well because we have about 2.4 times the number of children the average family has, we have 2.4 picky eaters..me and 1 extremely picky eater and 1 mildly picky eater. Drew is my extremely picky eater...we never chose what we'll eat for dinner based on what he eats. If we did, our diet would consist of french fries, hot dogs, chicken, fruit, and any kind of healthy, card board looking wheat cracker. What 3 year old, picky eater prefers fruit and card board crackers???? Well, to get on with the story, Drew went with my sister for dinner yesterday. My sister is an avid seafood lover...so for dinner yesterday they decided to have crab. The minute the waiter brought out the crabs, Drew felt the need to inform my sister, very loudly, that the things they were eating were nasty. She said he repeatedly protested to them eating the crabs and encouraged her to have a hot dog with him. He was concerned that the crabs were not dead, and even protested to the folks at the neighboring table enjoying their crabs. Upon returning home last night, my 3 year old came to me looking very concerned. He said "Mommy, Auntie was eating bugs." My sister had already told me about dinner, so I decided to play along and replied, "What? What do you mean Auntie was eating bugs?"

"She was eating some bugs with legs, that have hands, and it was orange, and it can crawl around, and it was nasty." I could barely hold in my laughter b/c he looked so concerned. He later told me that she was using a hammer like Papa at the table. "You're not supposed to use the hammer at the table, right? Only on the wall, right?" By this point I could no longer hold in my laughter. He actually wanted me to have a talk with my sister. And this morning he tried to convince his twin that they should talk to Auntie together, which normally would have been a great idea, except his twin is the child that eats and enjoys everything. She decided she was upset that Auntie didn't take her to eat bugs too.

Seafood and picky should NEVER go in the same sentence. As a matter of fact, I don't eat any seafood because I can't get past the way it looks. It always looks like someone just caught the animal and threw it on your plate...no dress up to confuse me, and convince me that I'm not eating my pet goldfish? Nevertheless, I've decided that maybe I should encourage Drew to try some different things....any suggestions for encouraging a picky eater? Drew and I could really use them.

Happy Birthday Tyler

2009-11-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

Fourteen years ago, my precious Tyler made me a mom for the very first time. I remember not knowing what to feel. I was so young and scared. I had decided to give him life against the advice of some credible others in my life. I found myself pregnant with Tyler during my freshman year in college. His father nor I had a job and really no way to provide the essentials in life for him, but I knew he would be special. The first night I brought Tyler home, I watched him all night. I could hardly sleep because it hit me that I was responsible for shaping and caring for the little baby that slept in the bassinet next to me. He would wake up at night and wanna look into your eyes for hours. Wow, he carried that one for the first 6 months of his life....can someone say sleep deprived! The big, little baby that I gave birth to 14 years ago has developed into the most handsome, respectful, helpful young man I know. He is so mature for his age. He is a little camera shy so I'm gonna have a time digging up a picture of him. Tyler is one of our star athletes. He excels in track, being nationally ranked, and football. But what I can honestly say I am most proud of is his character. He is that young man that everyone loves and wants to be around but he is always rooting for the underdog. It isn't uncommon for us to find Tyler defending someone else. I can still remember a very tall 2 year old Tyler running through my mom's house kicking and hitting things just because. Awww, now I'm getting teary eyed as I realize that I have gone through the majority of years that he will be in my home. In a few short years, I will have to release him to the world to fly and impact the lives of others. I watch as the little girls grin at him and I think, thats my baby, knowing that sooner than later, I will no longer be the most special lady in his life. Ok, I'm gonna have to stop here, cause I'm getting teary eyed, but Happy Birthday T-Will!

The World of a Working Mom

2009-11-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

So everyone has been asking why I just haven't been posting as often as I used to....well, I have entered; or re-entered the world of being a working mom..but for real this time! For months now I have been working tirelessly to build my business. Of course you didn't think I had picked up a regular JOB, or 9-5...I'm too stubborn with too many kids to be punching the clock. I am a free spirit that requires freedom to sleep during nap time and chat with my girlfriends on rainy days, but I still love MAC makeup and shoes, Jimmy Choo designs for me( shhh, don't tell anyone, its a secret to even him right now), and here lately the travel bug has bitten me. I have this overwhelming desire to drag, fly, pull all 6 of my kiddos across the world and experience new cultures and lands. I want them to really know something outside of North Carolina. There is so much of this beautiful world to see and I want to teach them to give to others, always. So needless to say, all of those things require additional financial resources....so I have started my own business, and I have a product for each and every mommy that surfs upon my awesome blog. So take a moment....Please, pretty please, and visit my new website. Put your info in...I promise not to bite or harass you and then look around. I'm sure you'll find something you love. And if you have questions...call me or email me. And just in case you're wondering do the products really really work, take a look at my before and after photos. A picture is worth a thousand words. Happy Shopping from the comforts of your computer and pj's! www.shopartis.com

Party Like a Rockstar

2009-11-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am exhausted from one of the most rewarding and entertaining weekends the Artis 6 has had in a while. This weekend we set out 6 hours away from home to visit my hubby's grandmother. I feel so ashamed to say this, but its been years since we visited her and the visit was well overdue! So the drive went much better than I even prayed for. We drove during the night, praying that the kids would sleep and not fight. No fights with six kids is impossible so only a few spats here and there was remarkable. We arrived at the hotel around midnight. We settled into 2 rooms. The boys were across the hall, my oldest is a teen so he usually crashes with the 5 and 3 year old. The girls stayed in the room with my hubby and I. After about an hour I was feeling like I was trapped in a never ending sleepover. Giggles and whispers surrounded my head as I searched and yearned for sleep...and just when I thought sleep would be captured (around 3am) I hear a faint knock at our door followed by laughter. I vaguely remember my hubby answering the door and leaving the room for a few moments...and off to sleep I went. I woke the next morning and walked across the hall to wake the boys. I opened the door and thought I had been dropped into the aftermath of a toddler frat party! The floor was covered with fragrant coffee grains, water, sugar, tissue, clothing, and toys and sprawled across the floor were Ike and Drew. My oldest informed me that he tried to stay awake but he must have dosed off and it appeared that the toddlers decided to party like rockstars! They later told us that they tasted the coffee and danced to the TV and threw tissue up in the sky like stars. Boy was I thankful that we were in a hotel and not at home. I could laugh about it because we were in a hotel. And yes we did make them clean it up....

Just a little thought

2009-11-02T13:05:00.001-08:00

"Nothing encourages creativity like the chance to fall flat on one's face."
- James D. Finley

I am learning that it is in those times when I risk it all that I birth forth some of my greatest works and ideas. Fire and pressure shapes you. Either it will break you, or it will shape you into that stronger, smarter, more creative person that you yearn to be.

Weight Loss Journey

2009-10-27T09:22:00.001-07:00

Anyone who has read my blog more than once knows that I am OBSESSED with losing weight. With each child I packed on an extra 10-15lbs. I have finally found something that works. I will be journaling my weight loss journey on another blog with a dear friend of mine. Details of that blog will be coming very soon. In the mean time, let me bring everyone up to speed. Well, I had a friend drop quite a bit of weight with little effort or stress. Of course, I wanted to know what she was doing. She was kind enough to share with me her secrets. No diets, no pills, no surgery, and no gimmicks, just a garment that I wear for 4 to 6 hours a day. No sweating, no stress, strain, or worry. Its actually very comfortable because it provides so much back support. Anyway, I've been working the system now for a little over a week and I have lost 5lbs. I think this is awesome. But even more astonishing is the dramatic difference I saw in my body immediately after putting the garment on. I am including before and after photos. I know someone is looking at the before photo in the top corner wondering, is that really her belly pulling on her shirt, spilling over her pants, ewwww. Yes, its what I like to refer to as my post baby love. Its the physical expression of the amount of love I committed to when I carried my 6 little rugrats in their early developing stages of life, you know, pregnancy. What's 10lbs of extra padding, ok I know its more like 70lbs, but anyway what's a little fat compared to the joy they bring into my life, its just a little issue with extra tissue, or what my friends and I refer to as being extra juicy. Except now I'm thinking since the baby producing days are over, maybe I should let the extra padding and juiciness go. Take a look and let me know what you think..... click on the photo to really see

Potty Training at its Best!

2009-10-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I will be the first to say that I suck majorly when it comes to potty training. You would think that by now, with potty training enrollee #6, I should have it down to a science, but unfortunately, I just don't. Its one of those things that you are excited to finish but cringe going through. I love the results, a fully functioning pottyer, but the journey getting there is just as bad as child birth. All of my girls were pretty easy to train. They pretty much just started going to the potty. My oldest son decided one day that he would be a big boy, and he just went. My middle son took me through much drama to get him where he is today. Drew, the lone non-practicing pottyer, is the one that I will have stories years from now that will be fresh on my brain. He is 3 and 1/2 and until a couple of days maybe even hours ago, he had no interest in pottying. He cared nothing about being a big boy or wearing pull-ups, or diapers. There was no forcing or shaming him into pottying until NOW. I am so proud to present an original idea of the mommy of many. I present to you, THE POTTY BOOK! Quite simply I purchased a cheap little journal, small enough to carry everywhere I go. I am keeping it in my purse. On the pages of this potty book you will find a potty entry. A potty entry consist of the name of the now practicing pottyer, date, and time of each potty experience. For every favorable potty experience, Drew gets a shiny star sticker. Every favorable potty entry is accompanied by a huge proud grin from Drew. And just today when we were in the store he mentioned to the clerk that he goes to the potty. She said "Do you? That's great!" he replied with "Yep, look at my potty book." He turned to me and I proudly whipped the potty book from my purse and showed the clerk all of his favorable potty entries. Why didn't someone tell me that spending $2 and a little creativity would bring forth a proud fully practicing pottyer? Now I wonder if getting through dating will be this simple.....

TV teaches proper dining etiquette!

2009-10-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Obviously the person who said children don't mimic what they see, did not have kids!

Proud Mommy Moment

2009-10-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

"Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day......don't I really wish everything, and I do mean everything would go just my way...." Well I know that's a little different from the original song, but its the version I prefer, its what I call a mommy remix of the song. And since I'm singing about everything going my way, let me tell you guys about something that went better than my way. Today was little Ike's snack day. As usually I didn't remember until this morning so I wasn't prepared. This made Little Ike extremely nervous. Even at the ripe ole age of 5 he has figured out that I have a memory as long as Drew's record of staying dry, which by the way is not very long at all. Before putting Little Ike on the bus, I reassured him that I would remember to bring snacks to school, before snack time, and then I ran to make a note in my blackberry. I still had a few things I needed to do, (mainly catch about 20 more min. of shut eye) before leaving to go purchase snacks. To my surprise, my blackberry remembered to remind me. Now today, I had the extremely rare opportunity of going to the school without non-schoolers in tow, so this meant I could actually walk to Little Ike's room instead of dropping the snacks off in the office. Hubby is working an off shift, which I feel must be against some parenting laws, but that's another post for another day. Upon walking into Little Ike's classroom, he not only greeted me with a hug, in front of his little friends but he asked everyone in his class to give his mommy a happy clap because I remembered to bring the snacks. He told everyone he was so proud of his mommy because she is the "coolest and prettiest mommy." I don't cry, but I thought about how this would have been a great moment to say that I teared up, but I don't cry so I didn't. But none the less I am feeling pretty proud of my little man. His daddy has already taught him the importance of celebrating and praising the women in his life. If he keeps that up into adulthood, it will take very far in marriage. One day his wife is gonna thank us.

