Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Sauerkraut Is a Polarizing Taste, and Other News From Our Break (7QT and FTSF)


Happy 2014!  A new year and Christmas break following a blogging hiatus leads to plenty of things to write about.

********************** 1 ********************

I equate any break from school with noise.

Constant noise.

My children are incapable of being quiet.

Even when doing "quiet" activities, like putting a jigsaw puzzle together.

You can't understand the noise until you hear it for yourself.

The singing, the trash-talking, the playful bickering, the complete nonsense noise.  No, really.  If they can't think of anything to say or sing, they just make sounds.




I know, it's adorable.  Especially the part where he "na-na-na"s his way through the lyrics he doesn't know.  But now imagine up to 6 kids all doing this at the same time, all singing different songs.  Because when one of them senses that the noise is starting to make me twitch, he pushes the envelope and intentionally gets louder.

Like this:

(We were in the van at night, COW driving.  The loudest voice you hear is Giant, as he's sitting right behind me.)


We have 4 more days of break.  Four more days of lots and lots of noise.

And yet, I don't want break to end.  I love having them home.  I love being able to stay in our pajamas all day long.  I love the loads of time we have to play games and have fun.

And I love the locks on our doors, for those times when the noise gets too much for me and I can throw the children out into the yard for some energy-burning activities.  (If I don't lock the door, they will take turns coming in to tell me something/tattle on someone, make me kiss a non-existent boo-boo.  None of which is quiet.)

********************* 2 ****************

Several months ago, my mom mentioned her desire to have a game night at her house with all of her grandkids.  A week ago, my sister texted me "We got the most fun new game.  You have to come down and play with us."  I called my mom and told her to be ready on Monday, as her dreams were about to come true.

Amazingly enough, all three of my Kentucky siblings and their children were available for at least part of the day.  We brought a bunch of games and snacks, my mom made an unbelievable amount of food, and we spent 7 hours eating and laughing and having a great time with the relatives.  (A total of 15 kids, ages 6 months to 15 years)

Once we were back home, the boys were talking about the fact they missed basketball practice to go to Kentucky for the day.  They all agreed that four hours in the car and missing practice were totally worth it.

It almost made me want to move to Kentucky.  (I said "almost", Mom!)

************************ 3 ************************

Now that the holidays are over, Kate, Stephanie, Janine, and Kristi's Finish the Sentence Friday is back.  This week, we are to write about our blogging goals.

My blogging goal for this year is...

to have fun.  Plain and simple.  I'm not in this to make money.  I'm not in this to gain a gazillion followers or get a book published.  I blog because I want to record our life for my kids.  I enjoy trying to tell our family's stories in funny or interesting and different ways.  I have a ball interacting with everyone here in the world of the internet.  I like hearing from people I know in real life who have heard about the blog.  It's fun.  And I want it to continue.  If it stops being fun, I'll stop doing it.  I don't want to stop, so my goal has to be to have fun.

************************ 4 ******************

Crazy fun people live in Kentucky.  Emphasis on the crazy.

Yes, that is a playhouse on top of an old silo.  It's just down the street from my mom, but I forgot to ask her how it got there.

*************** 5 ********************

COW made me text a friend to let her know that thanks to her, he was having his best New Years Day ever.

Remember the Polish sausage COW made with the sausage stuffer he got for his birthday?

He had some today, paired with homemade sauerkraut I helped a friend make back in September.

At one point, Buttercup and I had this conversation:

B:  Dad is in an exceptionally good mood today.
Me:  Why do you say that?
B:  He's giving away the Twinkies he got in his stocking.  He never gives away the Twinkies he gets in his stocking.
Me:  Never underestimate the power of sauerkraut.
Phoenix (who happened to walk through the room) : I will keep that in mind.
B:  Yeah, in a few years, when I ask for the keys to the car, I will be sure to have a jar of sauerkraut in my hand.

Quick learners/schemers those kids are.



******************* 6 **************

While today was the best day of the year for COW, it completely traumatized Cuckoo.

As COW cooked, Cuckoo came in to ask me for a peanut butter sandwich.  Not unusual, except he was holding his nose.

"Why are you holding your nose?"
"Betause it stinks weally, weally bad in the titchen."


