First word, five letters

By now we all know that my mom will jump at and be scared by absolutely anything and everything on this planet. While I do not share this trait completely, I will say that being awakened and scared by sounds or events at night, is something I can totally sympathize with. If I am awakened at night, whether by a person, a loud noise, an alarm clock (or pretty much anything else in the entire universe) I jump sky high and my heart explodes. Usually I can also feel the pulse in my head, I can't make sense of where I am, I'm confused by any rational thought, and I am basically waiting to meet my demise. But I guess that's totally normal, right? In fact, I vividly remember as a kid one time being about 9-years-old in our first house here in Lakeland and a stack of books fell over in my room in the middle of the night and I'm pretty sure I had a near-death experience. I freaked out, hid under the covers, and my heart rate was WAY above healthy limits for at least four hours. It was the worst experience of my life. And don't even get me started on the time a picture frame fell off the wall in my bedroom two summers ago... Anyway, so you can imagine the awesome night I had last night when at about 2:45am I was jolted awake by Cindy at my bedside. Normally she comes into our room at night, but just to crash on the floor or tell me she has to go to the bathroom. But this time she came in moaning. I was so jolted awake I couldn't even process what was happening. She was wailing and pointing to her mouth. Me, in my super-intelligent sleepy stupor, thought she was trying to tell me something about her other loose tooth. I began going through those questions, "Did your tooth fall out? Does your tooth hurt? Do you think you need braces? Do you want to change dentists?" Charades was never really my favorite game. But all my questions were answered when she began to upchuck right there by my bed. I woke up real fast after that! She managed to contain herself to the hallway, but that was it. There was no further attempt to make it to the bathroom. On the bright side, my heart rate was able to return to normal levels over the next hour as I cleaned the wood floor and contemplated my life as an 24-hour on-call janitor. Hopefully there won't be any more emergencies until after I retire :)

Under Construction

So after I changed my header up there for the new year, I started to mess around in the templates page of my blog and things have gotten a little wacky. I'm not sure I can even get it back to the way it was before, so we may all just have to live with the consequences of my horrible decisions. I will keep working at it... Anyway, hope you all had a great New Year's. Ours included me being finally able to keep down solid food, yet not being well enough to enjoy the amazing New Year's spread at DeAnne's house. Seriously, I have the worst timing EVER!! Jacob got sick on the side of the road later that night coming home from DJing a New Year's dance and as of this morning Cindy was taking her turn with the stomach bug. Luke we think already had it for about 4 days, so hopefully he will not take a second turn. Gotta love germs :) Anyway, hoping to post the rest of my holiday pics shortly and in the mean time, who doesn't like ocean blue and orange, huh?

Use any of this stuff?

I was totally going to publish this post before today, but I got the stomach flu a few days ago and things got delayed. I am feeling much better now, so onward and upward!


As everyone else around the blogosphere compiles their year-end lists about one thing or another, I thought I would put my own on here. Presenting....

12 Things I Bought This Year That Were Totally Worth It

Usually I buy and try new things and am very underwhelmed. But as I was thinking back over this year, I realized I bought some stuff that was actually quite awesome. So in no particular order, here are my winners:




Reflective Car Sun Shade

I have lived in Florida for how long and haven't had one of these? Yeah, I went to college.... It was amazing this summer to see how much of a difference this thing made! It easily lowered the temperature of the car by at least 10-15 degrees on a hot summer day. And considering that I could cook a turkey inside my Honda after only having it parked for 12 seconds during August, any little bit helps. Now I just have to get one for Jacob and the flesh-melting black leather interior inside Lucy.


iPod Touch

This purchase was a toy solely for me as my reward for surviving the Census. Little did I know just how much this little gadget can do! I have been totally amazed at its usefulness. Not only does it flawlessly entertain and distract my children in so many situations (so much so that I can buy Luke's Iron Man action toy he got for Christmas RIGHT BEHIND HIS BACK and he never saw a thing!!! Brilliant!!) but I have used it for looking up recipes while I am in the kitchen, reading scriptures and preparing primary lessons, all my music is on there for running, I can update my Facebook status whenever I happen chance upon free WiFi- I seriously love that little thing. His name is Oh Claude! just in case you were wondering...