New Look

2009-10-15T08:29:00.001-07:00

For a few weeks now I've been feeling like The Artis 6 needs a makeover. I thought of paying someone to do it, but I enjoy learning and tweaking the page to find the perfect look. The problem is that I am finding so many looks that I like but I have yet to find something I love. I guess until then you guys will see alot of different looks. I feel like the most beautiful teenage girl trying to find that perfect outfit for the homecoming dance, because she knows everyone will be looking at her. Until then bare with me through the many transformations, and if you see something in particular that you like, now that I have fixed my comment section, Leave a comment!

The Artis 6 need your votes!!

2009-10-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

I suppose just like most Mama's, I think I have some of the cutest, most adorable babies. This thought alone, inspired me to enter a few of my little ones into the GAP Casting Call. I wanted to enter them all but the reality is that 2 are too old, and the other 2 and way to shy, they barely speak to people they've known most of their lives. But I did manage to enter the two that are extremely outgoing and they need your votes. Right now we're a little behind in the running, since I just entered them the other day, but I know my bloggy buddies are gonna come through for me and vote my babies to the top. Thanks

VOTE HERE and enjoy a few of my favorite pics of my babies

2009-10-13T11:06:00.001-07:00

Big Girl's Slumber Party

2009-10-13T10:40:00.002-07:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to experience something completely new, to me. My wonderful cousin decided to host a Girl's Weekend. My little ladies later renamed it to the"Big Girl's Slumber Party." Quite simply she invited a bunch of her female family and friends to her house for the weekend. We were invited to stay the day or the weekend. I felt as though I had been taken back into a time of no worries. From the moment I hit the door the smell of wonderful, deliciously, fattening foods intruded my nostrils, and the sounds of our favorite old school jams blarring through the house speakers all day. From Wii games, and air hockey, to the internet, chit chat, digital cameras flashing everywhere, the excellent Body Magic presentation, the surprise visit of the purse lady (and yes I'm lovin' my new hand bag), and a delicious brunch on Sun, the weekend was jammed pack with fun. Oh wait, how could I forget the awesome 30 min. massages. We ate, we laughed, we danced, we talked. And surprisingly things don't change. Just as little ladies stay up all night, talking, dancing, and giggling, guess what, so do older ladies! The main difference was is adults we have the freedom to come and go, and do as we please, so we were able to take the party on the road for added fun. I enjoyed laughter with my sister and cousin who I've known all my life and the opportunity to meet many new women. Whoever said women were "catty" and couldn't get along, has never met these ladies. I had planned to stay all night but around 3ish in the morning I decided the thought of sleeping next to my hubby's warm body was too much to bear. I drove home for the remainder of my sleep and joined the ladies in the morning. Yeah, I know I'm punkish, but forgive me for loving my hubby. Sleep is so much better beside him. Regardless, this "Big Girl's Slumber Party" is a must do from now on. I'm already looking forward to the next shindig. Great Job on the planning Fee!

A Prayer Answered

2009-10-12T11:04:00.003-07:00

For more than a year now, it has felt as if my family and I have faced one situation after another. None of the situations on their own have been strong enough to take me out but several of them back to back had left me weak and tattered. I found myself begging God for mercy and still feeling overwhelmed. Non-believer associates of mine would like nothing more than to say, "Where is your God now? You used to be so happy and full of joy, but it looks like the God you talk so much about, is no where to be found." And I must admit that there were times when I felt alone, and my flesh longed to be emotionally overwhelmed, but the Holy Spirit would always remind me that God said he would never leave nor forsake me, and he is always faithful to his word. I found myself mentally revisiting times that seemed to be less burdensome, just to keep myself motivated. The rougher things got, the less I wanted to pray, but the more I wrote to God. At times when my lips refused to open, my hand constantly wrote. Even in times of struggle I needed God to know that I love him and I trust him and his will for my life. Its amazing how struggles can affect you. Financial struggles, health challenges with me and my children, and family discord among my close family members had broken me. Broken-ness was a new place for me. I had no idea that the brokeness was what I needed to allow God to rebuild and restore me. These issues combined had taken me to a place where I had to come to lean and rely on no one other than God. And today I stand in a place where I can honestly say to God, "Thank you for allowing me to go through and triumph over these circumstances. Trials are only temporary. And I can now begin to see the break in the storm clouds. I'm coming out." Thank you Lord, for I am victorious!

Just one of those days

2009-09-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

Its only 8:35 am and already, its been "one of those days." You know its one of those mornings when you promise yourself that you won't raise your voice but then you realize that it is 7:21am and Ike has a stomach ache and he's refusing to leave the bathroom but he needs to be at the bus stop by 7:30, and his sisters are waiting, very impatiently I might add, with way too much "attitude" for my taste, and then for a moment you think, I'll just take him to school this morning, its only 5 min. away but, "Oh, shoot!" Hubby took your keys and his to work with him this morning, by accident of course and he won't be returning until lunch, so unless you plan to keep Ike home all day, you better rush him out of the bathroom, and oh, how he hates to be rushed, and SaySay is once again reminding me that she is "still hungry, though" even though she's had a bowl of cereal big enough to feed 2 children her size, and is Miss Ny popping her lips at me? Usually she is the one everyone is impatiently waiting on, but since she has a new outfit she wants to wear today, she was up 45 min. early without the help of anyone to drag her from the bed, and is the house spinning, round and round, full of noise, crying, whinning, little bare feet running across the hardwood floor, and LeLe jumping in joy from the sound of beads in her hair bumping and jumping creating a rhythmic... sphich, sphich, sphich, and who gave the twins balloons to pop at 7 in the ........! OK, EVERYONE STOP TALKING, CRYING, MOVING, JUMPING, RUNNING! NO MORE! ..........I think I will just go back to bed and restart this day.

Headed to Burkina Faso, Africa

2009-08-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

I think most people have a written or unwritten list of things they plan to accomplish before leaving this life. My list has things on it that range from losing weight to visiting foreign countries. About 4 years ago I added "make a difference in the lives of others through a missions trip to Africa and Nicaragua." I thought it would be years before I would have the right opportunity come along, but God has orchestrated an awesome opportunity now. I sit in awe as a I watch something that started as a small thought grow and mature into a strong desire. Its so amazing how God always does the things he promises. This opportunity is a true desire of my heart.

On Monday, November 30, 2009, I will leave on a 10-day journey to Burkina Faso, West Africa with Koinonia Christian Center Church Missions Team. Burkina Faso is the third poorest country in the World. We will be setting up medical clinics, working with children, hosting a vacation bible school, providing spiritual guidance and knowledge to the people living in the areas we will visit. We will return on Wednesday, December 9, 2009.

The total cost of mission trip $3,005.00 per person, which includes $2,005.00 for airfare, $600.00 for lodging, $200.00 for transportation, and $200 for food. We are not all able to travel abroad for various reasons, but we can all help by contributing financially and offering up continuous prayers. I solicit your prayers and any financial assistance you are able to provide—no donation is too small.

For those of you who may be wondering about Koinonia’s ministry here, please take a few moments to view our website at www.kccfamily.com. Back to School Rallies, Family and Friends Weekend, local missions ministries, senior health fairs, and Harvest Fest are all examples of the community outreach activities we sponsor. As a church, we are building into the lives of individuals here and abroad and I solicit your support as we seek to empower individuals.

Again, thank you for your prayers and support.

All is Well!

2009-08-25T05:02:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning brings much anticipation of well needed and desired sleep. Over the past couple of days I think I experienced every emotion conceivable. From extreme happiness and excitement as I watch yet another little one prepare to enter kindergarten to sheer exhaustion from days that brought things I never planned for. It all started Wed. night. Just as I was beginning to unwind and relax for the night I realized that my wonderful hubby would be leaving for an awesome men's retreat with our church on Thur. morning. While it was a great opportunity for him, I had not begun to prepare myself mentally to be home with his little clones for several days with no relief or backup adult (have I ever mentioned that my wonderful hubby is also wonderfully loud and active?) and I had not washed or packed clothing for him. Yes, my dear hubby is fully capable of washing and packing his own clothing, and he will gladly do it several moments before he is scheduled to leave but thats something I enjoy doing. Its a labor of love. I enjoy helping him prepare and letting him know just how important he is by doing little things that I know he appreciates, little things that say "You're on my mind, I enjoy this love thing we share..." So anyway, after helping him prepare, lets skip through a very hectic, chaotic but normal Thur. and Fri.and arrive at Sat. I had promised the "schoolers" that we would drive 30 min. to the clothing outlets and do a little last minute school shopping. Thankfully my lovely sis. agreed to keep the the "non-schoolers." "Non-schoolers" and shopping do not make for a happy mommy...After hours of grueling shopping, we get home only to have Lil Ike try some new flips, turns, and somersaults that result in a broken hand...and every mommy knows that broken bones do not come without many tears of pain from the child and tears of pain from the parent after an extended wait to see a Dr. Sometimes I think the wait at the ER or Urgent Care is punishment for somehow "allowing" your overly active child to figure out the best way to break a bone.....yeah, just what I needed. Oh, did I mention that awesome hubby didn't return til Sun. night? So needless to say, I approached Mon. morning tired, sleepy, grumpy, nervous, hungry (eating goes with every emotion) and prayerful. After hours of sitting in the hospital waiting on Drew to come out of surgery, expecting the best scenario but emotionally prepared for any of the many avenues that Drew's healing and recovery would take, I was overwhelmed to hear the surgeon say that Drew's surgery was a complete success! There were no remnants or return of the cholesteatoma, and he was able to place in the delicate ear prosthesis. Over the next couple of weeks my precious Drew will develop "perfect" hearing. He will be able to hear all the beautiful sounds that our creative God designed, with clarity. So now my prayers have switched to hopes that he will turn down his volume a notch!

Little Drew Drew

2009-08-22T06:30:00.001-07:00

Its been awhile since I posted pictures,

but as my family and I prepare for Drew's

surgery on Monday I thought it

was only fitting that I post pictures of

my precious Drew.

Thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

I'll update after his surgery.

First Kiss

2009-08-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

During the month of July, the supertwins (Leah-an old 5, and Ike- a young 5; they are 11 months apart) attended a wonderful summer camp at an awesome church just around the corner. They learned so much about God, friendships, and life, and the cost was only $25/per child for the entire month. I learned how quiet and calm my house is when they are gone. Well, everyday they came home with new stories of things they had learned. Its been a little over a week since camp ended, so the stories have been gradually slacking off, until last night. My hubby and I were relaxing and enjoying a quiet night watching "The Soloist." Every member of the Artis 6 should have been in the bed, but as you know, bed time is not a great time in our house. So being true to who they are, Leah and Ike burst into our bedroom overflowing with words. They were talking so fast and their voices were filled with emotion. In Leah's voice I hear concern, anger, a tinge of "hate". But Ike's voice is filled with opposite emotions. I hear supposed dislike and happiness, excitement.