For an hour and a half, that boy did not let go of his nose.  He ate his lunch (with a complaint that it tasted funny.  (How many of you did science experiments on smell affecting taste?  Cuckoo hasn't yet.)) played a game, and just hung out with us, all the while holding tight to prevent even a small whiff of sauerkraut stench to enter his nasal passage.

Before today, if you were to ask Cuckoo what the worst food in the world was, he would have answered "soup".  Today, one of the big kids asked him which he'd rather eat, soup or sauerkraut.  Cuckoo answered, "Soup, betause at weast I tan have chocolate soup.  Sauertwaut is da worst.  Down at the bottom."



It wasn't until everyone was done eating, the food was all put away, and the smell had completely dissipated that he was willing to breathe normally.

On an unrelated note, why in the world does a child who refuses to eat chicken and noodles, meatloaf, and a variety of other delicious, good-smelling food have absolutely no trouble trying vile-smelling, been fermented in its own juices for three weeks cabbage?

******************* 7 **************

We have a great zoo in Indianapolis, and we have had a membership there since Phoenix was a baby.  About 5 years ago (maybe) they opened a new exhibit with bats.  Really, really large bats.  While it was a nice idea, they didn't take into account that bats are nocturnal, and the zoo is only open during daylight hours.

For 5 years (or more) we have walked by to see a bunch of impressively-sized bats simply hanging from the ceiling.

Saturday was an unusually warm day, so we made a night of going to church, having dinner at an awesome deli downtown, then heading to the zoo to see the Christmas lights...

at night...



when the bats are awake.



While the kids and I stood transfixed, watching them climb and eat and interact and stretch, COW stood just outside the viewing area.  I'm pretty sure I heard him saying a prayer, asking God to not let them escape, because they would surely end up inside our house.  I said a little prayer, too, because if one of those got inside our house, COW would drop where he stood, and I'd be a widow.

But maybe, after seeing these monster bats, COW will be a little less scared and a little more grateful the next time a normal, itty-bitty bat gets into our house.  (You know one will.)

*********** Last minute addition Bonus take ***************

When the big kids were little kids, I had complete control over the songs they heard.  This is not the case as I raise Turken and Cuckoo.  The big kids and COW (who has had enough of kids' music after all these years) listen to all sorts of non-kids' music when the little kids are around.

Today, Star had this popular song playing, and he and the little boys were singing along.


Well, Turken and Cuckoo were na-na-naing along, since they didn't really know the words.  Until they got to one particular line.  At minute 1:43.

Basically, Cuckoo sang na-na-na-na-na- HELLBOUND na-na-na.

When he is in 2nd grade, he will be the child other parents talk about.  "Oh, keep your child away from Cuckoo.  He has older siblings and is allowed to do all sorts of things I don't want my kids exposed to."

Know how I know?  Because my friends and I used to say it about kids in Phoenix's class.

Well played, God.  Well.  Played.

Feel free to link up with either Finish the Sentence Friday or 7 Quick Takes.  They'd be happy to have you.

Have a lovely day!


7 quick takes sm1 7 Quick Takes Friday
Finish the Sentence Friday



*  All last night I tried to link up with the FTSF girls to no avail.  No one was putting up the link.  And then this morning I went to link up with Jen, and she didn't put her link up either.  Forgetting that I couldn't link up with FTSF last night, my mind went straight to worry about Jen.  She was sick last week, so was something really, really wrong with her?  She is known to have massive health problems.  It is not until just this moment (2:18 in the afternoon) when I read a couple of posts about Theme Thursday, that I realized today is Thursday.  It's not Friday.  These are Friday linkups.

A cautionary tale, ya'll.  Staying in your pajamas for too many days in a row really jacks up your internal calendar.

The ladies will love to see you TOMORROW, which is Friday, when they actually have these lovely FRIDAY link-ups.


66 comments:

  1. Have your boys discovered Tibetan throat singing yet? Just wait until each son is trying to produce two tones at once! (You probably don't need to ask how I know about this.) :-) Enjoy your noisy family! (There is a reason our #2 family rule [behind "Don't eat bugs!"] is "No singing at the table!")

