There is pregnancy brain but is there such a thing as stay at home MOM brain?

WOW...the toughest job I have ever done was becoming a stay at home MOM of 7 kids since 2009. I gave up my RN career to raise our blended family and one of MOM's various tasks is assisting these kids with their homework. I hear frequently while helping them "that isn't how our teacher showed us" ...so I think I am confusing them more All I can say is this old brain isn't what it used to be especially with high school Algebra/Geometry. Thank goodness for Google is all I can say on that subject of which I spend an hour researching and learning again what I had forgotten before I can help and be told "that isn't how you do it!" Hmmm, then do it the way the teacher tells you then I can do it the way MOM knows how and see if our answers match and if all else fails...holler for Dad! Since he just finished his college Algebra class he should be a pro but unfortunately, they are doing their homework before he gets home from work.

So I have heard of pregnancy brain but SAHM brain? If there is such a thing I have officially diagnosed myself with it. This MOM can not go a day without checking her TWO date books and calendars for the kids activities and is it wrong for me to be excited on those days that the kids ride the bus to and from school and have nothing scheduled for MOM to do for them or drive them too? I love those boring days for the kids but those are the days they try to think up more work for MOM to do for them. Anyways, my mush brain is signing off for now and the rest of the week is packed with scheduled activities for the kids!

Hang in there MOM's we all get frustrated and my favorite songs is by Darius Rucker is "It won't be like this for long" and Trace Adkins "You're gonna miss this" as those days that this MOM is near tears from all the running and activities I have to do...I am also in tears because this MOM is gonna miss this and it won't be like this for long! My baby boy is 4 1/2 years old and I already miss the diaper changes, up crying at night, spit up.....hang in there MOM you can do this and you will miss this because it won't be like this for long!

In my next life, I want to be a DAD! :0) 

Empty Nest Setting in for this Stay at home MOM?

This is my youngest son who is 4 1/2 years old. As you can tell he is quite the character. I was cleaning out cabinets and asked him to throw this box away for MOM and he walked around all night with this on his head. Proud Daddy moment especially if you zoom in to see what type of box it is! Yes, this MOM is going to keep this one for a great high school graduation picture. lol

Today, me and Brenden loaded up for about our weekly trip to town and living in the boonies we have to drive 30 miles one way to the nearest Walmart. We do have a grocery store in our town but we only use that for emergencies due to being a small town the prices are high and with a family of 9 we can't just shop there full time so I love Aldi. I love, love, love Aldi because the money I can save there is outrageous. I can get a heaping cart full of food there for over half I would spend at Walmart. My husband made fun of me for shopping there and he thinks he is too "good" for off brands when I first met him but he sure likes it now. Some of the off brands there are way better then name brand or maybe this MOM is just used to it. I know I am getting off the subject.

So on the way home from town as Brenden was back there jamming to his fav song "Ice Ice Baby" I got to thinking that in a year and a half I will officially be an empty nester during the school year. WOW, where has the time went. I also got to thinking that in almost 15 years (minus 6 months of my 2nd oldest son starting kindergarten and the birth of our daughter together happening) that I have NOT had a kid home through the day with mom but only 6 months in 15 years...WOW.... I have always had a little one with me at home or going shopping with me. How will this mom handle that? I know Brenden is a momma's boy big time and he is my right hand man. We have so much fun in the car rides and shopping (ok, not today when I looked up and he was trying to get out the store doors) but most of the time we have great times jamming in the car and just talking. How will I handle getting in the car without a little one to get ready to go..making sure they are strapped in and having someone to chat with or hold their little hand while we walk in to the parking lot and NO ONE to spoil in the stores since he is being so good. Have you ever had that moment where your child isn't with you and you are driving in peace and quiet and your heart stops & you turn around thinking "Oh my...where is ..........."? (in my case would be Brenden) you think you have left him at home or the store. If not, maybe all these kids are making me senile but I know if he is at his grandmas and i go to town alone I can immediately get startled looking for him before realizing where he actually is. This is how bad this empty nest mom is going to be. Thankfully, my husband agreed to let me quit work and raise our children so this is the only child that I have been with since they day he entered our world so I think it is going to be a major change. Another good thing is he was a middle of August baby so he missed the cut off date to start kindergarten this year by 15 days...yaaa, a whole another year of a few hours of preschool 4 days a week.  Also, he is a boy and could use that extra year to expand his intellectual side a bit more but what in the world am I going to do when he is in kindergarten? I am too old to have another one...lol...nor, do I want too so will try to find that perfect work from outside my home during school hours. Being I am an RN, I would love to get a school nurse job but in our school once they get in there they never leave so let's hope within the next year and a half they will.