Leah blurts out her version of the story first. "Ike kissed a girl!"

My hubby pauses the movie and I sit straight up in the bed, "What? When! Who?!?!?!"

I see a grin cross Ike's face as he hurries to defend himself, "Well, No, She kissed me, I mean she tried to kiss me but I stopped it, I told her no, don't kiss me, I just put my hands up like this, and then I told her, I'm not your friend." The entire time he's talking he's putting his words to motion with hand movements motioning how she leaned in to kiss him but he crossed his arms in front of his face to tell her no, but she still somehow managed to kiss him, or did she just try? Who knows? Ike's story is a little confusing.

By this time, I am attempting to look serious and hold back laughter as my husband questions Ike about the situation.

It is obvious that Leah doesn't care for this young lady who apparently attempted, and succeeding at kissing her younger brother, but who also hit, pushed, or possibly punched Leah. Ike claims to never have seen the passing of licks between the little girl and his sister. He knows he daddy doesn't allow for the hitting of his girls. But Ike really didn't want to discuss the passing of licks, he wanted to explain and replay over and over how the little girl sat down beside him in the cafeteria while he was supposed to be looking for his sister, and the little girl just kissed him. He "said" that he told her he wasn't her friend anymore, but his grin and his eyes said, he never really meant that. He was definitely her friend. She gave him his first little smooch on the lips, and he didn't even have to work for it. He said she is a bad girl in camp and she was often sent to the Principal's office. My hubby continued to question him to get more details. "Well, did she kiss anyone else? Why do you think she kissed you? "

Ike responded with "NO! She didn't kiss anyone else. Just me. She always got in trouble so she never got any stickers at the end of the day. I got all the stickers and I got to move from here to here (motioning to us how his popular sanguine personality wooed the teachers and thrust him to the front of the room)." He was voted Camper of the Week twice by teachers and students and Best Camper at the end of the camp. So in other words I guess he was saying he's just got it like that!

At some point during his explanation I looked at the anger building up in Leah's face and the excitement overflowing from Ike's face and I could hold it no longer. I ruined the entire parental conversation by bursting into laughter. I never expected Ike's first smooch to come at 5, and I'm not sure how I would feel if this was one of my little ladies handing out smooches to the little boy with the most stickers but I do know that Ike was very happy that it happened.

Artis 6 Update

2009-08-03T04:50:00.000-07:00

I miss the days of early morning inspirations, and long blog writing, but that was all before summer school. Now-a-days, the minute I have something to blog about, I also have something to study or some paper to write. Since I only have a few minutes to happily tap away at my keyboard for my own selfish pleasures I will attempt to quickly update everyone on the adventures of the Artis 6.

Drew is headed back to surgery at the end of the month. The doctors are hoping not to find any remnants of the cholesteatoma they removed in the earlier surgery. The plan is to reconstruct his ear bones with titanium. As the Dr. explained all of this to me, I'm thinking, ok, well at least he won't be able to tear that up and then the Dr. actually said, "For the four weeks immediately following surgery we will need you to keep him calm."

I respond with "Well what do you mean?" In my mind I'm thinking we are talking about Drew Drew, the three year old that climbs and jumps or falls, and flips off of anything. The Dr. then proceeds to explain to me that there is a possibility that the titanium ear bones will tilt over if Drew has a hard bump or fall. So I told them to go ahead and plan the surgery to sit the ear bones back up, unless they plan to sedate the little rascal for the 4 weeks. While I've been on my blogging diet, Drew has climbed up the shelves in the pantry several times to obtain whatever snack is on the top shelf. I tried to prevent the climbs and jumping down by moving the snacks to the bottom shelves and moving cooking items to the top shelf. Who would have thought that he would need the cooking items too? Just the other week he climbed up to get the corn meal off the top shelf. Apparently he and his twin sister wanted to create a beach in the middle of my den floor using corn meal for the sand and bowls and spoons for the shovel and pail......they get their creativity from me.

Never too far.....

2009-07-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here lately with mommy-ing, wife-ing, school, and volunteer events, I just haven't had the time to write. So you guys are really behind on my whole weight-loss journey. Well for about a 1 1/2 weeks it was more of a weigh-more journey. I kinda hit a bump in the road where I refused to eat the things that I know are good for me and indulged, and over-indulged in the those foods that stick to my mid-section, back, and hips. Nevertheless, I regrouped and I am once again back on track. Well on my journey, I picked up a new exercise activity to add to my very short list of enjoyable activities where ACTIVE actually takes place. For example I consider scrapbooking, reading, writing, and listening to music to be enjoyable activities but they really aren't that active. So anyway, I picked up bike riding. A couple of weeks ago I went to the local Goodwill and purchased a great bike for $20 that I later saw in the store for $195. My son and I did a little repair work and I was ready to hit the road. On my first bike ride in about 15 years I was feeling great. I hit the bike trail armed with ipod, water bottle, helmet, and cell phone (for emergencies). I was just a ridin' and humming along, enjoying the beautiful scene. The bike trail meanders through the woods and across a lake. About 17 min. and 32 sec. into the ride something in my head said, "Don't ride too far. You still have to get back home." So I turned around and began home, and you guessed it, 3 min. later I was so tired from pedaling that I felt like I would fall out! I ended up sitting down on the grass and calling my teenage son to come get me. He told my daughter, who then called my father. Now everyone had something to laugh at. The thought of me sitting on the side of the street, bike thrown in the grass, and helmet tossed away was more than my father could contain. I think he's still laughing. He even hopped in his truck trying to make it to the park before my son could get there just so he could get a real visual image. Well I haven't given up on bike riding yet, but I also haven't hit that trail again. For right now I think I will just build up my endurance riding in the cul-de-sac down the street, that way I'm never too far from home.

And I have dropped another 3lbs. Thats a total of 10lbs over the past 5 weeks.

Lil Ike turns 5!!!

2009-07-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Lil Ike turns 5!! Lil Ike is my bundle of energy wrapped up in a huge layer of care and concern for others. He's never met a stranger and carries on long, extensive conversations with children and adults alike.

He's friendly and charming and has a serious addiction to anything on tv that remotely resembles martial arts. Quite early my hubby and I noticed that he has a gift to flip, turn, twist, and roll off of anything or nothing. He watches tv while flipping in the air. Lil Ike is the spunk in our family. He keeps things poppin' in the Artis House.

Happy Birthday Lil Ike!

Such a beautiful morning

2009-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful sunny morning. I was able to sleep in past 6:30 without little ones asking for cereal at 6am. With a smile on my face I reach for my toothbrush only to realize, its wet! Why would my toothbrush be wet when I hadn't used it?

We seem to have this issue with toothbrushes in our house. There are little ones who view toothbrushes the same way they view say, family toys, or silverware. Yes, there are enough for everyone in the house to have their own, but its not personal property. I have made several attempts to change the way my little ones view toothbrushes. I've purchased several. I have proof, there are enough toothbrushes for everyone to have more than one.

All to no avail. And when I asked why someone used my toothbrush, the reply I got with a smile was "I couldn't find mine so, I borrowed yours, but I put it back where I got it from."

I guess I can't argue with that, it was returned. And for those of you wondering, I keep new toothbrushes handy for situations just like this. I'm just not willing to take the chance and put it back in my mouth. It was only yesterday that I had to remind everyone younger than 10 to brush their teeth. Now that I'm thinking about it, chances are they didn't even use my toothbrush for teeth. It may have been for the cat, or the dolls hair, or to draw pictures in the tub with soap.

I have been tagged!

2009-07-10T03:10:00.000-07:00

All during this busy week I have been trying to make time to tell everyone that Robbie over at A Spiritual Connection thinks I have "An Honest Scrap." Look right over there to the right This is awesome! Caramel Diva tagged her. Before I pass on the rules I will go ahead and tell you that I have altered the rules just a little. I had more than ten things to share so some numbers have parts A and B. I just couldn't resist. I'm in a sharing mood today. So here are the rules

You have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Then you have to tag ten people with the award. Finally, let all the people you've given the award know they've gotten it (comment on their blogs or something). Don't forget to link back to the person who awarded you.

1. I love to travel. Well, I don't enjoy the traveling or the getting there, but I do really LOVE going to new places. Once all the kids leave the nest, I plan to burn the road up!

2. When alone in the house or car, I keep everything quiet. No radio, no TV, no iPod, no whining ceiling fan, no nothing. Just beautiful....silence.

3. a) I am extremely shy in person. I have to make an effort to make sure face to face conversation aren't weird or strained. I can write 10 page emails (ask my hubby), chat online all day (Am I lying Kim?), but have only have 3 whole sentences to put together in person.

b) My mother tells me, from infancy, I did not like to be touched or bothered. I was the only baby who preferred to sit in my infant seat unbothered to being held. I think this was a sign of my independence from the beginning.

4. a) Until this year I didn't talk on the phone. (My middle sister is a talker who refused to stop calling me!) So phone conversation has kinda grown on me now, I actually went way over my cell minutes last month.

b) Don't test this. There are still those days that I don't answer the phone. I can go over my personal "talk limit" very easily.

5. For me sound and sight are very closely related. Sometimes clutter and the filling up of every available piece of space can get to be what I refer to as "visually noisy." Other times too much noise feels cluttered. Everything and sound needs an appointed time or place. I'm a simple type of girl. (Jeneen, don't say a word! This is not a disorder than can be given an abbreviated title. No GTM, OCD, or ADHD!)

6. I have become addicted to looking at people's photos on facebook, and blogs. There is something so fascinating about being able to read and see other people's lives without having to talk much, and its at MY convenience! It's great!

7. I have a great little circle of friends with my hubby and sisters being some of my favs. It takes quite a bit for me to let people in but once they are in, we're friends through thick or thin. I forgive and get over things as easily as I get worked up into a fuss.

8. I want to publish many books.....fun stories for children, a collection of nuggets for sons and daughters from a mom's perspective, a devotional for wives, and the list goes own. One day I will be an award winning author. You'll see my name on books everywhere!

9. My favorite foods are plain cheesecake, french fries, pastas, rice, and spinach.

10. Seafood hasn't crossed my lips in more than 25 years. I hate the way most seafood looks like the animal. I could absolutely live without all meats. For years if I had to clean it, I wouldn't eat it.

So now to those wonderful bloggers I tagged. I hope you will visit, and leave them a comment. I'm sure they love comments just as much as I do!

1. FranticMommy

2. Dry As Toast

3. Future Mama

4. TanishaRenee

5. Little Bites of Heaven

6. Pink Nothings

7. Scrapperlicious

8. Shamelessly Southern

9. The Brown Mommy

10. Divas Can Cook

Thursday's Thoughts

2009-07-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

How many bars of soap does it take to get to a clean set of twins?

If you guessed 8 then you are right!!! So how many got people got that right? Don't worry I wouldn't have guessed 8 either, and the twins belong to me. Apparently it takes 8 bars of soap to properly bathe and clean the twins........ according to them. I allowed the twins two minutes in the tub while I went to grab towels and in those two minutes they successfully unwrapped 8 brand new bars of soap and filled the tub with several sets of dirty clothing. Yes, dirty clothing. Not only did they think it was a great idea to fill the tub with soap and clothing items, but dirty clothing. During the interrogation it was revealed that dirty clothing appeared to be the best thing to put in the tub because (1) they were in the hamper close to the tub and (2) "Mommy puts dirty clothing in water too."