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  2. They have not, and I'll be sure not to introduce them. They have, though, encountered a gibbon at the zoo making one heck of a racket, then learned how to mimic it.
    I remember your #2 rule, and we have made it a rule at our house, too. It is about the only time there isn't someone singing in our house.

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  3. I just loved reading about your life and the day to day chaos. I so miss these days. Where do you find time to maintain a blog with six kids? They are beautiful and God Bless them. I agree that you should blog for fun and when it's no longer fun, it's ok to walk away but you can always maintain the relationships you make along the way :) Have a very Happy New Year and I look forward to following you.

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    1. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping in!
      I stay up after everyone goes to bed, and get up before everyone else. It's the only quiet time I get.
      You are right, it is possible to keep the relationships going. Especially now that I know their emails and phone numbers. :)

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  4. So glad you plan to continue the blog. I was worried. ;) I look forward to it every day and am always sad when you don't have a post. I don't tell you that to guilt you...just to encourage you :)

    Sauerkraut is polarizing, although my children no longer hold their noses, they still don't care for it. Yet. I am not convinced that they won't especially the 12yo who loves sushi. Really? You'll eat raw fish and not fermented cabbage? I don't get it, but then again he doesn't like tomatoes either. :)

    Glad COW had a lovely New Year's...sounds fabulous!

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    1. Aw, you are so sweet. Thanks.

      Oh, the tomato. That's another thing some of my kids refuse to eat, in any form.
      Gotta say, I'm with the anti-sauerkraut, though. I didn't eat a bite of it.

      He did have a good day, except for a headache that plagued him all afternoon.

      Delete
  5. Even though I only have 2 kids, I feel your pain on the noise factor. All of their friends come over to hang out over break and I feel like I'm running a teenage camp. We had pork and sauerkraut yesterday for New Year's day and Ry Guy picked out the good meat from the nasty sauerkraut while the rest of us slathered it all over.

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    1. Oh, when you add even more boys of the same age, forget about quiet. There is no such thing. I'd rather have them here, though!
      Only two of our kids ate the sauerkraut, surprisingly, one of the pickiest was one of them.

      Delete
  6. Hee hee!! My mom totally locked me outside as a kid too so I would play while she had some quiet time. Also, I am totally with Cuckoo. I have never understood why people like eating sauerkraut! So nasty. I have always held my nose around it, still do to this day. Bleck! Love the zoo bat enclosure, looks like fun to me!

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    1. It is a practice that has generally gone out of favor, but I still do it. :)
      I don't either, to tell you the truth. I will make it for COW, but I won't eat it.
      Oh, yeah! You wanted me to send you some of our bats, didn't you? You would love these gigantic ones.

      Delete
  7. Rodents totally creep me out and as bats are essentially flying rats… I would NOT be okay. Although the lights seem really cool.

    Hope you get some ear plugs?!

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    1. If one of these giant bats was loose around me, I'd lose it. However, behind a cage, I'm fine. The lights are great. Quite magical, even.

      I thought about it, but there are times when I need to hear what they're saying. Like when the four year old belts out "Hellbound". Need to make sure no one plays that song again.

      Delete
  8. I could see which song it is in that bonus take - could be my iPad. The noise in the car, hilarious - do you ever use ear plugs? Sometimes, in the car, I do and I have half the number of kids. I love seeing the bats crawl around at our zoo. My goals for blogging are to slow down this year and to stop looking at my stats - already started doing that.

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    1. Oh, rats. It was "Demons" by Imagine Dragon.
      I don't use ear plugs. Gotta keep my ears open to catch the inappropriate things the big kids are teaching my precious angels. :)
      Do you actually get to see them crawl around? This is the first time I've ever seen a bat move in the daytime, and we've seen plenty of them!
      Sounds like a reasonable goal. It is really apparent during a hiatus how much time is spent on the computer.

      Delete
  9. "Sauertwaut" might be THE CUTEST THING EVER!

    Also, when they start up all singing at once, do you and COW never let go and just join in, at the top of your voices, and try to out-do them? Works a treat with Niece and Neff.

    Those bats are AWESOME! They look like fruit bats (Flying Foxes) - can you remember what they were? So cool!