I have seen jobs open up that I would LOVE to have, several of them but I had a newborn or no one to watch my kids so I had to let those jobs go. When I finally CAN get a job they won't be available for nothing. Isn't that how life goes but in the mean time I have my work from home business that is doing very well. I banked $230 for just a couple hours of work from home last night and I LOVE it. This mom couldn't be happier finding a true legit business from home that is helping support my family without having to sacrifice my time with my kids. If anyone would be interested just let me know and  I have a business page on Facebook that I will give you the link too so you can get a hold of me. I would be happy to help you obtain your future financial freedom but in the mean time, I am going to enjoy every moment of this next year and a half that I have with my youngest and I am going to stop getting house cats/dogs to fill up my house on those lonely days! lol

Link to my Facebook business page and if you would go "like" it I would greatly appreciate it. It would make this MOM so happy, happy, happy!     https://www.facebook.com/momof7makingmoneyathome

My Valentine's Day gift is the GIFT that will keep on giving!

Hello guys! I haven't been on for awhile as I have been busy with Valentine's and doing my work from home job and making that money, money, money! Good thing too, as Valentines Day took a little chunk out of our wallet for GIFTS! I surprised hubby when he got home from work with the GIFTS that men love best! You got it, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate covered strawberries and shoot em up kill em men movies with wine. We had a great Valentines day. The kids all were excited that morning when they first got up all of them came down bearing GIFTS for mom and I gave them the gifts we got them all little box of chocolates. They also got movies rented from Redbox, McDonald's for supper, popcorn, cookies, candy and a sleep over upstairs in the girls room! The best GIFT the kids got me was staying upstairs doing their own thing while me and hubby had a great time eating, drinking wine and watching movies uninterrupted. A first for us!

The next day we drove 3 hours to pick my up Valentines day GIFT from hubby and there is her sweet little picture. He got me a tiny teacup Morkie and we named her Tiana (princess from "The Princess and the Frog) since we have a shorkie named "Belle" and a boxer names "Jasmine" (see the theme with Disney princesses in our home) This little girl will melt anyone's heart she weighs about 1 pount 8 oz and is the best GIFT ever (Well, at least she won't add inches to my behind like chocolate does) She was born on my husband's birthday so she is 2 1/2 months old. I bought her a handmade xxxs dress that she has on and it is a little too big for her. She is spoiled rotten and is like a newborn baby that if you put her in "time out" as we call it (with these tiny puppies their blood sugars can drop low if playing for too long without rest and we have to give her Kayro syrup twice a day and protein supplement three times a day) so we put her in our bathtub with her puppy pad and food & water and her little squeaks of a howl are pitiful and as soon as you pick her up she is happy, happy, happy! Has not been scared one bit...she goes up to our boxer and smacks at her and Jasmine (the boxer) is scared of her so Jasmine thinks she is smaller then she is and Tiana believes she is big and bad! She is so quick you walk through the house and those little legs are moving and you turn around and there she is under foot...so we have to be careful but today I got her puppy playpen in so she is in it with me in living room and still howling but settles down for awhile. Super smart puppy as she goes in puppy pads when you put her on them.  Any tips on Morkies would be helpful too if anyone has one of these adorable kids!

So as I sit here blogging and snuggling my sweet little GIFT I hope that you all got a lot of great gifts or at least the gift of having a romantic uninterrupted evening with your significant other. I am off now to go help people who are ready to go make some legit serious money from home! Have a wonderful beautiful day!

I would also like to ask you if you could please go to my business page on Facebook and "like" it for me. I am trying to obtain a goal of 100 people at least! Thanks a bunch and here is the link:

 https://www.facebook.com/momof7makingmoneyathome

Valentine's Day with KIDS!