As of yet the investigation is ongoing. I have yet to discover just who put the items in the tub because according to the twins neither of them participating or witnessed anything happening.

I've been missing my blog buddies!

2009-07-07T01:09:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I'm in summer school. I've been in school for what seems like forever now. A couple of years ago I decided it was important for me to return to school and complete my degree. As I watched my oldest son get closer and closer to high school I realized that it was going to be very important to me that I was able to say to him, "whatever you decide to do, do it well. Don't give up because it seems difficult, or boring, or even when it seems like its something you don't really think you'll want to do in the future." It never hurts to have additional skills or knowledge, so........I re-enrolled in college.

Just to give you a little background info., I attended NC Central Univ. straight out of high school on a full academic scholarship. I almost went kicking and screaming. I wanted to be out of the house but I didn't want to go to college. I wanted to go to cosmetology school. Well to make a long story short, I did nothing in school, made some decisions that made school more difficult and dropped out. I eventually went to cosmetology and loved it. I enjoyed a successful career in cosmetology for about 10 years and then it happened. In one phone call, the plans I had for my career and life changed completely. After having months of back pain, chiropractor visits, and physical therapy, I visited a neurosurgeon. After one visit and a few test he called me back the next day to inform me that I needed surgery immediately to fix the worst disc herniation that he has ever seen. I was at risk for having permanent nerve damage. I can still remember that day. Now that I think back I realize that everything was set up perfectly. It just so happened that on this busy day in my salon, my mom was catching a nap under the dryer. I imagine I would have lost it emotionally had she not been there to keep me grounded. Its not everyday you get a call from the Dr. saying, "You need surgery now. I'm going to postpone my vacation to perform the surgery tomorrow, and if you happen to lose function of your bladder or bowels before tomorrow, come immediately to the ER. You are at risk for having permanent nerve damage of your legs." He promised that I would return to work 4-6 weeks after surgery. Here I am 1 1/2 years later. I was never able to return and now I wish I had finished school when it was so much easier. In the mist of all of that I am thankful that God has given me the opportunities to stay home with my little ones. There was so much about them that I was missing. Yes, there are days when I feel that they are sharing more than I really want to know, but at the end of most days, I'm lovin' be a stay at home mom. Its amazing how a devastating situation that seems to be one that you will never recover from can actually be an unbelievable opportunity waiting in the wings. For example, writing is something that I've always loved but would have never taken to the time to do, but here I am sitting up at the crack of dawn happily tapping away at my computer. I now find myself dreaming about what I'll write about, not only in my blog, but I've found the time and inspiration to actually write a few children's stories. My little ones are enjoying the characters in my stories that I have developed based on their personlity quirks. I say all of this to simply say, I've been busy with school and homework and mothering, and I haven't had the time I would usually have to blog, and I'm finding that I miss it dearly. But I guess its one of the many sacrifices I'm willing to make in order to set an example for my children and family. The great thing is the summer session will be over in another 3 weeks and I don't plan to take two writing intensive classes at the same time during the fall session.

Oh, I can't end this post without saying I have an awesome hubby. He has been wonderful at supporting and encouraging me. By the time I finish school, I think he will know enough about criminal justice to earn a degree also. He has been great at helping with cooking and laundry and all the other little things I've had to put on the back burner to focus on school. Thanks baby!

Scrapbook Pages

2009-07-03T16:28:00.001-07:00

For months now I have been promising some of my scrapbooking friends that I would post pics of some of my pages. Because I have a zillion things to do, I am just getting around to it, so here they are!

Partners in Crime features my "irish twins". They always find a way to create a mess of trouble. Neither of them ever did it, nor do they ever have a clue of who the culprit could be. From the time Ike could talk, they have conspired to always stick to their story.....They didn't do it!

10 Things I love about me was very hard, and it took a while to come up with these 10 things. I didn't want all of the things to be physical or based on the titles I've acquired, such as mommy and wife. While I love the fact that I feel pretty good about my mothering and wife-ing skills, I wanted to dig deeper for things like my creativity, and my strength. This was a hard one!

What I Love About You was an easy one, because there aren't many things not to love about my wonderful husband ;-)

This layout features my precious Leah, Peah, Deah. She is a quiet middle baby with the most precious smile. Her personality makes me think of spring. She's so bright and refreshing.

This layout is a testament to the love I share with my hubby.The little tags around our picture are love songs that remind me of our love, Anita Baker's "Sweet Love"; Stevie Wonder "Ribbon in the Sky", and Sade "By Your Side."
This is just a layout of some pictures of my little ones while they were enjoying the beach. This is one of my favorite pictures.

Sacrifice or Selfishness?

2009-06-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Okay Blog family, I need some advice from you. A dear friend of mine asked me at what point does a mother put her careers goals and desires on hold for your children?

Background info: The friend is a single mother of two children ages 8 and 6. She does receive financial support from the father but could still use additional financial resources. She was offered a great opportunity with a part-time job, that will really help develop her career. The problem is this part-time job will interfere with her son's football schedule. Her son has not started the football season yet but he is really hoping that he can play in this particular league. She does have a great support system of family and friends that help with the children, but none of them are able to commit to getting him to the many practices and games, and the father lives in a different city. She is really torn about what to do. Is she being selfish by taking the job and not allowing him to play in the league? Mothers naturally give and sacrifice but at what point should a mother say, its time for the family to make a few sacrifices for me? Should she accept the part-time job and explain to her son that he will not be able to play in that league this year? Or should she turn down the part-time job and allow her son to play in the league?

What do you think?

Vacation Pics

2009-06-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

read more about Pedro and his gunshot wounds here.

Random Ramblings

2009-06-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am going to post pictures of our wonderful couple of days at the beach, in a minute. I have so many random thoughts floating through my head that I must put them down.

*First of all I am torn up about the death of MJ. I won't say much more but I am enjoying watching my kids dance to his videos. I would have never guessed that I would be sitting here watching my kids get excited over the same songs that I enjoyed 25 years ago.

*I wonder how much damage I would do if I just took my kitchen chairs out to the deck and hosed them down. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how these chairs have accumulated sooo much food and debris, I mean I wipe them down at least once a.....I almost typed week but I wouldn't tell you, my bloggy friends, untruth, besides you are probably the only ones in the world that understand how busy I am and the food that clings to the chairs just doesn't cross my mind until I plop down in a chair that is so sticky it makes me feel like I need a bath.

*If I cleaned up last week, why must I clean up again this week? How does stuff collect in rooms that no one uses? And why do we have such an over-abundance of misc. paper in our house? Who brings all of this stuff into our house and can I require them to take it back?

*Is it child/hubby neglect if I veg-out in front of the TV, with a blanket, a good book, and my laptop for blog reading for a couple of hours?

*Must I keep every piece of paper, crayon drawing, art and craft project that all 3 of my schoolers brought home the last week of school?

*Is it Friday already?

*Oh, I almost forgot. I have lost 5.2lbs. over the first 2 weeks of my diet. Who knew that pushing back from the table and becoming more active would really work?

Sound Probation

2009-06-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

I was traveling in the truck with 6 anxious children and one tired husband. All the windows were rolled up and all the doors were closed. At times there seemed to be so much noise that it felt like every square inch of space in the truck was filled with some type of sound that I swear I could see. It was like "shut up", "don't touch me", "move over", "stop", "are we almost there yet", "I gotta use the bathroom", and tons of other words were just floating around. My ears had maxxed out on the amount of noise they could process so, my eyes had begun to see the words. I felt dizzy. What possessed us to pack up all of these people and put them in one vehicle and drive 3 hours? What were we thinking? Were we sane when we decided this? Oh, yeah, I remember, I wanted to vacation without them. I was thinking of sending these little people to their real parents, but my husband who maintains that we are their real parents, insisted on taking them with us. He has this thing about never leaving them, he loves the feeling of noise crowding out your existence. And just when I thought I would lose it, he came up with the most beautiful idea. SOUND PROBATION! When one of my children says something inappropriate, whether is calling their sibling a doo doo head, playing with the whoopie cushion, or using a ugly tone to communicate, he places them on sound probation. Quite simply they are not allowed to make another sound, or they can expect Mt. Daddy to erupt. Its such a beautiful thing. I think the words alone create some type of fear in them. I just love the way it sounds.......SOUND PROBATION........lovely silence. Do you have creative ways to achieve silence?

I'm back!

2009-06-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

I'm back from our mini-vacation. I could hardly wait to get back to tapping away at my computer. With every experience I found myself thinking, I've got to share this with my bloggy friends. I have so many random thoughts to share. I really enjoyed sitting in the sun and playing on the beach. I can't remember the last time my hubby and I just planned to do nothing but enjoy time with the kids. You know, work and living a hectic life is really over-rated. Everyone needs time when they sit down and truly enjoy the many blessings they have. With all that has happened in the past year with Drew Drew and the cholesteatoma, and surgery, it was time to take moments away from our hectic lives and enjoy simple realities. Now that I have gotten all the mushy emotional thoughts out of the way I can move to the more pressing thoughts in my mind. On our little trip to the beach we passed the hundreds of signs that are designed to lure little children to South of the Border. I remember stopping at South of the Border as a child and it wasn't much to look at then, but thats been many moons ago, so I'm thinking, maybe things are different. Boy was I wrong! I have this friend who itches in places that look or feel nasty. From the minute we pulled up I began to feel a little "itchy". We let the kids take a few pictures in front of the very same animals, minus a few coats of paint, plus a few bullet holes, but still the very same animals that I took pictures of 20 years ago! And the restrooms............the restrooms had a very distinct school antiseptic smell that took me back to days of classmates getting sick after school lunch, and the janitor trying to cover up the smell with that horrible spray. After 3 minutes at South of the Border I was convinced the Pedro should spend less money in marketing and more money in renovations and upgrades! On the brighter side, there is nothing like the freedom of walking around in a swim suit all day. There is no other time that is socially acceptable for a overweight mom of six to walk around without the restrictive undergarments that are necessary to hold all of this together. Ahhh, the Freedom!!! Oh, before I forget I will post pics of our trip later this week.

Mini-Vacation

2009-06-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

Mommy of many, hubby, and the many are vacationing at the beach! We'll talk when I get back!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWINS!

2009-06-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

This week has been a busy week around the Artis household. First the birthday of Sister-Girl, which we have celebrated MANY days, and now its time to add the Twins to the celebration. On this day 3 years ago, I was having hot flashes, and temper tantrums because I was so very tired of sitting in a hospital bed, big and pregnant. I stayed in the hospital for pre-term labor, almost a week prior to delivering the twins. Finally, on June 19, I said, "If these little ones try to make their entrance today, I'm having these babies, TODAY!" They must have heard me because shortly after that strong, regular contractions started. After a few hours of labor, some great breathing techniques, an awesome birthing partner (my hubby), and several doctors insisting that I would need a C-section because twin B was breech, I delivered 2 healthy screaming, squirming little babies. Did I mention that breech, Twin B, was delivered the old fashioned way also. Little Miss SaySay was born first, and Little Master DrewDrew tried his best to stay in. He protested being born. I think SaySay was ready to see the world, she was probably scared that she was going to miss too much if she stayed in the womb any longer, and DrewDrew, who is still a lap baby, wanted to stay anywhere he could be held and cuddled. Boy, I had no idea how much these two little ones would change my world. I have included a list of things that only the twins have accomplished in 5 min. or less:
1. Given their siblings customized body art with markers and fingernail polish, in the middle of the night.
2. Tried to trap the cat in the dryer, as you can imagine she now stays out of their reach.
3. Covered my bathroom walls and toilet with hair glue.
4. Stopped up the bathroom sink with tissue, turned on the water, walked out, closed the door, flooded the bathroom and entryway!
5. Put several bars of bath soap in dishwasher and turned it on, resulting in a flooded kitchen.
6. The twins routinely get up at night together, come downstairs and use a chair to get a midnight snack.