    Glad you're gonna continue this blog and have lots of fun doing it :D

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    1. We have tried the "be louder than they are" tactic. Unfortunately, when there are 6 of them, we are outnumbered and outlouded. We have to find other ways to keep the noise down.

      There are two kinds...and you know your bats! They are the African straw-colored fruit bat and the island flying fox. No, I did not remember what they were. I just looked them up on the zoo's blog.

      Me, too!

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    2. Get an airhorn. And earplugs. That'll do it.

      Cool! The zoo has a BLOG! That's so awesome :D

      (I've been an avid Durrell fan for as long as forever. He went on a collecting journey once, chronicled in 'Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons' - he caught fruit bats :) )

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    3. After looking up Durrell... Huh. Can't say I'm surprised. :)

      Here's a link for the blog:
      http://www.indyzoo.com/Blog/Lists/Posts/Date.aspx?StartDateTime=2013-12-01T08:00:00Z&EndDateTime=2014-01-01T08:00:00Z&LMY=December,%202013

      Delete
    4. Durrell is *awesome* and thanks so much for the zoo blog link :)

      Delete
  10. And someday your home will be quiet as the kids are gone. You'll think back to these noisy times and smile. Then there will be grand-babies and again the noise will happen from time to time. I know you are enjoying all of these noisy times.

    Have a fabulous new year filled with noise, happiness, good health and great prosperity. :)

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    1. I know. After one day of it, I'll be sad about the quiet. I'm enjoying it as much as I can.

      Thank you!

      Delete
  11. *points finger and laughs at final paragraph*

    Ohhhhh I know I'm normally nice and I like you a lot but that's HILARIOUS! *dies laughing*

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    1. You're lucky I wan't all over your butt to give me the TToT code today, seeing as how I was getting my post ready for tomorrow, which I thought was Saturday, but is really Friday.
      Get to work on that code, anyway, Missy!

      Delete
    2. *grins*

      HA! Thinking tomorrow's...uh...oh. Right.

      Um.

      Code.

      Yeah. I'd better get on that...

      Delete
    3. That's right...get to work. :)

      Delete
  12. The game day with the whole family sounds like so much fun! We've been in a zoo with a bat house last week as well, luckily it gets dark around here early right now! Love the videos of your bunch, so cute!

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    1. It was loads of fun. We will certainly do it again.
      While it gets early here, the zoo closes early, so we always miss out. They are so interesting, aren't they?
      Thanks!

      Delete
  13. I'm just so glad I only ever had one child, the noise of more than that would drive me mad!

    The playhouse on top of the old silo reminds me of the 'house in the clouds' which I saw while on my camping travels. If you haven't already seen the photos of it on my blog check out the House in the Clouds post from September 2012.

    I'm with you on the pyjamas - I've just had almost two weeks off work and spent most days in mine, giving me the feeling that it's been constantly Sunday.

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    1. It certainly isn't for everyone. Some people get a bit anxious when they come over. :)

      I will look for it!

      This is the only week of the entire year that I get to luxuriate in the laziness of full-time pajama wear. I live it up. And get mighty confused. Two weeks off work sounds great!

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    2. I have to admit that some days I've even walked the dogs while still in my pj's, though only either very early in the morning or late at night when it's been dark, so with my jacket and wellies on no-one would notice. I did see rather an odd sight early the other evening though, there was a young woman in the queue at the local take-away with her pj's and slippers on!

      Delete
    3. I see nothing wrong with walking the dog in the morning or evening in the dark in your pajamas. I'm in my pajamas the moment I get home for the day.
      If only pajamas at the store was an oddity. I can hardly leave the house without seeing someone in her pajamas. I just don't get it. How hard is it, really, to put a pair of pants on before going to the store? And yes, their footwear even looks a whole lot like house shoes.
      Now, a friend of mine, after being kept up all night with a newborn, didn't realize until halfway done with her grocery shopping that she had her slippers on. Even she was dressed, though!

      Delete
  14. "I always enjoy our little drives through New England."*

    I really agree with your blog goal as being: 'to have fun' definitely must have that before the rest of it…otherwise writing all these words would start to feel like work.

