It's Friday....and not the annoying song....just the day of the week. Plus, 5 Question Friday

What a week it has been. 

I now know what moms talk about when they list chauffeur in their job description.  With three kids, in three different schools....I feel like I am always in my car.  It wasn't as bad when the big kids were in the same school...with the same arrival and dismissal times....now I am running the roads from 6:30 am until 5:30 pm when I pick T up from football practice.  And that's just days when there isn't soccer practice....those days we aren't home until close to 8...sometimes later with T's team. 
I keep telling myself, this is normal, all moms are doing this same exact thing.  And I am totally understanding why it always seemed like my mom and every other mom I knew seemed to be in a constant  state of PMS during our teen years.  You get to a point where you stop and look around and realize that you have not sat down before 10pm, or you haven't had time to run a simple errand for yourself, or you probably haven't had enough time to go to the bathroom.....and you want to cry. 
Does anyone notice the tears in your eyes?  Probably not.  But chin up, Buttercup!  You have this to look forward to for the next (insert years until age 18) years....and then you get to help with grandkids when your children are hopefully college educated, gainfully employed and happily married to a spouse who loves you. 
Yay us.


So, I've got to run and grab my sanity before I pack for a weekend long soccer tournament in Houston for T.  Wish us luck!  And enjoy your weekend.  It's Labor Day weekend for goodness sake!  I am hereby giving you permission to throw the "I brought you into this world" card and go to a movie, go have a cup of coffee or three or throw back a delicioso margarita!  You were in labor for how long??? Totally counts for the holiday. 
And now onto 5QF....if you'd like to link up....head over to My Little Life and link up to your heart's content. 

 1. Shoes in the house - yay or nay?


I am not going to have kittens if I see someone wearing shoes in my house....unless of course you are tracking in mud....I mean, come on.  But, I never wear shoes in my house.....and I am known for not wearing them in my driveway either.  Someone stops by, I walk outside to chat and....I notice I didn't put any shoes on.  No biggie.  I heart being barefoot.  So, whatever floats your boat...wear them or not.  The huge pile of shoes constantly by my door tells me...we do not wear them inside. 







2. What do you call them- flip flops, slippers, thongs, etc?


Uh....flip flops.  Duh.  They are my shoe of choice at all times.  Living in Texas we only really need "real" shoes for a few months.  I have a year round flip flop tan line. 







3. What song are you almost embarrassed to admit you know all the lyrics to?


this is tough....because I should probably be embarrassed by many lyrics I know to many tacky but wonderful songs.
Anything by New Kids on the Block
Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, anyone??
How about a little Ice Cube?
TLC, Salt and Pepa?  Push it real good......
and one of my faves, and one that my children all know (judge if you must).....
Sir Mix a Lot-I like big butts and I can not lie....no other brotha can deny...when a girl walks in with a itty bitty waist and a round thing in yo face you get sprung....
yep.  I know. 





4. What is the best quality to have in a friend?




How about a few combined qualities? 
Sense of humor is a must
Loyalty
Ability to have wonderful conversations and be tolerant of my conversational ADD
there's like 10 more but there goes the ADD....



5. Do you know what you want for Christmas?


a new cell phone contract.
I have been a Blackberry loyalist....but it has become a piece of crap and I would love an iPhone.  There is only so much Instagram envy a girl can deal with. Fo shizzle.
an iPad wouldn't be bad either.
or a trip somewhere wonderfully tropical and far, far away.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!....finally linking back up to 5 Question Friday

Friday! Friday! Friday! 
This week has been a humdinger, for sure!  T has to get up at 5:45 now to get ready for school so we can leave by around 6:30....yep, a.m.  I am used to waking up right before I have to wake the kids up, which last year was 6:45.  A whole hour earlier?  Ugh.  Wish I could say I'm a modern day Donna Reed who just looooves waking up before the sun, making coffee and breakfast for her man and getting decked out in heels and chic outfits before taking the kids to school.  But let's get real......not happening.  I drag my tired butt out of bed when the alarm goes off, disturbing my serene waves, shuffle into the kitchen with one eye open and turn the Life Saver on (that would be my coffee pot).  Then wake The Boy up and get his breakfast started while sipping my Saving Grace and mumbling about how darn early it is.  Once we get in the car....I'm still in my PJ pants and t shirt.  Yep, sure am.  Judge away, my friends, judge.away.
Our small group started this week along with school.  On Wednesday I had 14 wild and crazy pre teens and teens crowded in my living room.  It was amazing.