Wednesday's Word of the Day

2009-06-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

Every parent has memory of words that their little one "created." My little ones are notorious for mis-pronouncing words and creating their own. Today I would like to feature one of those famous words.

snish - the fluids that fly out of a toddler mouth when they sneeze and do not cover their mouth; combination of sneeze and spish (spit); created by Little Miss SaySay (Sarah, age 2); used to describe what happened when her twin brother sneezed on her hand; used in a sentence: "Mama, I need to wash DrewDrew's snish off my hand."

What are some of your little one's word creations?

Happy Birthday Sister-Girl!

2009-06-16T08:19:00.001-07:00

It was 10 years ago on this very day that I gave birth to my oldest daughter, Sister-Girl, that's what her grand-ma calls her. It seems like it was just yesterday (sniff, sniff). She informed me that she is hitting the "double digits" now. Sister-Girl is my one child that truly believes she was meant to be an only child. She loves for all the attention and focus to be on her. I think she was born to be a star. I fully expect to one day look up and see her on TV. She has that sparkle that deserves to be in lights and did I mention she absolutely LOVES to have her picture taken. Since we're talking about how much she loves attention, I think this would be the prime time to mention that Ms. Sister-Girl has requested to be my guest blogger for the day. And so before I get too caught up blogging myself, I would like to present to you Ms. Sister-Girl!

Hello Everyone! It's my birthday today, 1 whole decade. It feels good. I always wanted to be in the double digits. What I completely forgot about was BIRTHDAY LICKS! Ouch! So my older brother Tyler has tried to give me birthday licks for everybody. WOW! Thanks everyone for all of your attention today.

I Started!

2009-06-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

I did it! I actually started on my weight loss journey, well I guess I started mentally a while back. For months, maybe years I have been thinking about losing weight. After just thinking about it, I moved to the next step of dreaming about losing weight, and then talking about losing weight. Through all of these stages I have had some successful moments when I would lose maybe 5 - 10 pounds but then I would relapse and eat a large fry (McDonalds's, Lord help me!) or a few slices of cheesecake and I would be right back where I started. You know that commercial that said no one could eat just one, that's how I feel about french fries and pasta and cheesecake ooooooh and hush puppies. I'm a carb-a-holic. Well, after the scenario with Sarah and my shorts, scroll down and read about that in "Its Official!" I decided that my thoughts at some point really do have to become actions. Thoughts, dreams, and words would have to connect with action for me to really lose the weight. So this morning, bright and early 6:30am, I got up and dragged myself out to exercise. Yes, I actually walked, jogged, and practically crawled for a full 45min. I will be tracking my exercise and weight loss journey on www.sparkpeople.com. If you are not familiar with sparkpeople, check it out. It is an awesome FREE tool for anyone trying to lose weight. So, come on, join me! I would love to have some blogging buddies to help push and motivate me through this journey. According to my Dr. I need to drop a full............55lbs! This is gonna require much pushing, shoving, pulling, and motivation. So feel free to post your weight loss stories and tricks. If you've found success with this thing, let me know. I'm gonna need all the help I can get!

My Very First Blog Award!!

2009-06-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

I received my very first blog award. I am so excited!! My blog is only a few months old so while I have been hoping to receive one, I never imagined I would get one so soon. So you can only imagine how excited I was when I opened my email today. My blogger friend Teresha over at Little Freckle Baby has given little ole me an award. You should stop by to see her, she's expecting and using her awesome blog to journal the pregnancy. Like every other mommy or mommy-to-be blogger she loves comments, so show her some love. So I am now passing this award on to
1. Tabitha @ I Choose Bliss
2. Wifey @ Ask Wifey
3. Shannon @Creative Parties and Showers
4. Tara @ For The Love of Scrap
5. The Justices @ Mama Law
6. RBARAKAT @ Lets Embellish
7. Lee @ I Want to Make That
8. Cher @ Love Actually
9. Mama Shujaa @ Mama Shujaa
10. Wanda @ Wanda Writes
11. The Young Mommy @ The Young Mommy Life
12. TanishaRenee @ Tanisha Renee
13. Sheena @ Mommy Daddy Blog
14. Denene @ My Brown Baby
15. Michelle @ Sweet Life Magazine

What next? Follow these rules and pay it forward:
1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of his or her blog and the link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Its Official!

2009-06-12T05:16:00.000-07:00

Its official.......(drum roll please), I am going on a diet. I am fully convinced that I am too squishy for my own good. Yesterday, was a pretty hot day, so I decided it was time to pull out a pair of shorts from last year. I took much time and care trying on several pairs and I finally decided on a cute little, well maybe not so little, pair of denim shorts. I put them on, turned to several angles while looking in the mirror and decided they looked pretty nice. They are made out of the stretchy denim material so they even seemed to be holding me together a little. Feeling confident in my choice I walked downstairs. My oldest daughter immediately noticed that I was wearing shorts and joyfully says, "Oh mom, u look C-UTE!" I quickly responded with, "Thanks Baby!" I usually only wear shorts on vacation in extremely hot weather, and even then capri pants are going to be my first choice. So, OK, I was really feeling confident, when she (meaning my 3 year old, who talks entirely too much, always asking the questions you don't want to answer, never lying, but the one who always knowing everything) she, said, "Mommy, oh my God, what happened to your legs right there?"
me: "Where baby? What are you talking about?"
she: "Right there, does it hurt? Did you hurt it?"
I was horrified. Is she pointing to my cellulite? Yes, she is pointing to the cellulite on my thighs that is no doubt the product of having so many babies, and the love of cheesecake, and the dislike of exercise contributed to!
me: "There is nothing wrong with mommy's leg. It doesn't hurt."
she: with a smile, "Oh, Ok. I like your shorts mommy."
me: turning to go upstairs and change, "thanks baby."

So back to my initial statement, Its official I am on a diet! Any suggestions? What diets have you found work the best?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T03:32:00.000-07:00

At some point, every mother can appreciate her own little place surrounded in silence.......................

Blend Together!

2009-06-08T10:09:00.001-07:00

A dear friend of mine called with advice for managing a blended family. Most people who know me don't realize that my oldest son is from a previous marriage. We have successfully managed to smooth out things to the point where there is no difference and no separation. We are one family, the Artis Clan

1. Respect is a must! There is no compromising when it comes to this. It was never an option for my son to disrespect my husband or my husband to disrespect my son.

2. Establish roles. Because I was bringing a son into the marriage it was important for me to establish with my son that my husband is the head of the household. I got alot of grief on this issue. Women have a tendency to feel like we're being forced to choose either our husbands or our children. If you are in a relationship that is healthy for both you and your child then there is no reason to choose. While it is very important to make sure your child understands and feels the love that you have for them as their mother, It is also important to help your child understand that you are married to your husband. Help your child understand that you have enough love to have a child and a husband. I think sometimes it is hard for a child to adjust to the changes because we don't always establish clear roles when we are single mothers. At times we may allow those children to also fill the role of friend and take active roles in making decisions. But now that you are a married, you and your husband will make the decisions best for the family. In our household this includes decisions about my son. My husband and I make decisions together about my son, which brings up another important area that must be addressed.

3. Your spouse is first. I had to establish with my son's father that my husband is the head of my household and we make decisions on what takes place in our house. My son's father has no authority or dominion when it comes to my house. He understands and respects this. Now it hasn't always been this easy. There were times when my son would talk to his father and make plans then come and tell my husband and I what the plans were. At first I did not realize what he was doing, because it didn't interfere with any plans I had already made. But eventually I saw what was taking place. My husband and I made it clear to my son that he needs to discuss with us plans before making them. Since my son is older now things are simpler. Early on, my son's father and I could not communicate with one another responsibly , which brings me to my next point.

4. Don't be afraid to bring in third parties for communication reasons. My son's father and I agreed to communicate through my father and his mother. In the beginning there was alot of anger and frustration between us. Until we could agree to let go of the anger and move past the wrongs we had committed against one another, I would drop my son off with my father or his mother and he would then visit him or pick him up from there. In the ideal situation, adults would just be adults and let go of their differences, but that is rarely the reality in these situations. Understand what your triggers are and find a civil way to deal with one another. This will also reduce the amount of tension between the ex-spouse and the current spouse.

5. Your spouse should love and care for all children in the family the same. I think the key component in all of this was the way my wonderful, wonderful husband accepted and loved my son as his own. Even during the times when my son acted in ways that made me want to disown him, my husband never did. He loves him, supports him financially and emotionally, corrects him, jokes and plays with him just like he does the children that are his biological children. He has never referred to him as his step-son but always his son. From the angle that I am viewing things, he is his son. This wonderful attitude from my husband has also gained the respect of my son's father. It is not uncommon for all of us to be at one of my son's sporting events both fathers and grandfather. There is no tension because we all want what is best for our son. Not too long ago I heard my son telling one of his friends that its almost like he has 3 dads because he has Derreck (his biological father), Daddy Isaac (my husband), and Papa (my father). I think this learning process has helped them all grow closer to my son. It is very true that it takes much more than genetics to create a parent/child bond and we are living proof of this. We are a well-blended family.

Its All Apart of the Job.........

2009-06-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

Six little ones, one husband, 15 loads of laundry, potty training to overcome, hair to comb, carpet to vacuum, floors to sweep and mop, toys EVERYWHERE, the never ending cycle of "whys" that I must answer, parks to visit, practices to attend, and as if I didn't have enough things to do, I happily added school (I graduate next May..woo hoo), becoming a published author, and helping my dad with the family business to my list of things I must accomplish..........The joys, pains, task, and responsibilities that come along with being the Chief Operational Officer of the Artis Household never end. It is one of the most intense, emotionally inspiring and physically draining jobs in the world, and I wouldn't trade one moment of it, ok, I'm lying a would trade a few of those potty training moments for more successful ones, but besides the unsuccessful potty moments, and Oh, I might trade out a few of those laundry moments for shopping moments, well, let's just say I would keep 99% of the moments, because being a wife and mother has given me some of the most memorable and rewarding times of my life.

Kodak camera giveaway

2009-06-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

I entered a great contest for a Kodak digital camera with Amanda over at http://www.mommymandy.com. Check her out!