Over-the-door Shoe Hanger for Bathroom Supplies

I knew of this idea for years, but I just never thought it would work for me over time. But finally I wised up and got the over the door shoe holder thingy for my bathroom and it is a lifesaver. Especially in tiny little bathrooms like mine. Wish I done this sooner. I can actually see and use my counter now! It's so radical!!!


Color Coded Towels and Child-height Hanger-upper


Up until about 4 months ago my kids used white towels in their bathroom. Last time I counted we had somewhere of about 147 white towels and I think the kids were using all of them every time they showered. It was getting totally out of hand. I couldn't tell what was dirty, whose was whose, and where the heck they were all going. I finally broke down, went to Wal-Mart and got Luke a yellow towel, Cindy a purple towel and a small towel hanger thingy (actual name) and solved my problem. Now they only use one towel a piece, they can hang them up themselves, and I know exactly what they look like and where they are. $10= Happy Mom :)

Running Shoes

I bought my second pair of Nike Pegasus shoes this year. You really can't go wrong spending good money on quality running shoes you actually use.












Back to Nature's Pacific Heights Trail Mix


Like many good things I stumble upon, this one was introduced to me by my Mother-in-Law DeAnne. I tried this at her house and have since bought myself a few bags here and there. This is the best trail mix on the planet: Almonds, Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds, and Dried Cherries. 'Nuff said.

Shoe Rack

I didn't want to give in to this one, but due to the layout of our house, I have just had to accept that it is more convenient to keep most all of our shoes in the kitchen. That is where we take them off, so it stands to reason that is where we will put them on. So if they are going to be there, then I better find a way to contain them that works. We had been using a totally ineffective basket, but then I saw this shelf thing at Sam's Club and took a risk. It actually has worked in controlling our shoes and their horrendous breeding habits. Of course our shoes all get dumped on the floor most times, but when it is time to clean up, at least they have a home.


Frizz Eease Moisture Barrier Hair Spray

I would like to thank the TSA for this discovery. Upon packing for my trip out to Utah for my brother's wedding this summer, I realized I had to get hair spray that was 4 oz. or less. Drat! My bomb-making plans were foiled again! This hair spray happens to be one of two choices for travel hair spray at Wal-Mart and it was the best $2 I ever spent. It really does an amazing job at holding your style, being lightweight and repelling humidity. Can't wait to save up and buy the BIG bottle!

Refillable Juice Box

I am absolutely not trying to save the planet with this one. I just can't afford sending Cindy with a juice box to school every day. I love the convenience of Capri Sun, but keeping enough on hand all the time is killing my budget. Plus, I'm pretty sure Cindy doesn't even drink most of it. I got this refillable juice box and now I can send her with whatever random beverage just happens to be in the fridge. Which right now is either expired pineapple juice or expired Clamato. Decisions, decisions....

Force Flex Trash Bags

I had been really wanting these things forever, but I never bought them before because they're like a million dollars and I could never allow myself to indulge. However, while at Sam's one day, I threw caution to the wind and spent 13 bucks on garbage bags. Whoa. Granted I got 120 of them for that price, but I was sweating it out all the way home wondering if my money could be better spent on actual food for my children. Nope! I love these bags. They really do SO much better of a job at stretching and not ripping. They are absolutely fantastic. I will never switch back :)

Bissell Sweep and Steam

I finally decided that if I am expected to keep my house clean and orderly, I need the proper equipment. I needed to solve the dang problem of my wood floors and how I simultaneously love and hate them. I just HATE sweeping them and keeping them clean. Nothing works. Anyway, to make a long story even longer, I got this sweeper and steamer combo by Bissell and I love it. If you want to read my full review I posted on Amazon.com, go here. If you actually have a life and don't care one whit about floor care, keep reading, my friend...






Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner- Lime and Rust Remover

This has to be the winner for the year. Our master bath toilet has always been a little dirty with hard water and stains ever since we moved in. I have never found anything that would clean it. I was literally going to rip out the entire toilet and replace it with a new one, but I decided to try this new cleaner I saw. It was $2.97 at Wal-Mart and is the most amazing thing I have ever used. It completely cleaned that toilet. Sparkling clean. Brand new. I have used it on shower tile, the tile on my bathroom floor- it is incredible. It even cleaned that crusty little plastic tray that pops out on my fridge where the water and ice dispenser are. MIRACULOUS!! And the best part? It smells like really strong Spearamint. No, not lame peppermint- Spearamint, people! Oh, I love this stuff :)

It's Bouncerrific!

Last year on Thanksgiving Day my mom rented a bounce house for all the grandkids. Pure genius! This year we did it again 2 days before Christmas and my whole family was there. This time we got the SpongeBob SquarePants edition, complete with over sized romper room AND inflatable basketball hoop. Oh, it's ON! We also had Kelly and Brian this year, and I am pretty sure that Kelly has more energy than most people I have met in my life combined. Needless to say, the nieces and nephews now love her even more. If that is even possible :)

My kids screamed with freak-out joy when we drove up to Grandma's house.


Addie demonstrating some of her "Addie-tude"...


I am so glad Kelly offered to take this picture for me. It is one of my favorites :)


The "adult" supervision. Don't worry about Chris down there, he's a doctor.


Luke was doing some pretty sweet Iron Man jumps out the door.


All the siblings and Kelly played a very intense game of HORSE in the bounce house. I pretty much dominated. But there were some amazing moves going on in there- spectacular shots and spectacular wipe-outs. We were all crippled the next day.


Brian and Kelly mixing up some Chex Mix happiness. Seriously, it had coconut and almonds, butter- oh, it was good, despite Brian's face indicating otherwise. He was going for the look of 'robot chef' I believe...


Grandpa and Wyatt with the ice cream. Wyatt got to try all kinds of new things this year at Grandma's- there hasn't been a dull food moment over there for two weeks. My waistline can totally verify that fact :)

Alright, we are almost to Christmas! But tomorrow will be interrupted with a year-end post that I have been dying to publish. Hopefully it will accidentally push lots of readers to my blog and help us all make better decisions. Tah tah for now!

Cindy J. Sweeney: Toothless Wonder

Well, it finally happened. Cindy's tooth that became loose back sometime in November is finally out! It was hanging on by a thread yesterday afternoon, and since we were all headed out to the Temple and the kids were staying with a sitter all night (and I did NOT want to miss this moment), Jacob decided "just to look at it" and whattayaknow! It came right out :) She was a little disturbed by the blood and the wierd-feeling hole it left, but she returned to normal (her version) pretty soon after. She spent the night at Grandma's with her cousin's last night, so the Tooth Fairy will have to visit tonight. Although, I have a feeling the Tooth Fairy is fresh out of cash, and might just have to leave her an expired box of off-brand stuffing mix. Which is WAY better than a dollar if you ask me...

And coincidentally, that tooth is first one she got as a baby. Amazing how that works!

Just a Little Bit

With all that I have been doing with my family, I decided I better start posting a little here and there or I would be boring everyone to tears with the world's longest blog post for 5 days in a row. So here are some of the highlights for now....until I find more pictures on other cameras because I know I am missing some good ones.

For starters, two Fridays ago when Brian and Kelly got here we went camping! My children have never slept overnight in a tent and it was time to remedy the situation. I am such a good mom. Actually, it's the grandparents that are so good. My mom and dad got everything reserved, set up, taken care of- it was great. We just spend one night down in Ft. Meade, so we weren't exactly summiting Kilimanjaro, but we did get to play on a playground, throw stuff in the peace river, have an awesome fire, eat hobo dinners, make smores and hot dogs, do lots of singing, go on a nighttime hike, freeze to death because the low was 55 that night (okay, I am a giant wuss), and take my niece to the bathroom at 3:45am on account of her bladder that is apparently the size of a walnut. (I love Ana, but she goes to the bathroom every 7 minutes I think). Oh and of course we had the awesome the opportunity to absolutely get soaked Saturday morning because it poured until noon. :( But we still had fun and all the cousins realized that Kelly is the best Aunt ever because she literally knows about a eleventy bajillion campfire songs. Really. Eleventy bajillion. Just ask her- she will break into song.