    I'm liking your increasing use of videos in your Posts. While I would not try to replace the normal post with a video, it's a nice change of pace and, as is clear in the clips up above, everyone is have a very good time.
    ..you know, if I knew anything about setting up a bloghop, I would totally try to get you join me in doing a bloghop for video posts only…a vlophop (sounds a little….amphibian, don't ya think?) am sure you get the idea.

    sounds like the winter is passing in a fairly civilized manner out there in 'Indiana'


    *from Comment at the Doctrine, I allow you have 'standing', in the matter of driving and videos and safety and such

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    1. The very last thing I want is to do a lot of work, especially since I'm not getting paid to do this!

      Glad you're liking the videos. While I would never be able to commit to a consistent vlophop, I could certainly do one every once in a while. That could be fun! Of course, I'd only agree to do it if you agreed to wear your seatbelt. :)

      No, winter is most certainly not being civilized. We were told we'd get 2-4 inches of snow today, yet we have about 6 on the ground. AND it is going to be a HIGH of ZERO in the next two days. And THEN another snow storm rolls in Saturday night/Sunday morning. Civilized is not a word I'd use for Indiana weather these days.

      Sorry, you hit a nerve. :)

      Delete
  15. I love your blog, Christine. I'm not sure how you keep up with all the noise and chaos. I had to stop the second video before it was done. My house is very quiet. You've inspired me. I may have a pajama day tomorrow in honor of my last weekday of vacation!

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    1. Yay! Thank you for saying that.

      Keeping up is a relative term, I think. :) I don't blame you for stopping the video. I did, too. That noise went on a whole lot longer than the video.

      Go for it! There is nothing like a good pajama day!

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  16. I was reading your Finish the Sentence Friday thinking"... but it's Thursday!" ...but I am glad that means jen is OK.
    When my kiddo was growing up we were known as the loud family. We only had one child... And he was deaf! You would think we would have just learned sign language and shut up. ....But that doesn't seem to be the way we fly!

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    1. I wonder how many people caught it before I put the note at the bottom. :)

      Hahahahaha!! That is hilarious! I can't imagine you being loud. I guess I need to get in on more vidchats. (Don't tell Clark I said that.) ;)

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  17. I love sauerkraut! Definitely one of those things you either love or hate.
    I definitely know what you mean about kids having older siblings. My kids have a half-sister from their dad, and she is 5 years old but acts like a a teenager! It's so funny. She has three older sisters (my 2 girls and her mom's daughter) and she talks like a 16 year old. You can almost literally hear her older sisters' voices when she opens her mouth!
    Happy New Year!!

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    1. It most certainly is. I am in the hate camp. It's a mixed marriage.
      Sometimes it is adorable and hilarious when they quote their siblings. Other times, I cringe. Fortunately, my older kids don't do anything outrageous. :)
      Thank you!

      Delete
  18. Oh I hate when Google kicks me off the comments!

    I this post - I really like the small bites of life. I've seen the Quick Takes icon on a bunch of blog posts before and I think I like it. I often have short little stories that I think I'd like to blog, but they never seem big enough for a whole post. Maybe it would be a good thing to try.

    Kidzilla is quite possibly the loudest child on the planet. When we realized she would be our one and only, I often wondered if it would be just too quiet around here with only one child. I need not have feared. Now I often wonder how she'd stack up against a family of four or five or six! I am so grateful when she finally goes to sleep at night, but the minute she does, I want to scoop her up immediately. I am so grateful for the quiet moments, but I know one day I will miss the sound of her so terribly much. I try to remind myself of that in the moments when I wish I had earplugs.
    Sleeping bats at the zoo are a bummer. Awake bats in your house are also not good. I had one (a small one) in my single girl apartment many years ago. I called apartment maintenance and they came right over. They brought bug spray. Wasp and hornet spray, to be precise. To this day I have no idea what they thought I said was in my apartment when I called them or how in the world they thought bug spray would do the job.

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    1. Oh, I hate it for you!
      Try it! Jen, who hosts Quick Takes, is a funny, interesting lady. I often can't post all I want, and Friday is a good day to put in all the short things.