Thoughtful Thursday: Thoughtful Nuggets

2009-06-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Being a mother can be challenging. Over the years I have discovered that I must be someone different for my sons than I am for my daughters. To my daughters I strive to be an example of who they someday will become. I strive to teach them the fundamentals of being a wife and mother, showing them the struggles while emphasizing its importance and rewards. I want them to know that it takes time, skill, and prayer to manage a family, build a career, and take care of a husband. I find myself telling my daughters that if a family were a band, the mother/wife would be the drummer. She is the one that determines the rhythm and environment for the family. Her role is so very important. She can build up a person in the family or tear them down with a few simple words. While she is not the leader of the band, the band could surely fill empty and dull without her constant taps of encouragement, or loud thunderous beats of praise, or her crashing sounds of discipline when necessary. Going against what is normally seen on television, I teach my daughters that it is not necessary to fuss, cuss, and manipulate to get your point across, and understand that you won't have your way in every situation. Be open to other perspectives.
For my sons I strive to be an example of the characteristics they will someday look for in a wife. I want them to see a strong woman who is a help-meet to her husband, able to hold down things when necessary, but also the only soft, tender place that a man has to turn to when facing the harsh reality of this world. It is my desire that they someday look for a woman who possesses Godly characteristics and a passion for loving them. I make attempts to show them how a wife is able to lovingly respect and submit to her husband without being controlled. I want them to know that being the head does not mean they are to dictate the actions of the family. It means when it is all said and done they are the responsible party for each member of that family. They see me honoring my husband and commitments to my family. I want them to know that a wife is the someone who should always have their back, ready at all times to jump in when needed. I often find myself jotting down what I call little nuggets of wisdom, that I someday plan to give to them.

Task I have yet to master: keeping a spotless house, putting away clean clothing, and ironing

Thankful Tuesday

2009-06-02T11:50:00.002-07:00

After a Monday that was full of excitement but rather stressful, I thought it would be important for me to remind myself of some of my many blessings.

2009-06-02T11:50:00.001-07:00

Just one of those days

2009-06-01T14:05:00.001-07:00

Today is one of those days when I wanna write, but words seem to escape my fingertips. There is so much I want to express but so few words that I really wanna type. It's one of those days where a look could communicate a thousand words. School is ending and the kids are losing it. There is something about hot weather that negatively effects the judgement of little minds. We've got household behavior fires poppin' up left and right. One little one decides that the TV is thirsty, another little one thinks that she should discipline him for feeding the TV. An older little one thinks that he is sneaky enough to have a myspace page even after my husband and I gave specific instructions against it. Needless to say, he got caught and his sister is just giddy with excitement as he gets in trouble. I guess its just one of those days! But I'm equipped to handle them. Well, I'm off to handle the Artis Fires!

Show Me!

2009-05-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Background Info: There are members of the Artis household who have yet to develop an appreciation for undergarments, well to be more specific, underwear. Why? I'm not exactly sure. I make it a daily practice to wear them under my clothing, and my husband strives to wear them everyday also. We have made several attempts to make sure that the non-schoolers develop this same appreciation for underwear, but for some reason they have yet to really "catch on" to the idea of wearing underwear everyday. Take Ike, who is 4. He prefers "decorated" underwear, usually covered in Power Rangers or Spiderman. For awhile he would put them on backwards so he could see the characters that are printed on the rear of the underwear. If there are no "decorated" underwear that he prefers for that day, he opts for freedom. Sarah who is a "semi-practicing pottyer" switches between pull-ups and underwear, but she likes her freedom also. She is our little streaker. Drew, the lone "non-practicing pottyer" simply does not like underwear at all. So needless to say, it is not uncommon to hear me asking "Do you have on underwear?" And of course I can't just ask, I have to always follow up with, "Let me see." And just another tid-bit that you may need for clarification later on, per Sarah, "girls wear panties and boys wear draws."

The Incident: The entire Artis 6 spent the night with their Papa and Grandma Sat. Sunday morning my dad strolls downstairs in his robe to enjoy his morning coffee. He is greeted by his beloved grand-babies. They love their Papa and they know that telling him how much they love him, earns them more "brownie points" and stuff. In the mist of this Sarah yells, "Papa, do you have on draws?" Now, I am sure you can only imagine what went through my dad's mind. In shock he answers, "Yes! I have on draws." Sarah responds quickly with, "No, you don't!" At this point my dad should have taken on the role of a parent and decided not to argue, but noooo, he chooses the path of a grandparent and decides to argue with the two year old, who by the way speaks extremely clear. So there was no mistaken what she was asking. My step-mother at this point is "hollering" in laughter. I am now wondering why didn't she rescue him. Her laughter only encourages my dad to continue this argument which leads to Sarah saying, "Well, show me!"
My step-mother is still "hollering" laughing at the two year old requiring that her Papa prove that he has on draws and my dad is still horrified! While speaking with him today, several days later, he informed me that he has yet to put that robe back on. And to answer the question you're wondering, No, he didn't show her.

2009-05-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

Its My Birthday!!!!

2009-05-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

I will be having my first child-free birthday party!!! I am so excited! I have planned it to my liking with the help of some very special, and might I add creative ladies.....Thanks Rhonda, Talexis, and Kim so that means lots of cheesecake and no birthday cake. There will chocolate everywhere and children no where! What a day! My birthday isn't until Sun. but I will be celebrating all weekend. I'll be back Mon. with lots of pictures of the fabulous event.......(singing in my best hip hop voice, "Its my birthday, birthday! uh huh It's my birthday, birthday!"

2009-05-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Equipped to Succeed

2009-05-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I remember my father sharing stories of my family's rich history. My father has gone to great lengths and spent many hours educating my sisters and I on the triumphs and accomplishments of our family. He told stories of my grandfather who refused to work as a sharecropper and worked endlessly to give his children the future of hope and success. My grandfather taught his children that education and hard work were the keys to success. He was able to purchase land from his father and later give land to his children. That land still belongs to our family. Because of that work ethic and determination, my grandparents were able to proudly watch all six of their children attend college, bringing forth teachers,superintendents, chancellors, supervisors, business owners, and principles. Those six children married and begin to pass on the same keys to success in life.
My sisters and I grew up knowing that college was a requirement in our household. My father, mother, many aunts and uncles had gone to college. When my father retired at the age of 50 he began to drill entrepreneurship. He would constantly tell us that ownership was apart of who we were. My sisters and I have always been Daddy's girls, thinking that our father could do no wrong. In our minds, Daddy is ALMOST always right. So when my father said we could be entrepreneurs, we believed him. My father helped me start a thriving hair salon while, he opened a residential care facility for adolescent boys. He tried in every way possible to get us involved in his ventures. My sister, who is a nurse, is the resident nurse, my sister "the techie" handles all of our technological issues, and most recently I have begun going a few days a week to assist with administrative duties. On the days when I go to work for my father, I sometimes take the non-schoolers. I have convinced them that it is necessary for us all to go to work to help "Papa" with his business. My four year old has really taken to this idea. In preparing for the next day, if he knows we are going to work, he takes out his "work clothes." Usually khakis and a button down shirt, I noticed he is mimicking what he sees my husband and my father wear to work. He walks in the business with confidence because he knows his "Papa" owns the place.
My sister called today to tell me that she had begun talking to her little ones about entrepreneurship. During that conversation her little ones informed her that "Lil Ike", my four year old is an entrepreneur. In our visits to the business he has convinced himself that he too is a business owner and he proudly tells everyone that he goes to work. It dawned on me that he is taking work very serious because he views it as his own, and some day it shall be.
This is what parenting is about. I think of parenting as kind of a learn as you go experience. There are things I will get right, but there are tons of things I will get wrong. But it is those moments when you realize that your words and actions are shaping the lives of the people of the future. The decisions I make now to educate or not to educate them on certain things impact their thoughts and ultimately their actions and decisions in the future. I sit here with a big grin on my face as I happily tap away at the keyboard chronicling this story, all because I know that I am equipping my little ones to successfully grab hold to their prosperous futures. I know that one day these very same lessons will be passed on to my grandchildren, great-grands, and many other generations to come, and that I feel good about!

Lovin' the skin she's In

2009-05-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Its always interesting to watch little ones grow and mature. My little niece recently celebrated her 8th birthday. My sister decided to give her the most fabulous sleepover a little girl could dream of, set up in a very swanky hotel room, complete with tons of junk food, loud music, and too many happy, screaming little girls.......well too many for my patience. My nine year old daughter informed me that my sister is MUCH cooler than I am so I guess that means she has more patience than I do. But as I sat there watching the little ladies jump around, singing and dancing I felt so proud of my little niece. She was prancing around in her swimwear proudly parading her beautiful deep chocolate skin and gorgeous afro-puffs. My sister has managed to teach my niece to be proud of how she was created. I proudly sport a natural but I am having a hard teaching my daughters to love their hair. It goes against the standards of beauty they see everyday in school, or on TV. Yes, brown skin and big or short beautiful naturals are becoming more common on TV but not celebrated. My 9 year old should not have to endure teasing at school because her hair isn't straight and hanging down her back. I teach my daughters to we are all beautiful. Our differences are beautiful. I want to teach them to feel comfortable with who they are, not feeling a need to change their appearance to look like anyone else. I want my daughters to know the self-love and proper self-image my sister has managed to instill in my niece, b/c she is lovin' the skin she's in.

Color that Lasts and Lasts and Lasts

2009-05-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

For anyone who's wondering.....I'm a MAC makeup junky. There are few things I love and truly indulge in, well other than good food, and that's a whole nother subject, but the one thing I have a hard time resisting is new colors to add to my MAC collection. I have been building it for years and I proudly display it whenever someone says, "Your makeup looks great!" Well everyone in the house knows that my MAC is the one thing you don't touch, just like everyone knows if you wanna send my husband over the edge, drink the last swallow of Coke......and yesterday the twins dared to touch my MAC lip colors. Not only did they touch them but they too decided indulging in my MAC makeup was the thing to do. I had properly laid them down for nap (thanks for the advice from the moms on overcoming bedtime/naptime drama). I have been following the instructions given to me by pros, I checked on them. They appeared to be sleep so I decided to retire to the couch for a little nappy nap myself. I awoke to 2 sticky, greasy, colorful little monsters. Sarah and Drew decided to paint one another with MY lip color. They stripped down to undies and pull-ups and carefully painted one another on the back, stomach, legs, head, face.....and the list goes on. They touched EVERY lip color I had, whether it was lipstick or the wonderful gooey lipglass that I Love so dearly. After coming out of shock, I took them to the shower and began to scrub, and scrub, and scrub, and after more than enough effort and time they were still sticky, greasy, and slightly colorful. One of the reasons I love MAC colors is because they last, and last, and last. Even this morning the twins skin looks so shiny and moisturized. Actually the lipglass appears to be working much better than the many lotions I have tried on their dry skin. I just caught a glimpse of little Drew running through the room, with his chest shining like one of the guys in a Tyler Perry play, shirtless of course (only because he is following the example of my teen-age son who thinks his little muscles are growing bigger everyday). I guess I will just have to start over with new colors.....and to anyone wondering where to start to let me know just how much you love me on my birthday, the MAC store is a great place to start!

