No love for the pig

A new thing at the Roach house. Son and daughter snuggled up after bath and loving some quality time reading books. Son has become an excellent reader and he does not mind reading the same books over and over again! Although tonight he is currently laid up with dual ear infections and a fever. Praying that is all it is and the swine stays away. I feel we are in the clear since son is not a bacon lover and mainly eats turkey sandwiches. In fact son would prefer a steak over pork tenderloin...but ribs he can not say no to. So to you swine not by the hair on my chiney, chin, chiney.

Dear Cosutme Express,

Halloween Costumes for Kids, Teens & Adults – Costume Express

Shared via AddThis

We at the Roach house love your Halloween magazine. We at the Roach house will flip through this magazine until it is in shreds. I being the Mommy Roach I am will eventually HAVE IT with the magazine and throw it away. I then will listen to cries for your magazines for another month. So Costume Express, how can you help? You can send me 2 magazines. I have 2 children. Currently we are fighting over who will sleep with magazine. We also fight over who will be who. Daughter would like brother, her and dog to match. Son wants no part in that but changes his mind every 5 minutes on what he wants. Daughter would like to buy the whole book and keep it in her dress up clothes. I am sure you will be the one thanking me for my business soon.

Thank you,
Mommy Roach

Plan B, no just A

I have started back to work at the Nook. Getting us motivated and all out the door is hard work. We will be getting kids back at the Nook in two weeks. I keep telling myself I can't be this tired yet...I don't even have the kids yet! Son is loving riding the public transportation to and from school. I wait for him and his buddy to get off the bus outside in the afternoons. I walked outside yesterday and saw this salamander. I being the good, raised on a farm, boy mommy, caught this slippery creature in a cup. It was a bigger hit them chocolate chip cookies for after school snack!

This is what happens when the kids get your camera...

This is my favorite...daughter so looks like the stinker she is!
There was your funny. Here is your serious. My brother-in-law's company was laying off workers this week. Some of who I know and love. I have had several people I know loose jobs during this economic time. It is a scary time for all of us. Well it could be...but this week I have been on a spiritual prayer journey. I have several friends on a mission trip in Brazil and husband and I are prayer partners for them. Needless to say God is speaking to me more then I thought He would while I prayed for someone else. How many times do we tell someone we will pray for them and don't do it? I have started doing it right when I am asked...right when I read that email...right when I think of that person. Because I am a mother of two small children, I forget my name sometimes! So this week I have been busy on my knees for others. Literally on my knees. Asking for Mercy. Asking for Grace. Asking for Peace. Asking for Plans. And what have I learned? I have watched God go before and prepare a way. Isn't it comforting to know HE goes before us? I was sharing with Friendy what all was going on with my friends and family and Friendy shared with me what someone shared with her. We will call her "wise one."

Wise one: You are not on plan B. You are still on plan A.

This just spoke to me so much and I pray it speaks to someone else. There is only Plan A. No matter what happens in life and how it may feel there is only God's plan A. He knew before we were ever born where that plan would take us. Don't ever feel like you are on plan B. Just the thought of Plan B can make a person feel like they have a right to blame someone. So many times in my own life I have said, "well if "blank" would not have done that, I would be doing this now and it is all "blank" fault." No there is only plan A. A plan that is perfect. A plan that if we saw all that God could see we would choose for ourselves.

I know that was a little serious for all my readers but aren't you glad I started out with creatures and pictures of kids?

not MY child Monday

My children never embarrass me or tell my secrets out in public. My children are always well behaved and have the best manners. Well not really.

Daughter did not recently dress herself in pink shorts, a different color pink shirt, a different color pink AU hat and gray socks for a shopping trip. She would never have bad taste in outfits. She did not then sit in her ensemble of pink and watch 2 precious girls in dresses playing with makeup and jewelry look at me and say, "They are absolutely silly!" Nope not my child.

Son did not recently open the door to neighborhood friends and say, "my mom just cleaned so you have to stay outside!" Nope not my child.

Daughter did not recently announce in Target to a complete stranger that she could not have a baby brother because I am too old and I am out of the baby business. Nope not my child.

Son and daughter did not get in a Rock Band fight and beat each other with drum sticks in a violent manner. They would never hit each other out of anger and would never inflict blows that could possibly break bones. Nope not my children.

Son does not want to wear the same Target brand Under Armour shirt everyday to school. Son does not cry every morning when I tell him no. Nope not my child.

SWINE

So don't want this. Praying that all my babies and two year olds at work this year bring me some Clorox Wipes and Germ X. Because no matter how I much makeup I put on, or if I roll my hair...ugly is ugly.

Crazy Cake Lady and HOT Potato Salad

I was talking to friend and I remembered I had not shared something with my FANTASTIC readers. So there is a crazy cake lady at Publix. I have had countless encounters with crazies at the local Publix bakery but I keep going back. On the night before son's party, I went to pick up his cake. I was greeted by crazy cake lady...CCL.
CCL: Hope you an N G Neer.
Mommy Roach: OH!
CCL: Wees out of big boxes. U gonna haf to put this un together by uself.
Mommy Roach: Well let me take a picture of the one you have already put together so I can know what to do.
CCL: No that's ILL legal! Nobody is allowed to take photos of our cakes.
Mommy Roach: Well then find me a bigger box. But people take photos of I bet everyone of your cakes that you make. Every birthday party gets a picture of the cake. (I snap photo of cake with cell phone.)
CCL: (Yells at crazy cake man) She just snapped a photo of one of the cakes! (Yells at me) Give me your cell phone.
Mommy Roach: Thank you...(as I run from CCL)


So to you CCL...here is a picture of your cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is one way to eat potato salad to me. HOT! I don't eat it cold. I don't eat it left over. It is fresh and hot or it is trash. I introduced husband to this when we got married and he is now a big fan. Recently I was feeding 10 adults for our HOME GROUP and I made a heap of HOT potato salad. Most had not eaten it hot...but you know the saying! Once you go hot you never go cold.
Peel, boil, cut and drain...