Now, on to 5QF.  If you want to link up just head over to My Little Life, copy and paste the questions and link yourself up!

1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?



I bought 6 pizzas for small group.  Don't know if that counts as a "fun" purchase but it counts as a purchase anyway.  And there only 2 pieces of pizza left out of 6 pizzas.  No waste!







2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?


Adele.  Definitely Adele.  Love her. 







3. What is your least fav/ most fav house chore?


Least Favorite: bathroom.
Most favorite: people have a most favorite house chore???!!! What the crap.  I don't like any.  But I do them.  I guess the one I do without to much complaining would be laundry, I find it strangely therapeutic.





4. Would you prefer new appliances or clothes?


I just bought a new fridge and that's something we really needed.  So, I'll go for clothes now....I really need to revamp this wardrobe.


5. Miracle Whip or Mayo?


Mayo. Enough said.

Five Question Friday and the kids are home.....

The big kids made it home from camp yesterday....we picked them around lunchtime and their mouths haven't stopped yet!  I have heard every single detail of camp from the paddle boats to the dance (swoon!).  This was Rhys' first year and I was nervous but for no reason because she did great.  She said she slept well the whole time and only woke up once wondering where she was.  She has a bit of anxiety and being a introverted kiddo I kind of figured that she would need these next few days to recoup before heading back again Sunday afternoon for another week.  She needs to be alone or just really chill to re energize (read Raising Your Spirited Child!  It has been a lifesaver for me, especially because Rhys is an introvert and I am an extrovert.  Has really helped me understand her needs much better).  Last night we had a couple of "incidences" of her getting quite irritated....but I am going to incorporate some positive thinking along with my "discussions" with her and she will get better before heading back Sunday.  Tyler had an absolute blast, of course.  He is an extrovert and when we got to the camp yesterday to pick him up he was surrounded by a gaggle of girls.  He had phone numbers out the wazoo and I heard his phone going off until 10:30 last night, when I told him enough was enough. 
We are heading to visit my family in Alabama with some stops in Florida to play the week after next, 2 days after the kids get back from camp for the second time.  I am excited and so ready.  I have also been trying to clean like crazy because I refuse to come home to a dirty house.  The bad thing is when I start to clean I also start little projects....last night I filled a collage I had sitting here with about 15 pictures.  I am determined not to clean out my closet though...that's just opening up a whole new can of worms. 
Now, for the 5QF with My Little Life!  Head over and link up!  Just copy, paste and repeat. Well...you get the picture.
1. What is your current favorite tv show?


TV?  I don't really watch a whole lot of TV.  HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA!!!
I totally watch TV and usually my DVR is my date.  I watch way too much Disney channel with the chirren.  Let's just say I'm up to date on Wizards of Waverly Place and Phineas and Ferb (by the way, there's a Phineas and Ferb TV movie coming very soon!)....see? Know too much.
But those are not my fave TV shows, even though P&F is one of the smartest cartoons ever invented.  My favorite shows are pretty much all on hiatus right now.  Bothers and Sisters (according to Facebook...which is totally reliable...this show might be cancelled and that makes me sad), Project Runway, Top Chef, Army Wives, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice...there's a few more but I don't want to seem like a total loser.



2. What's the worst haircut you ever got?


Worst haircut is hands down when I was in 3rd grade and I begged my mom to let me get my hair cut.  I guess my hair was about to my shoulders, maybe longer and we went to a local salon and she hacked my hair to bits where I looked like a boy.  Nice.  To make things better....we thought a perm might help.....I guess give that boy 'do a little volume?!  Horrible.  Just bad.