Kelly and kids doing The Jellyfish song




Around the fire




Leaving the menfolk to take down tents in the rain. They really took one for the team that morning! Thanks again to Ma and Pa for making it all happen. I know all the kids had a blast :)



Let's see, I finally got a picture of Cindy and Luke in their Christmas clothes!


Luke is a stud in his tie and sweater vest combo, is he not?



There has also been some MAJOR cousin bonding for my children the past two weeks. They have gotten to see every single one of their cousins.

Cindy and cousin Michelle in the water headlock.


Cindy and cousin Wyatt watching some TV.


Luke, Addie and Sadie on grandma Bingham's bed.

Sadie, Cindy and Ana enjoying some root beer floats.


Cindy, Addie and Luke with some Chick-fil-A tomfoolery.


Luke with cousins Lauren and Eryn.

Whew! As you can see, it hasn't exactly been boring around here for the past few days. Tomorrow I will hopefully post our adventures through Christmas day. Maybe...

A Christmas Riddle

What do you call it when you cross really bad counting skills and way too many relatives visiting for Christmas? The answer is my 12 Days of Top Ten lists on my blog. I'm pretty sure that number 12 is supposed to happen on Christmas Eve, but yet according to my radical math skills I was due for that one yesterday. Add in the fact that I have spent about 6 minutes in my own home over the past 4 days combined and it means that blogging hasn't exactly been on the front burner on the cooktop of my life. Anyway, on Christmas Eve, as it should be, here is list number 12 :)




Top Ten Leftover Items from Other Top Ten Lists that Never Made it to Print:



10. Sabre-toothed Nutcracker
9. Pupperoni
8. Build your own water heater
7. The Horcrux and The Ivy
6. The Little Engine that Could but who Flat Out Refused
5. Whack-an-elf
4. Pin the Tail on the Dementor
3.Cream of Stocking
2. Reindeer Spit
1. Shower Toaster

Boy that was the easiest list I ever wrote! Hope all of you are enjoying your Christmas break. I have 19 relatives in town (all siblings from both sides of our family) and it is pretty much non-stop options for fun and activities. Too many good things to choose from. But what kind of loser complains about that? Not me! It's been awesome :) Bounce houses, eating, camping, swimming, kickball, eating, shopping, Balderdash, eating, the park, Xbox Kinect, eating, sibling hijinx- it has been some GOOD TIMES :) Can't wait to write up some of the highlights and add some pictures up in here again! That may be the one downfall of Top Ten Lists. And I do mean one...

Day 11

Today I bought a fruitcake and I read the list of ingredients. I was shocked by what I found...


Top Ten Most Surprising Ingredients in My Fruitcake:

10. Keopectate
9. WD-40
8. A shredded dryer sheet
7. Half of a Charelston Chew candy bar
6. Bowtie pasta
5. 6 drops of original Polo cologne
4. A cat's eye marble
3. Cilantro
2. 2 Beggin' Strips
1. Anger

I told you it was surprising! (P.S. A big thank you to my family who wrote this list together in a mere 5 minutes at the end of tonight's dinner. Boo-yah!)

Day 10

Top Ten Off-season Elf Jobs:

10. Substitute troll
9. Shetland pony jockey

8. Table leg

7. Assistant to the Mayor of Munchkin City

6. Trophy Model

5. Following President Obama around with a tiny ashtray

4. Coo Coo Clock cleaner

3. Pillsbury Doughboy stunt double

2. That sweet gig for Travelocity
1. Squirrel Wrastler

Day 9

I have decided that getting "a lump of coal" in your stocking is a little old-fashioned. So I have composed this list of new classics. Which one would you like to get instead?


Top Ten Alternatives for a Lump of Coal:

10. A giant pile of staples
9. A half-eaten Mentos
8. Baggie full of cat sand
7. Half gallon of outdated cough syrup
6. Tub of dried up spackle
5. Jewel's Greatest Hits
4. 13 pounds of hair clippings from The Cuttin' Corral
3. Lifetime supply of lake trout
2. Autograhped 5X7 of Nancy Pelosi
1. Giant rusted lawn dart