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

The Perfect Weekend

2009-05-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not the sappy, emotional type. To be honest I have been focusing and working on being more emotional (it only seems right for a mom to be emotional and all teary eyed). Well I think for Mother's Day my husband and children set out to bring down the emotional flood gates. This has been one of the best holidays I've had. The weekend was filled with so many great moments. Lets start with the gifts. In the past I have not been a great gift-giver, as a result of that I expect to reap what I have sown, or lack there of. About Feb. I decided I would change with my gift-giving and hope for better gifts also. (I know you're not supposed to do things like that out of expectations, but you gotta start somewhere). I know many of you ladies need diamonds, pearls, cars and the such but none of that was on my list. On mother's day I got the lovely scrapbook bag I have been eyeing. It holds just about everything I need for scrappin' sessions away from home, all in a nice organized fashioned. I also got tons of bath and body works smell goods, and all this time I thought my husband had selective hearing. My wonderful in-laws gave me not one but TWO gift certificates to the spa. "Lord, I really thank you for my in-laws. They are the best a girl could ask for." So the gifts were only the tip of the iceberg. Unlike previous mother's days, I got the chance to spend time with my mom, and sisters without feeling rushed to move on to the next thing on the agenda. As I get older I'm realizing the importance of taking time to enjoy the special moments that I have with the special people in my life. And did I mention that I didn't have to lift a finger to do anything all weekend! What a weekend! So to all the mother's that had a less than perfect mother's day, I pray that next year will be better, and my husband teaches classes on being the perfect husband.....he's pretty much got it down....well most of the time anyway.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

It is only right that my Mother's Day writings would focus on the many women that God has navigated through my life that have played such an important "mothering" role in me becoming the wonderful wife and mother I am today. I am blessed to still have many of them here on earth with me to celebrate this special holiday. I want to send "shout outs" to the following women who have had a hand in shaping me into who I am.
Debra Allen- my wonderful God-appointed birth mother, she raised me and pored everything she had into me, I am thankful that in a couple of hours she will be reading this. Thanks mom for everything,including my love of writing.

Maggie Harding - my granny- she is still teaching me that sometimes sweetness wins people over, I don't always have to share what I am thinking with people, She is a woman with incredible patience and sweetness..

Sarah Johnson - my granny- she taught me early on that sometimes you just gotta let people have what they are asking for, She also taught me "eyes on, hands off!" She is a woman with incredible strength and endurance.

Patricia Artis - Don't let the size fool you! She may be small in statue but mighty in strength and commitment. Without her I wouldn't have my wonderful husband. She is a loving mother-in-law.

Joyce Johnson - my step-mom, She has taught me that love crosses all boundaries, and an organized life can eliminate alot of grief!

Paulette Savage - my surrogate auntie -She has taught me to love me, just like I am, beautiful brown skin, full hips, locs in my hair, and all. I am beautiful.

Catherine Blackwell - my first customer - Loyalty and commitment are better than gold, without her commitment to seeing me be successful I would never have had a successful full-service salon for 6 years.

Selma Bunn - family friend - Never allow your situation and people's opinions determine your future. I will never again allow someone else to inflict their negative feelings about me, on me. My bad decisions are just that and I will always recover from them.

Barbara Keith - my auntie - A will to fight and live a full life will bring you just that. I can have the things I desire, if I determine that they are worth fighting for. (Thank you for never giving up your fight!)

Bishop Rosie S. O'Neal - My relationship with Christ is most important, above anything else, and he has equipped me with everything I need to create the life I desire.

And the only one no longer with me.......

Cora Larkins - She nurtured my love to create and encouraged me to become a hairstylist when I was very young. Some years later she came back and helped me build my salon. She taught me everything she knew about hair. She believed in me. She helped take care of me during my pregnancy with my twins and adopted Sarah as her grandbaby. She spoiled her ROTTEN! I miss her smile and laughter dearly.

To all my Mamas - I LOVE YOU!!!! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2009-05-06T17:36:00.001-07:00

Drew: the lone non-practicing potty-er

2009-05-04T17:37:00.001-07:00

Proud Mommy Moment

2009-05-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

There is so much that comes along with being a mommy but by far my favorite moments are what I call proud mommy moments. These are times when your child does something that makes you realize what being a mommy is all about. So yesterday my oldest daughter, (9 yrs old) comes home and tells me she would like for me to take her to the store to buy a birthday gift for one of her closest friends. I'm thinking.......ok, how much is this gonna cost? To my surprise, she has her own money!! Who knew and where did she get if from, but that's another blog, well maybe not, she received it for doing so well on her report card. So Great Job Patrice! but getting on with the story...... She decides to give her friend a Ben and Jerry's gift certificate. Great gift, her own money, this is sounding better by the moment! So she steps up to the counter like a little lady, selects the gift certificate she wants, pulls her wallet from her purse, like a little lady, pays for her purchase and then get this.......She tips the cashier and said thank you!!! (sniff, sniff) The cashier was shocked and could barely utter out thank you. She is actually watching me and pay close attention. Just when you think that your children are not listening or paying any attention to any of the things you do, no matter how hard you try to set a wonderful example for them, they do something like that to let you know, although they may not think you're cool or hip or hot or fly or whatever it is the kids are saying now, they do realize that you are indeed smarter than them!

I'm Back, and there is Potty Drama

2009-05-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

So, I got the one night and half of a day off, and it has taken me 2 1/2 days to recover! I fully intended to blog about why 20 hours of vacation from house management turned into an additional 40 hours of overtime work but I have a much more serious issue. ONE OF THE TWINS REFUSES TO POTTY! We have this theory in our home, after explaining to everyone the purpose and location of the potty in the house, you are officially POTTY TRAINED! It is up to you to become a practicing potty-er. Well not completely up to you, we work with you, remind you, and provide guidance but essential you have to make up in your own mind that you are going to be a practicing potty-er. So right now we have 5 practicing potty-ers and 1 non-practicing potty-er. Drew who will be turning 3 next month refuses to potty! He is not interested and he doesn't subscribe to the whole "big boy" thing. When you mention to him that "big boys" potty, he replies, "I'm Andrew!" When asked does he want to be a big boy, he replies "No, I'm Andrew." Why, Why, Why? I am so tired of changing pullups and he seems to be fine with it. When all the older children turn up their noses and tell him he stinks, he just walks by them and looks like they are the ones with the problem. His twin sister is a fully practicing potty-er during the daytime, night is a different story but I can live with that. I can't remember the last time I actually had to change her. She potties and proudly announces to everyone what she has accomplished and if you don't remember to tell her you are proud, she will ask "Aren't you so proud of me?" Drew is just not motivated in the same way. He doesn't care that I am not proud that he is soiling all of his pull ups, he doesn't care that I am not proud that he is walking around behind me smelling like..........well I can't think of the words to describe what he smells like, but my grandma used to say when you eat grown folks food, you have grown folks poop. Can anyone offer any words of encouragement or advice to get Drew practicing? It is my desire that everyone in the house is a practicing potty-er, including Drew.......uh....I gotta go change him now!

I know, I'm overly excited!

2009-05-01T13:13:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it? I can't....I don't even know where to start to explain this. I am soooo excited. What to do? uh, let's see....sleep, relax, have complete brain blankness, do nothing, SCRAPBOOK! What not to do? clean, fuss, cook for anyone including myself, change diapers or pull ups or wet underpants, no dirty socks, no bookbags all over the floor, no big shoes to trip over for the hundredth time, no mommy come here, no, "uh, honey do you know where my......is?" (fill in the blank, just pick a word out of the sky, cause any and all words fit in that sentence). I know I'm overly excited but, I'M GETTING THE NIGHT OFF! I'm off from mommy and wife duty for a couple of hours. Sure, its for a women's church function in a neighboring city BUT its still the night off! No children Allowed! See you tomorrow!..............I'll be back on duty.

And Ladies, please enjoy your weekend!

2009-04-30T09:44:00.001-07:00

Drew's Story: Fighting Cholesteatoma

2009-04-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Andrew is that one child in the house that can get into anything! He touches, tastes, moves, holds, and tears up everything. He's only 2 but I am sure he has rearranged and caused more damage than some of the other children combined. He's curious by nature. So it was no surprise to me one day when I walk in my scrapbook area and find him sitting in a pile of old polaroids. He looks up at me smiling with a black tongue. He was pulling them apart and licking the insides. Well, accustomed to the things he gets into, I simply clean up the mess and think nothing of it. Later that evening my husband and I notice some swelling on the right side of Drew's face and a little drooping when he cries. Armed with all the knowledge of the world at my fingertips, I begin to google the chemicals in older polaroids. I find nothing that says it would cause these symptoms. I call poison control and they reassure me that he's probably just a little congested from a cold but they are certain these symptoms are not related to the licking of the polaroid....... Whew!
Its the weekend and outside of the inconsistent drooping when he cries, he seems to be his normal self. He's terrorizing his siblings and bringing the usual chaos to our home. My sister, a nurse notices and calls a Dr. friend of hers who says he thinks the drooping is caused from pressure from a cold also. Content for now with these two opinions we move on through the weekend planning to see our awesome pediatrician first thing Mon. morning.
Monday rolls along and we make our way to the peds. office. She checks everything out and says he has the worst ear infection she has ever seen. She confirms that the swelling and drooping is most certainly caused by the ear infection. So I feel relieved that the damage wasn't caused by the licking of the polaroid but horrible that my son has apparently been walking around for God knows how long with an ear infection. What kind of mother am I to not notice my son's pain? My pediatrician schedules an appointment with an Ear Nose and Throat specialist for the very same day. We leave one doctor to see another and the entire time I am beginning to feel really crappy about my mothering skills. I mean he's baby number 6, I should be a pro at it by now!
The ENT takes one look and says "This little guy is going in for surgery, today." He later explains that the pressure from the ear infection is paralyzing the facial muscles. Frantic on the inside, calm on the outside, I call everyone. There were schedules to be rearranged, I had children in school and 2 a friend's house. I would need all the help I could get b/c after missing so much I couldn't leave Drew's side.
Well, let's jump to the surgery....They prep Drew for surgery and tell us it would take all of 15 min., and he would be going home the following day. My husband, father, and I sit waiting in a serious by joking mood. The surgeon comes out almost 15 min. later with a very serious look on his face. I should have known then that look was not to say that all had gone well in the surgical room. He had come to explain that what he found was not an ear infection, but something called a cholesteatoma (say it with me cho-Less-t-a-toma). It was formed in the womb. Essentially, its a collection of skin cells growing in the wrong place that just continue to grow and grow and can destroy what it attaches itself to. Well Drew had this thing growing behind his ear drum for the past 2years! The Dr. instructs us to stay off of the internet googling it, he didn't want us getting nervous and scared but Drew would be in the hospital a couple of days and would require several surgeries to remove all of it, and we could expect some permanent hearing damage and possible permanent nerve damage. Not what I was prepared to hear at all! It was at this moment that as a family we took a moment to pray and seek God's mercy. Everything needed for Drew was out of our hands. I think as parents we all face a time where we realize that while we are the ones responsible for the care and love that our children need, there is so much more that we can't control.
Thankfully the next morning the same surgeon comes in and informs us that he feels Drew's case is beyond his expertise and refers us to a specialist in Chapel HIll. The surgeons there lovingly cared for Drew before and after his surgery. So far Drew has only had one surgery and is scheduled for his second one. Dr. Adunka and his team were able to successfully remove all of the cholesteatoma the first time, but unfortunately it had eroded all the ear bones in Drew's right ear and caused a small amount of damage to the ear drum. The second surgery this summer will be to check for new growths and reconstruct the ear bones. Since then Drew has regained function of those facial muscles. I have now found out that there are many out there who suffer with the same condition but few websites dedicated to informing folks about it. I am thankful that Drew was guided to the expert hands of Dr. Adunka and spared the irreversible damage that many suffer due to the lack of knowledge and information on this condition. Drew is a blessed child because so many require 3-5 surgeries, never fully regaining control of those muscles or their hearing. So.....this is our family's story on Drew's cholesteatoma journey.