      Find the book, "Too Loud Lily" by Sofie Laguna. We have our own loud child. Hopefully, someday, he will find his place where being so incredibly loud will be useful. :)

      That bat story is funny! What did they do once they got to your apartment? Did they go with their plan and spray it? Or do you even know? Were you hiding in the hall? :)

      Delete
  19. A games day with 15 kids sounds like so much fun - and noise! LOL :) I love those days when no-one gets out of their PJs! Love the photo of Cuckoo holding his nose! haha maybe better that dad stays out of the kitchen? and that playhouse on top of the silo - oh my goodness - that's hilarious!

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    1. For the most part, there was a lot of noise, but about 30 minutes into the day, I made the comment to my SIL, "I know this will change, in probably less than 5 minutes, but so far, the kids have been remarkably quiet."

      Pajama days are my favorite, which is funny, because when the kids were little, I put a whole lot of effort trying to find things for us to do outside of the house. Pajama days were anything but appealing.

      In general, yes, Dad should stay out of the kitchen. I did a few posts on him cooking. I can find them for you if you like.

      I almost ran off the road when I first got a glimpse of that silo playhouse. It is so stinkin' high in the air! And hangs over the edges of the silo so far! There is no way I could go up there, let alone let one of my kids.

      Delete
  20. Forgetting the days is so something I would do and love that you did, because truly makes me feel like I am so not alone in this. By the way, I admit I love when my kids are home from school and my husband from work. The noisier the better here. And here to having tons of fun blogging this year!!! :)

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    1. Woohoo for partners in brainless moves! This is my favorite time of the year, because not only are the kids home, but my husband is at home so much more than normal. It's awesome.

      Yay fun blogging!

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  21. LOVE that you didn't know what day it was! And honestly, I'm a little jealous of the noise and chaos in your house. You and Cow and all of your kids seem just so dang FUN! As is your blog, so, yeah, having fun is the perfect blogging goal. Also, "Sauertwaut is da worst. Down at the bottom." has to be the most adorable quote I've ever read. Ever. I forgot you had that bat in your house! I don't blame Cow for keeping his distance!!

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    1. I'm sure you do. :)
      It is lots of fun, usually. When they were little, it used to be loud with crying and arguing and completely not fun stuff. Now that they are older, they don't fight much at all, but they never stop talking and messing with each other.

      I have to say, I think he's pretty adorable. :)

      THAT bat? We've had lots of bats in the house over the years. Maybe 10 or so. Poor guy.

      Delete
  22. I have a lot of connections to all the things you wrote but I don't want to write a book for a response. So, I'll just tell you one thing. Bats scare the hell out of me. I couldn't have taken that picture at all. I worked in a school built in 1880 and one year, a bat got into the school. There were tons more bats swarming the roof one morning as we walked in. OMG.

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    1. You are welcome to write a book response anytime. :)
      You are not alone in that fear. Every night, we have bats flying all over our property. I'm good with it, as long as they stay outside. With all those bats, our mosquito population stays way down!

      Delete
  23. I've lost track of the days too so don't feel to bad! One more reason for me to be glad that the holidays are over...I need what little bit of structure I have to stay on track. I do have to tell you though, that was really, really funny! I'm so jealous of those sausages with kraut! So, so, so jealous! I get the noise thing and sadly, I have super sensitive hearing so all of it is magnified. I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to jump out of the car on road trips....I have seriously felt the urge. But that would be crazy, right? I sincerely hope that you continue having fun with this because I love your posts and your company!

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    1. I was laughing at myself for quite a while. I've forgotten the day before, but not for soooo long!
      If I could send it to you without COW putting up a fuss I would. :)
      Oh, anyone sensitive to hearing would be in big trouble at my house. My poor dad has to turn his hearing aid off. I'm usually ok with the noise, but sometimes, it gets to me, too.
      I don't foresee my sudden dislike of blogging, so we should be good. I'm glad you like the blog.

      Delete
  24. I'm definitely with CuKoo on the cabbage front! For some reason, cabbage, quince, and a self-cleaning oven are the smells that will cause me to hold my nose all day too! On the flip side, I have a tendency of running one of my nephews out of the neighborhood when making pickles. He can't take that hot vinegar smell for more than a few seconds. And no, I wouldn't want to have a run in with one of those bats. Yikes they're big!!

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    1. Ha! That is quite a varied list of most-hated smells.
      Pickles are a pretty bad smell, too. We make them every year, but no one seems to mind too much.