3. What was something that you did as a child that you thought you were so cool for doing?


The other day my dear best friend posted this jewel of a picture on Facebook:

Where should I begin?  The high waisted shorts that may or may not be showing my arse?  How about the clear belt?? That's right, clear belt.  How about the sunglasses that were blue tinted, by the way...hanging off my waistband?  And there's the huge pimp chain hanging around my neck which was my thug life boyfriend's (who is now my husband...guess he wasn't a thug for life).  I had fake nails and hair (check out those highlights!).  This was at our Graduation practice...circa 1998.  I thought I was the shiznit.....now that picture is just a good laugh for my kids and my sister in law, who just graduated high school and thought it was HI-larious that my tank top was (GASP!) tucked in. 

4. Do you have any GREAT frugal family fun tips?

Local, local, local.  I say this as we prepare to drive to Alabama soon.  So not local.  But we do plenty of local things for fun.  Our local aquarium was a blast and we go to the movies a lot.  Matinees of course.  I don't coupon.  Most of the things I buy don't have coupons.  But I really shop clearance sales for clothes.  I rarely buy a full price item. 



5. Would you drive across country if you had the money to fly?


We moved to Texas when I was 6 and all of my family was in Alabama so we had road trips a LOT as a family.  12 hour drives with the family cause a lot of different emotions...you go from feeling all warm and fuzzy that you're all in this together, truckin' across the states until someone farts or inches closer to the other person's side of the seat.  Then it.is.on.  I honestly love road trips though.  Even though I have 3 testosterone riddled males that feel the need to pass gas any way possible....it's still fun to load up your car and head out.  Plus, you can bring home as many goodies that will fit in your overstuffed car.
If I had the choice to fly though, I can't say I wouldn't take it.  After all, I've experienced many road trips in my life....a cross country flight isn't going to kill me.  But, if the question was traveling in one of those fancy schmancy Winnebago's where we could hang out and drive leisurely...then heck yes!  I'd drive.

5 Question Friday and Father's Day Love

It is Friday!!!  That means that B can take over with the kids for while, right?!  Oh, wait...it's Father's Day weekend.  Okay, so no quick escapes for me Mom this weekend. 
Father's Day is always so hard to buy for.  I didn't want to get him an Academy gift or Bass Pro Shop gift card, underwear or t shirts.  He really needs those last 2 things but I wanted to think outside of the box.  Although, making a bouquet of undies and t's did pop into my mind I decided to think a little deeper.  We are all huge Dynamo fans, Tyler and Bryan seem to be more than fans...they're a tad obsessed.  He's always wanting to buy Season tickets for the Dynamo but because I am such a cheapo, we haven't yet.  Well...I didn't do season tickets but I did buy 2 tickets for this Saturday's game.  A father and son Father's Day Eve event. I found some great seats and think he will be pleasantly surprised. 
I sat and visited with my dad last night for a few hours, can't believe he's already heading back to work soon.  He'll be leaving Sunday to head back to Atlanta and I will miss him once again. 

The Baby Daddy

My Daddy circa 1985

My favorite Dads!


Now for 5QF!  Link up with My Little Life and join in.  Just copy and paste the questions into your own post. 

1. What is your favorite summer time activity?



Beach, beach, beach!  I also have a love/hate relationship with road trips....I love them, until we get on the road.  But back to the beach....soon, as in July 2nd, we will be headed off to the land of Roll Tide and War Eagle (WAR EAGLE!) and after visiting with the fam for a week we are headed to Panama City Beach for about 3 days of squeaky clean white sand and the prettiest water I have ever seen.  


Jealous, yet? 




Don't be....there's always this part to endure on the way there and back :)

  





2. Do you have one laundry soap you stick to, or do you buy whatever's on sale?


Yes!  I am a laundry detergent loyalist....for Method.  You can't go wrong here, it's a pump so no scooping or pouring and all the scents are fab.  Buy it. Now.