From the minds of the non-schoolers

2009-04-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

I must give you background info. before giving details to the latest Artis Funny
Tyler (son - 13) N'yasha (daughter - 9), Leah (daughter - 5), Isaac (son -4), Sarah (daughter -2), Drew (son -2), Mama (30-ish), Daddy (older than Mama 30-ish), Papa (50-ish)

And so the conversation goes.....

Sarah: "Who's older Tyler or N'yasha?
Ike the all knowing older brother replies "Tyler, he is our biggest older brother"....... (and no he doesn't have any other older brothers)

Sarah: "Who is older N'yasha or Ike?"
Ike: always having all the answers "N'yasha is biggest than me"

Sarah: "Who is older Mommy or Tyler?'
Ike: once again he's right "Mommy, she can tell Tyler what to do."

Sarah: "Who is older Daddy or Papa?"
Ike: "Daddy, cause Papa is alot of fun and he's got big trucks"
Sarah: "Yeah and Papa has a treasure box on his truck" (she is actually referring to a rusted, rigged up craftsman toolbox that is older than I am. My father doesn't go anywhere without it on the back of his truck, but Sarah is convinced its a treasure box.)

Sarah: "Who is older Daddy or God?"
Ike: "Daddy, cause daddy was born before God"
Drew, the one who does less talking and more hitting adds, "Yep, daddy is older than God"

You would have thought that Drew had the final word. After he confirmed that daddy is indeed older than God, Sarah sits back in her car seat, content with his answer and moves on to another subject.

I am always amazed what comes from the minds and through the mouth of the non-schoolers.......I wonder if my husband will be just as amazed

2009-04-27T07:47:00.001-07:00

"Why are you still sitting there?"
"Didn't I ask you to........?"
"Why are you looking at me like that? I know you hear me, b/c there is nothing wrong with your hearing."
"and you are still sitting there, uh, NO! I want it done now!"

If this one way conversation is familiar to you, CONGRATULATIONS! You have a stubborn, confused, wanna do their own thing teenager in your house! What happened to that cute, sweet, precious, little boy I brought home a few months ago, ok, well maybe it was more like 13 years ago, but it seems like last week. He used to listen to everything I said and he thought his mommy was the best thing since sliced bread. Now, all of a sudden I have this human walking around who has his own agenda and thinks that I don't have the sense of a slug! What is it about teenage-ism that brings about brain block, hearing loss, the inability to follow directions, and the ability to take your parents from 1 to 10 in a matter of moments? Is there help for the parent of a teen? Is there somewhere I can send him to be re-programmed? For some reason I was under the impression that teen-tude didn't start until somewhere around 16-18yrs, but here I am with a full-fledged 13 year old TEENAGER! After this weekend of dealing with his teen-deafness, teen brain block, teen frustration b/c he can't do whatever he wants whenever he wants completely ignoring how his wants affect the other 5 children and mainly the 2 adults in the house (us parents!), I just want to say a few words that I thought I would NEVER say,
Mom, I am sooooo sorry, but rest assured I am getting it all back. You were so right about it all!

Putting Family First: Feature of the Week

2009-04-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Email your Feature of the Week nominations to
theartis6@gmail.com

Putting Family First: Feature of the Week

2009-04-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks my mind has been going non-stop with things I wanna blog about. Of course the kids provide enough material for me to write for days but I have decided that I want to use my blogs to talk about things other than my children, besides if I wrote about half the things they did I'm sure most of you would be convinced that my husband and I are horrible parents, which is not true....well except for those times when we give in and allow them to overload on sugar, or on those times when we just say "ok, whatever, just let me sleep for about 5 more minutes." I want to interact and truly connect with the people who are actually reading my blog. So, I have decided that each week I will feature someone, somewhere who is doing great things or has done great things that relate to family. I gonna start off with my Grandma Maggie. She celebrated her 85th birthday this week. She is a wonderful wife and mother to 4 children, and she is still on the move. I can always remember her working very hard inside and outside of the home. She possesses many skills that we modern day mommies have let slip away, such as sewing, cooking, gardening (real gardening...you know growing your own food along with decorative flowers for the yard). I can remember her canning vegetables and making homemade peach preserve. She cared for her family and folks in the community. Whenever my sisters and I would spend extending time with her during the summer she would always try her best to teach us how to do those things that her mother had taught her. I think that's an area most new age mommies could step up in. As we are raising our children to be successful in the world, we have to make sure we equip them with the skills necessary to be successful in the home also. Now a days we don't have to sew our own clothing, grow our own foods and can veggies for the winter, but I am thankful to my Granny for doing those things for our family. She truly deserves to be my first Putting Family First: Feature of the Week. I will be looking to hear from you guys for a suggestion for next week's Feature of the Week.

2009-04-22T14:24:00.001-07:00

When Ninjas Attack

2009-04-22T11:38:00.001-07:00

Today was such a beautiful day, I thought it would be wonderful to let the kids get outside and get some fresh air and use up some of that stored energy. So, I instructed the non-schoolers to get dressed to go outside. Without hesitation, the boys came downstairs fully dressed in their costumes....Ike informs me that they are ninjas today and ready for war.......well, ok, if you're comfortable going outside like that, then I'm fine with it. So out we go. Ike is kicking, and flipping, and turning, and rolling, and I must admit he's gotten kinda good at it. Drew is trying his best to keep up, he's got the stance down but his kicks don't actually leave the ground....and thats fine, you gotta start where you are. SaySay, the little princess loves to go outside but that whole ninja thing wasn't exciting her in the least big, she had plans to sit down and pick flowers (weeds)...So after what I thought was plenty of time ninja-ing outside we come in for lunch..I'm sweating and slaving microwaving spaghetti-o's when I hear a loud CRASH! SaySay comes running, " Ike and Drew ninja-ed down the desk,"" WHAT?" I know you're thinking that the muscles in the picture are built into the suit, but don't sleep, my boys are strong......ok well the reality of the situation is, when we moved into this house we should have left that shaky, crickety, on it's last leg desk on the curb but The Artis Family doesn't tend to let things go easily especially if we can get an ounce of use out of it, so I'm sitting here wondering what we'll do with it now.......It still may not be curb ready......

Back to the 50's? A good wife does know her place

2009-04-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Meanwhile, back in the Fifties . . .

An excerpt from Good Housekeeping Monthly 13 May 1955

"The good wife's guide

· Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

· Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

· Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

· Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

· Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

· Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

· Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

· Be happy to see him.

· Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

· Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

· Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

· Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

· Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

· Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

· Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

· Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

· Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

· A good wife always knows her place."

On a recent visit to my Dr. I saw this posted in the bathroom. My initial reaction to this was "You have got to be kidding!" Throughout the visit I continued to think about this excerpt. For days now I have still been thinking about it. While most of us would agree that some of the things mentioned are just CRAZY (If my husband begins to have alot of outside entertainment without prior notice we are going to have some problems!) but some of the other things aren't so crazy. So why have we as wives and mothers gotten away from being the keepers of our homes and the ones who create an atmosphere of love and peace in our homes? I understand that times are different because alot of us work outside the home just as much if not more than some of our spouses and some of us are doing this mothering thing alone, but does that negate our responsibility as mothers to teach our children, love and respect our husbands, and take care of our homes? I have been a stay at home mom for a little over a year now and I know if someone had said any of this to me before then I would have completely ignored them. I am actually still adjusting to my position as Wife and Mother. At first I felt like I was contributing less to the family because I was no longer going out to work and bringing in a paycheck. I felt that this somehow took away any control or devalued my opinion on issues of the home. I was afraid that I was going to become a silent robot in my home that no one inside or outside of the home would respect. Once I began to settle into my new position I found quite the opposite was true. My husband is in love with idea of me being available to take care of home issues, my children seem to be in love with me, probably because we spend more time together. That feeling of stress that I used to get everyday when I got home from work trying to make sure homework was done, food was prepared, kids were bathed, and clothes were washed is gone. Well I wasn't really getting those things done, we spent more time in fast food restaurants, the laundry pile was big enough to stink up the house, and the vacuum only ran on Sat. I am a calmer, more relaxed wife and mother (most days anyway, I can still flip the script when provoked). I am able to do most of the things I always wanted to do as a wife and mother. Now in no way am I suggesting that wives should be kept quiet in the house, not allowed to work, secluded from society, but I am saying for this family, The Artises, my place as Wife and Mother is what works for us. I want to know what you think. Where is your place in your familyMoms, what have we lost or do you think we haven't lost anything at all? What are your thoughts, whether you think I am completely crazy or this whole thing has got you thinking another way, I want to know. What will the next generation of mothers be like, will kitchens and laundry rooms become a thing of the past?

Tatted Up!

2009-04-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today like every other day in the lives of the Artis 6

brought many laughs! I have explained to my little

ones over and over and over again how we
are to keep our hands, feet, markers, and

crayons away from the walls. On several
occasions one of my 2 year olds has decided
that the wall was the best place to display
their creativity. As my non-schoolers were
assisting with the cleaning they found a
mountain load of markers and crayons in a
box downstairs, and the creative juices began
to flow! My 4 year old happily explained that
his 2 year old brother had given them "cool"
tatoos. I took one look and realized his brother
had surely given them both temporary tatoos
with a permanent marker....The artist
(Drew Drew) explained to me that the
tatoos (lines) on their arms are their names
and the tatoo on the little guys chest is a dog,
while he had proudly given his older brother a
picture of a GIRL on his chest! Well what could
I really say, I said don't write on the walls and
furniture, I guess I had left the option of drawing
on each other wide open!

A mom's vocabulary!

2009-04-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Today as I was doing my daily school route, I found myself thinking of how elaborate and extensive my speech and vocabulary had become. After many years of education I now find myself successfully communicating on a consistent basis using 4 or 5 words (or less) in a sentence. I decided to list a few of my favorites

1. Don't hit your brother.

2. Don't hit your sister.

3. Don't hit your friends.

4. Go to your room.

5. Can you please stop crying?

6. I am proud of you.

7. Great Job!

8. Stop Running!

9. Silence Please

10. Eyes on, Hands Off! (This one works especially well when we are in stores... I stole it from my granny)

11. No, we aren't buying toys.

12. Clean your room, now.

13. You must brush your teeth.

14. Take a bath.

15. Yesterday's bath doesn't count today!

and for times when I want to be very clear,

KEEP YOUR HANDS, FEET, AND ALL OTHER OBJECTS TO YOURSELF!

A father's vocabulary tends to be a little different. 2 of my husband's favs. are

1. If you're not bleeding, you're okay.

2. Ok, there are gonna be consequences and repercussions!

Please, feel free to post some of your own favs. in the comment section!