      I'm fine with the little bats, but if I came across one of those big ones, I'd lose my gourd. No doubt.

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  25. Having fun is key. I can't blog if it's not fun because it takes time out of my day that I could be contributing to my family. As soon as it doesn't feel fun, I take a break and come back when I have a more enjoyable direction. Totally with you on that. And here's to all of the noise that we are experiencing in our neck of the woods, as well!

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  26. That day you described with all the kids together made me feel nostalgic for something- not sure what. Or long for something in the future- that delicious, big family all together, day full of love thing. Beautiful. And speaking of- your blog goals are so refreshing, simple, and perfect. It's clear that your priorities are in order and your "goals" are as they should be- it comes across in your unaffected, authentic, no bull writing. Love it.

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    1. I'm so glad that my siblings prioritize getting together. The kids have a fabulous time (especially the boys...5 boys born with 2 years) and I just love seeing them all.
      You are so nice to say such things. But isn't a hobby supposed to be fun? The problem is, it's so fun, I sometimes spend way too much time doing it! I can always do a better job balancing it.

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  27. Wait...whaaa...? How did you get a video inside my van? And I loved the whole post but I'm just going to say one thing: the priest who married us recently posted on FB that he was being treated for bat bites. He got bit by a bat. In his rectory. While sleeping in his BED. Don't tell COW.

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    1. I cannot tell you how glad I am to hear you say your van sounds like mine. I was beginning to worry our family was horribly abnormal.

      I did not need to know that bit of info about your priest friend. I have questions, but I'm scared to death to ask them for fear of what the answers would be. Oh, the horror!

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  28. I agree with Cuckoo on the evil of sauerkraut. It really does smell, and if anyone throws evil looks at you for the little ones singing that song just throw something out there about it being dedicated to a boy who died from cancer. Oh that got my right in the feelings at the end!

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    1. Oh, it stinks to high heaven! Funny, though, is this batch of homemade stuff didn't smell nearly as strong as others I've smelled. Can't imagine his reaction with those!
      I did not know that about the song! Thank you! I'll have to look it up.

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  29. Oh, this was so fun to read! I love #3 especially, as it's exactly how I feel about blogging. My kids are the same way about noise. They sing, yell, talk to themselves all. day. long. I quite enjoy it until the noise starts getting directed at me. From all of them. At the same time :) Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on my blog. I'm definitely going to check out those suggestions. I've been interested in the Sneaky Snacky Squirrel for a while now… The egg recipes I used came from the Egg section in Michael Ruhlman's book "Ruhlman's Twenty"

    (http://www.amazon.com/Ruhlmans-Twenty-Techniques-Recipes-Manifesto-ebook/dp/B0064BXCEK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388809578&sr=1-1&keywords=ruhlman%27s+twenty)

    It's a great book with twenty sections of different techniques/ingredients to focus on.

    Happy New Year!

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  30. I can remember coming to your blog when I linked up to FTSF before and I never read your about me blurb on the right. I totally find myself in your day to day idea of living. I think if I had 6 kids I would stress myself out trying to hard to make things perfect if I tried to plan things all the time. What a blessing it is to have such a large family. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the funny stories and joyful moments you all have had during break. :)

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  31. Sounds like there's been lots of fun at your house. And I can relate to your last comment about getting days muddled up. I don't do this link-up, but do book reviews on Fridays and put mine up on Thursday.
    I have never eaten sauerkraut because it's not around much in the UK - from Cuckoo's reaction, perhaps I'm glad! (Though I have read it's very good for you.) And Cuckoo na-na hellbounding was funny too.

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  32. Awww, was he singing Jingle Bell Rock? Love the going to the zoo song - that EXCITEMENT! And I'm with Cuckoo on the sauerkraut. I'm never ventured to taste it because of the smell.

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  33. I like sauerkraut but dislike cabbage. Even canned sauerkraut is ok. Is that strange? I have three kids. The 2 year old boy makes so much noise by himself that it's insanity to even think we'd have had another child if he were our first born. I guess after a certain level of noise though, it doesn't matter if there are 3 kids or 30 kids in the house. It's all background noise with enough beer in your system. My system. Whatever. Lol.

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!