3. What is your favorite dinner to make in the summer?




Summer dinners can be sporadic for some reason, I guess because we are out and about so much.  It would have to be Bryan's FAMOUS hamburgers.  They're only famous to us, but that's okay.  They are so stinkin' good they make you want to slap your mama! 





4. Do you have any talents?




I have always joked (sort of) that my main talent was breastfeeding.  I mean, hey...I was pretty good at it!  My kids would never take a bottle so it was me, myself and I taking on the feeding battle and I won. Everytime.  Even though I was a young mom I made absolutely sure to breastfeed and read everything I could about it to do it right where I would stick to it.  And I did.  Okay but other than bodily function talents......does doodling count?  I'm pretty good at it, the kids always loved the little notes I sent in their lunches with pictures of themselves illustrated inside.  Nothing else is popping up in my head....unless you count having a kick butt, super loud laugh.  I say it's a talent because a lot of people have a "public" laugh and then a "home" laugh.  I laugh loud with my head thrown back and my mouth wide open.  You either love it or you hate it....but I don't really care.  ;)





5. If you could instantly be an expert in something, what would it be? Why?


Theology! 

School's Out for SUMMA'.....and 5 Question Friday

This week has been a whirlwind of "end of the school year festivities"! 


G using my Nook to keep him occupied before one of the award programs for the kiddos




T with one of his awards





Pizza Time! at G's Swim Day





Caught in the act!





R receiving her award for 0 conduct marks ALL year long ....she was 1 of 2 kids in her grade




Sack races at Field Day




This pic makes me sad....this is as we were leaving today.  T's last day in elementary school..moving on to Junior High.

 Bittersweet for sure! 

Now on to 5 Question Friday!

Every week (I try) to link up with My Little Life for 5QF.  She gives a sneak peek on Thursday so you can prepare your post and then she posts the linky Friday morning.  Go link up and join in. 

1. Do you apologize to your kids?



I have definitely apologized to my kids.  I think they need to know that I am totally human and make mistakes.  If i was too hard on them for something because of something I was peeved at for the moment, it wasn't their fault and I needed to cool my jets.  I am also a screamer, as much as I hate to admit that.  It takes a bit to get me there, but I do tend to raise my voice more than I would care to admit and I am constantly trying to improve on this flaw. 


2. What color are your nails right now?


My name is Liz, and I am a nail biter.  My nails are bare and au natural....and extremely short.


3. When you were growing up, how difficult was it for you to stay home from school sick? (As in, did you have to vomit or just say "I don't feel good".)


My mom stayed home with us until I was in junior high...so it was a bit easier to talk her into why I needed to stay home that day. I would pick an ailment and stick to it like white on rice.  She would try to tell me, when she really knew deep down that I was faking, that I wouldn't be able to watch TV all day, I would just have to sleep.  She never stuck to it though.  And I say the same thing to my kids and don't stick to it either.  I think if she would have been working it would not have been as easy to talk her into it...she would have someone else holding her accountable.  But since she didn't...she was a total pushover in this way. Yay for us!


4. When is the last time you bought a new comforter for your bed?


I bought a duvet cover about a year ago but I still use the comforter I got about 5 years ago, maybe more from my dad and step mom for my Birthday, I like the weight of it and it's easy.  I am not especially fond of it anymore but I am such a cheapo that I don't go out shopping for big items until it becomes completely necessary, like when it becomes threadbare.  Although, I am a sucker for linens on clearance.   But I never find King's on sale, it's always stuff for the kids' beds...go figure.


5. Favorite website(s)?

I have tons of faves but I will narrow it down.
 
Every week I visit a few chosen sites, some I've mentioned before.
 
Southern MOMentum (hilarious ladies)
The Working Momaholic (my BFF and she's super witty)
Facebook
Twitter ( I now see why everyone likes it BUT I don't like how impersonal it is.  I have one "real" friend on there, the rest are bloggers and the like.  Fun...yet not very personal)
The Pioneer Woman ('nuff said)
Photobucket or Picnik  (I've enjoyed playing around with editing lately...especially cross process)
Etsy
 
Now go and link up and have fun following some super cute blogs.