DUDE! This is an example of how NOT to blog. It has been a year and a day since I last posted. This is also a great way to see how quickly things change.

Now, I have FIVE kids! Celeste is 7.5, Lydia 6, William 4.5, Samuel 20 months, and Isaac 2 months old. I am NOT going to try to catch you all up on our entire last year. Instead, I am just jumping in feet first and posting.

The thing is, I have had LOTS of stuff rattling around in my brain the last few months. I need someplace to get it out. Sinc eI spend so much time sitting at my computer anyway, returning to the blog seemed like my best bet.

My mom does not have cancer. For a little while there, we thought she did. But she doesn't, and for that I am amazingly thankful. The brief rundown was that last Wednesday, we were almost certain she had cancer. We had it announced at our church. I got so many hugs and so much support. And I know my mom got TONS of prayers that night. Thursday morning, my dad talked to the nuerologist. He said the MRI showed a probable infection entering through 2 slipped discs. He suspected this was the problem, not the cancer. The infectious disease specialist agreed. Friday, the guys who read a test said,"We don't see any cancer. We will send it to the BIG IMPORTANT LAB to be sure."

Guess what, they were right. No cancer. So now my mom has MSSA, way better than cancer. She is on SERIOUS antibiotics. Unfortunately, she is still in a LOT of pain. Any small twitch makes her yell out in pain. She has a fentanyl patch and is taking Lortab. She hates Lortab as it makes her loopy. But she hates being in pain more.

HUGE SHIFT IN TOPIC AHEAD!

My kids are great, except for the messiness. (I warned you!) I moved all of my girls' clothes into my closet. I got tired of washing clean clothes and having to get them dug out from under the bed. Now, every morning, I give them their clothes for the day. So far, they actually LIKE IT! The upside for me, is I pick their clothes so they are always dressed appropriately. Also, I got rid of lots of their clothes. I realized I hadn't done their laundry in a week, and they still had plenty of clothes to wear. So I culled and donated stuff.

Another topic shift, beware

I am fat. WOW! That came out all wrong. What I meant was, I have had 5 babies in 7 years and I have some mommy weight to lose. That being said, I am fat. My middle sister is getting married June 2nd. My other sister and I are Matrons (does anyone else HATE that word as uch as I do?) of Honor. I WILL NOT be the big fat bridesmaid. Ya got that? Thanks to inspiration from my friend Carmen over at http://momtothescreamingmasses.typepad.com I am using a couch to 5K program. So far, I have done ok! I am upping my water intake and eating better. My goal is to lose 50 pounds by June 2nd. I know it is a lofty goal, but I am going to do it.

One more topic shift
Have I mentioned I have a touch of ADD?

Anywho, I need help keeping my house clean. I have tried really hard to do it myself, but it usually ends up with a nervous breakdown, neglected children, and an irritated husband. So, I have had help. The best help EVER was from my Kathryn. She started out by babysitting when my oldest was little. Kathryn was homeschooled, so she could come during the day and watch Celeste. Then, she went away to college. She has some pretty severe food allergies and kept getting sick, so she came home where she could control her diet better. She came when I needed her. Then, we moved. I asked her to come on for real. We paid her. We loved her. She got pregnant. She now has a gorgeous little girl who is 2 months old.

During Kathryn's maternity leave, I went through 2 other folks who helped me with cleaning. Neither did as good a job as Kathryn. One was good when she came, but was rather unreliable. How hard is it to pick up the phone, or send an email saying,"You suck. I am never coming back"? The second woman was pretty good, but it was like a constant game of hide and seek. My measuring cups were in lots of different places. She kept putting my spices in the pantry, not the cabinet where the baking stuff was. She kept mixing up my kids clothes too. With the girls, I totally get it. They are only 16 month apart, so their clothing sizes are very similar. But the boys? William is 4. Samuel is 1. I kept finding William's sweaters in Samuel's stuff and Samuel's pants in WIlliam's drawers.

Oh well. I sent Kathryn an email yesterday, basically begging her to come back. Her mom lives 2 miles from us, so mom can watch the darling baby. I also told her that Rebecca was welcome here, as we have all the necessary baby stuff, namely diapers, and a safe place for her to nap.

She said YES! I was so happy, I called my sister to tell her. HOORAY! I will not go crazy anymore. I will be able to find my underpants. And the pacifiers will be in the drawer, where Kathryn puts them. I love my Kathryn.

Ok, that's all, for right now. But as my brain fills with annoying random thoughts, I will be sharing them with you!