The day meant for couples in love is fast approaching! I have to shamefully admit that I normally plan in advance what I will be getting my husband but this year I procrastinated so I am know paying out the bootAY for expedited shipping! I hope you all didn't procrastinate. I have been so busy with the KIDS and appointments that time gets away from me and not to mention I live in the boonies so getting to a shopping center is at least 30 minutes one way so I plan those trips when we are down to the bare necessities in household goods!

My question to all you other parents who have children what do you do for them? I usually buy them all a box of chocolates for the day. I must admit my children are more excited for Valentine's day then we are as they have been working for over a week on our homemade gifts so that means time to clear off my refrigerator from all the hanging art work of the kids and make room for new! 

My plans for my husband includes, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolates, wine, movies and hopefully a quiet evening at home. With 7 kids in the house, it is hard to ever get any alone time in this house if it isn't the kids it is our 2 four legged children that are constantly sitting between us on the couch in the evenings. So this year, I am hoping to bribe them to their rooms with movies and popcorn to celebrate the day. We will see just how long it takes for a kid or KIDS normally to come asking mom for something that they think is a life threatening situation. So what do you do with your kids on Valentine's day?

So what does a stay at home MOM do anyways!

As some of you may know, I am a stay at home MOM of 7, if you don't, well I am and some days I feel really down about myself as I am not out in the "working" world! I have worked full time since I was 15 years old and let's just say that has been many, many, many years of working outside the home. (not to give this MOM's age away)  I quit work 4 1/2 years ago when our youngest was born and we decided it would make sense financially for me to stay at home then get day care for 7 kids. I loved being able to be a full time MOM to my youngest son as with the others I always went back to work. But there are days that I feel like I am not pulling my weight around here and that we are financially set back by me not working and I my self esteem takes a nose dive but then I realize that I have worked hard in my life to be able to be right where I am now. I have wonderful, beautiful, smart children that I can be waiting on them when they get home from school and not be completely exhausted from working 12 hour night shifts like I used to do. I am the one that they rely on at all times. My husband is active duty military and he works so hard for our family and our country but even when he is home on weekends the kids still run to me....even though I would like to have weekends off like he does I don't get that luxury but what I do get is priceless beyond measure. The hugs, the kisses, the excitement of the stories from school, the performances, dance recitals, ball games, the quality time of reading bedtime stories to them and tucking them in each night etc. Those are all the priceless things in life that money can not buy.

I have to tell myself when I am on my death bed that the only things that will matter at that time is God, my family and my friends. Not what I did in this life as a career. Sure I have a college degree and sometimes when someone asks me their "medical" questions..I always say "I'm not a nurse anymore!" That irritates my parents to no end because I am a nurse and much more. I am the maid, personal shopper, cook, housekeeper, chauffeur, secretary, accountant, referee, supporter, counselor, teacher, librarian. tutor, sports fan, nurse. I wear ALL these hats in my job as a stay at home MOM! 

Yes, today MOM got up and got 6 kids on the bus and 30 minutes later got #7 on the bus to preschool all ready for his Valentine's day party today. Then MOM got to go to the salon to get her hair styled with no kids running around the salon...today was MOM's day. Sure, I get my hair done every 6 weeks and my nails every 4 weeks. I wanted to quit doing this to save money for our family but every time I tell my husband I am going to quit those luxuries he tells me no and says "that is the only thing you do for yourself"  (insert your AWWWW's here ladies) yes, my husband is great and you know what he is RIGHT! MOM does need MOM time and I am going to quit feeling less of a person because I am not driving to a job to a health facility or a corporation because what I do........is a billion times harder then any of those jobs can be as you are 24/7 on call..no vacations, no weekends, no sick time because you are super MOM! So ladies, take some MOM time and go get those mani/pedi's, massages (if that is your thing..I am seriously considering one) hair done and sit back relax and let someone else wait on MOM! Cheers to the stay at home MOM's or DAD'S because we are what helps mold our children in to the responsible adults they will one day become and they won't know all the hard work you did at your outside job but they will know all you did as their MOM!

Grateful MOM following Langerhan's Cell Histocytosis diagnosis on my 3 month old son!