Then mix in MAYO (sister in law who hates it), regular mustard, a boiled egg or two, sweet midget pickles cut up, and salt and pepper...

Then mold it with a rubber spatula. Invite your friends over. Label your food. And have them make fun of you forever!

"not me Monday"

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I have been reading her blog for a long, long, time. And I decided her "not me Monday" was just too much fun that I must join in.

I did not do a happy dance on son's first day of school because no one was fighting in my house. I would never rejoice that someone else has to deal with him for forty hours a week. Nope, not me.

I did not let my kids play under the table at a restaurant with their cousins after waiting for 30 minutes on a check. I would never let them crawl on a nasty Mexican restaurant floor where ecoli lives so I could carry on a conversation with my sister. Nope, not me.

I did not let daughter eat a Popsicle for breakfast and lick an apple and tell her that was a good girl. I would never let my children eat such non nutritious things, especially for breakfast. Nope, not me.

I did not get the skin burned off my chest from my chest strap (that connects to my running watch) while running and then not wear proper undergarments around town. I did not layer tank tops under my top and think no one would notice. Nope, not me.

First Day for the First Grader

I am not old enough to have a first grader. He was super excited today until we got to school and then he was a little nervous. I never really seen him shy so it was new for me. I along with a little help from my friends convinced him that public transportation could wait until tomorrow morning.
Cow curtains scream first grade! Son just thinks tennis balls on the chairs means his teacher likes sports.
Mrs. Cook will be spending 40 hours a week with my big boy and I can't wait to see what he learns this year.


Daughter talked my ears off today but did not fight with anyone! She was determined to cook son an afternoon snack in the easy bake oven. Smores! They were nasty and son told her they must not have cooked long enough.
And they waited event of the day. Daughter was running to the bus. I will be the one running next year because both my babies will be on that bus.

The happy reunion. Yoda was thrilled!!

A look back to our kindergarten photo...notice the bench and how much he has grown. Praying for his safety, health and academic success this year. Let the fun begin!

Self Control

I am not one to talk about self control. I struggle with it as does my son, daughter, husband, and dog. Some of you may know my neighborhood peeps have got me back onto the running path and it has been a slow go. Every time I trained for a race last year, I did it at the gym. Well now I have dropped the gym membership and instead run for free in the hills of my neighborhood. It is free and 100 times harder. In fact when you check the elevation levels of our neighborhood you would see why I burn calories like a machine. My goal this time is for a 10k and last Saturday I actually made it 6.1 miles. It was not pretty folks. I am still not a runner but I am making strides as a jogger. I even spit now! Remember when I did not understand spitting here.
This week I was jogging along and spotted a cute two seater folding chair that I had eyed at Target for the kids. It looks to be in the trash pile to be picked up. I have now ran by it four times and have exhibited extreme self control. Guess what house it is at? REMEMBER THIS HOUSE. Yes mam. Same house. Same situation. To take or not to take. That is the question.

Birthday Party for the First Grader

What to do for a summer birthday? First invite Kevin Grice and let your mother make up stories and tell him! Of all the people to tell a story about me peeing in my pants (when I was 5!!!) my mother decides Kevin is perfect for the story. And so the party started off with a bang...

Second thing to do for a summer birthday party, have it at the neighborhood pool! Son invited his closet friends and loved getting to swim with everyone.

Daughter and her idol. Daughter had just as much fun as her brother.

The boys found a live frog. It provided the entertainment for swim time. How cute are these little boys?
The cake that was gone...
Happy Birthday to you.
Just a few friends. Notice Grandmother hanging with all the kids. After each party she calls me and tells me it was the best party.
Kaine Martin must claim this child.
Daughter's idol and is no relation to her daddy...well maybe since she throws deuces.
Seven.
First Grader in 3 days.
Seven years ago God changed my life forever and made me a mother.
So thankful for the chance.

Closing time

I can not believe it is closing time for summer. I know everybody says that this time of year but it makes me sad. Now don't get me wrong, the kids need to go back to school. Arguing in my house is at an all time high. Son and daughter need some separation. (and I need it too!) However, I have a first grader! Daughter will be going to big school in one more year! I will be working four days this year at her school. This is the most I have worked since before son. She and I will have Friday's off to play and eat lunch with "bubba." I overheard son tell daughter, "you can call me bubba this year but not when you come to my school!"
I love buying back to school clothes and supplies. I took the kids to buy new tennis shoes and ended up buying the whole family new shoes. (It was buy one get one 50% off.) Husband and I are back on the running path and both needed new running shoes. I have run the inside out of mine. The tennis shoes were a great brand for cheap which means they are the ugly colors! So he and I are running in the early hours when it is still dark so no one sees our ghetto fabulous tennis shoes!
This weekend my baby boy turns 7. I let him invite HIS friends this year to his party and NOT mommy's friends. Between baseball, school, neighborhood and church ...he has a lot of friends. He is getting Rock Band and I am soo excited.
Closing time for summer may make me sad but it means...

30 MORE DAYS UNTIL AUBURN FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...but who is counting?