                         This is how big the area got from 3 weeks of age just looking like a tiny bruise and this is at 3 months later when we were diagnosed!


Today, like many days that I have to go in to town (30 minutes one way, yes, I live in BFE in the boonies) I have my youngest son, momma's boy & sidekick with me AKA: Brenden! He was #7 in our family and was a surprise when our first daughter together between my husband and I was only 8 months old. From the get go this little boy gave me gray hairs. I was working half a night shift at the hospital when I came home to bright red bleeding when I was 9-10 weeks along with him. Scared to death as I have NEVER had this happen in any of my other pregnancies I called the doctor and was basically informed if i was miscarrying nothing you can do about it at this stage but rest so that weekend I called in to work and laid in bed most the time. I bled off and on for 2 days. I remember my heart dropping to my stomach seeing that blood as even though he was a surprise I was already in love with him (I figured with hubby's track record of 4 girls prior that this one would be a girl too)  I had bought a home gender prediction kit just for fun to see if it would be accurate and since I was bleeding I had it there & just did it when the bleeding subsided in which it said we were having a girl again! Finally, I got a hold of a nurse that I had gotten friendly with during my pregnancy with our daughter the year before and talked her in to making the dr do a sonogram since I had not yet had a dr appt.  So the sonogram was scheduled & I was on pins and needles thinking we had lost our baby. Went in with the fullest bladder imaginable they started the sonogram and there was our little baby heart beating away and everything looking great! Whew, how relieved this MOM was to know our baby was still with us. The remainder of the pregnancy went great with no further bleeding other then the false labor we had a good month prior to his due date. Due to my advanced maternal age..ha ha...I was 36..jeesh..I had to have a genetics counseling with sonogram so we went and had it done. That morning we had finally agreed on our baby girl's name of Ava (yes, we just knew it was another girl due to my poor hubby's track record) and the ultrasound tech asked what we wanted...I said well, he has 4 girls at home so he wants a boy and I just wanted a healthy baby (though boys are easier..lol) and as soon as, I mean literally put the wand on my tummy there it was in all its glory (me having 2 boys before was positive I saw what she was seeing but I didn't say anything) cause she said to my husband "BOY, did you get lucky..It's a BOY!" Complete shock..my hubby never said a word almost all the way home..shell shock, I think so, and then it was back to the drawing board on names! We did a few days later do another sonogram to get it on DVD and it was confirmed we were having a little boy. He was due August 17th and we went in a couple times with contractions but no real dilation so we had our dr appt on August 17th (DUE DATE) just for him to get eviction orders for the following day! August 18, 2009 we welcomed our son together and hubby's first biological son in to the world weighing 8# 8 oz..my little porker out of them all.  Our family was now complete, yes, I had my 4 kids as I wanted that were biological but I also have three step daughters that are not considered step..they are MY daughters. The great thing was all four of my bio babies were born in the same hospital I was and ALL four born in the exact same labor room. How neat is that and with 3 of them I had the same nurse! I love small town hospitals!

We had a cancer scare when he was 3 months old. He had a bruise like area on the side of his neck at 2 weeks of age and I thought the car seat strap had pinched him but it kept getting bigger, raised, red and crusty. Took to our local dr to be told it was a healing heamangioma for weeks and it wasn't getting better so I demanded a dermatology appt. Thank God, I had the instincts to know as a MOM and a nurse that something wasn't right. Of course, at the beginning they told us it was something else, can't remember what that was but we went back in 2 weeks and it was still the same so the dr biopsied it. Then two days before Thanksgiving as we plan to celebrate with family the doctor himself called me early evening time frame to inform me that Brenden had Langerhan's cell histocytosis..whew a mouth full, didn't think anything about it, had never heard of that in all my nursing years and he says "You have to get Brenden up here to Children's mercy first thing in the morning for full blood work and body scan! This diagnosis can easily be cancerous and it normally spreads to organs and bones" my stomach hit the floor, what? Cancer in my newborn that doesn't happen to us! The doctor said to me" What ever you do, do NOT go researching it on the internet. All the stories are bad so DO NOT do it!" I was stunned and I didn't research it because what you don't know with prognosis is better at this time.  I was sick...dry heaving in the trash can and called my husband who was grocery shopping to get home NOW the dr just called! We had to call my family as we were celebrating the next Thanksgiving early and my mom cancelled as no one would feel like being joyful until we got the news on Brenden's results. My world was crashing down around us. We got up early the next day loaded our baby in the car and took the 1 1/2 hour trip to the Children's hospital. The bloodwork Brenden didn't even cry even though mommy was he was such a champ. Then on to the full body xray scan...we got to stay in the room and I remember the techs trying to get him to lay down and not move but by then he was screaming at the top of his lungs thrashing around and again mom is crying and we got to stand behind the xray "tv" screen and as a nurse I was checking every picture on that and I didn't see anything that looked bad but I'm no radiologist so then we were given our baby and told they would get the results to our doctor. Thanksgiving day our doctor (who was on vacation visiting family) personally called us to give us the results that he was clear no cancer but we needed to start high doses steroid treatment and see an oncologist regardless so we did and now it is just a big scar of his shoulder. They say it can come back but if the spot clears up 99% of the time it does not reoccur. I thank God for our dermatologist and was so mad at myself that I screwed around with our home town doctor who kept telling me he knew what it was and this MOM was overreacting. So needless to say, Dr Newell is our angel on Earth. He knew about this diagnosis but had never seen it so since he has had Brenden he has two other children have the same thing and he knew to look for it sooner now! Last year, Brenden was officially discharged from seeing him every 6 months! We are in the clear Thank you God but I still have to make sure dr's check his lymph nodes and internal organs on each dr visit to make sure no enlargements and feel his spot once a week.

Now he is a healthy, comical, fun, crazy, silly little 4 1/2 year old boy who enjoys Spongebob, playing with cars and loves military airplanes, helicopters, dancing, preschool, tormenting his sister who he says is his "buddy" and all that boy stuff! He is truly a joy to his MOM and dad and is a big momma's boy! I am so thankful to God for watching over our son and that he is healthy to this day and to my husband who then allowed me to be a stay at home mom to him and our other 6! That was the day I learned very well that things do happen to people like us and not other people and that you should always tell those you love each day how much they mean to you and show them love cause you never know what tomorrow will bring! Writing this stir a lot of emotion for this MOM and to know that we were lucky to have our little boy even if he has added a few gray hairs to MOM's head that is fine that is what my hair stylist is for!

Gearing up for Valentine's Day! The day dedicated to LOVE!

CLICK HERE TO CHANGE YOUR FINANCIAL FREEDOM AND MAKE MONEY SO YOU
                                    CAN BUY YOUR LOVE THE PERFECT GIFT! 

The day of showing how much you LOVE your significant other is fast approaching this year! Do you have any special plans or gifts you will be giving to them? I am just now beginning to think about the day of LOVE and wondering what I will be getting my husband of 6 1/2 years. I know he would LOVE a Jeep but if the man hasn't been seen in a jewelry store for at least 3 years then I don't see this lady sitting at a car dealership on the most romantic day of the year! Sorry hubby, I LOVE you but not to sit there for hours filling out paperwork. Maybe next week!

I do know that my kids are all excited for this day and are moving and grooving at the last minute trying to make money so they can buy mom and dad some sentimental goodies. They are selling candy bars at school for $0.50 so I am sure I will soon be presented with 7 loving bars of chocolate but is this mom complaining! NO, I LOVE chocolate but it does make wreck havoc on starting my diet plans so I guess I will tough it out then until after Valentine's Day. I do not want to disappoint my kids by not eating their candy bars! lol  It is a tough job but someone has to do it!

Is money tight this year and you can't give your significant other something that they have been wanting and would LOVE? If so, I have a great work from home opportunity that I have been doing and would love to show you how you can make money from home too! I LOVE my at home job. I was a big skeptic on any work from home ads and never once looked in to them as I, like most of America think "scam" but then again a great friend I personally knew was making money from home and I was super excited to see her making money from home so I joined and I LOVE it! I would LOVE to help you change your financial future like I have done. So come on what are you waiting for? You can make hundreds of dollars between now and that wonderful day of LOVE!  There is still time to make money for the perfect gift! PS: You men, you can not go wrong with chocolate, roses, and diamonds and if you really want to impress her get her all three like she deserves!