If you have a Camera Check this out!!!! you need one!!!!

I am the owner of a few cameras and I feel the owner of a strap cover is a Necessity!!! I mean the strap that comes with your camera is sturdy don't get me wrong but it's WAY uncomfortable and rubs on your neck especially if you are in the hot sun in the summer time...now right now if you hop on over to  http://thatsitmommy.com/2010/05/25/photo-tuesday-review-capturing-couture-camera-straps/  you can win one of these FABULOUS camera straps in beautiful colors and it won't rub on the back of your neck plus it will look very stylish!!! Hurry this contest only runs through June 7th but it's real easy to enter.....no cost at all.....Best of luck to everyone....take pics if you are the winner of this fabulous strap and send them to me I would love to see it and drool over it...If i don't win I may order one myself...this is AWESOME!!!!

A letter to my children....

Today was Mothers Day and when I woke I had a big smile on my face....I sat and thought on how lucky I feel to be your mom....Not everyone is lucky to have a child let alone "6"...god truly has blessed me with some sweet little blessings....You fill my days with busy days and nights sometimes through the night when you are not feeling well...you give me last minute target runs for needs for school projects or an addition to an outfit that is needed for a concert for school...

You have given me tears of saddness when you do not comply with the rules set in this home and when you fall off your bike when just learning....but nothing could bring me greater Joy than just having this job of being your mother and teaching you and guiding you and showing you that God will grant us forgiveness when we need it...and we need to forgive others when they have wronged us....I thank god for choosing me to be your mom I prayed for this since I was a child and I feel honored to be your mom...You made my day today when I opened all my gifts...I wasn't expecting what I opened but I saw that your heart and soul was poured into each and every gift and that just brought such joy to my heart....

I know we have challenges between us but I thank you for sticking with it and working through all things together and help making our family great!! I can see a difference when each one of you is missing like when you are at a babysitting job or a sleep over or with a friend...there is a hole missing and it makes me a little sad to think we don't have much time left for all of us to be this way much longer...so lets make the best of the next year!!! soon you will start graduating and going off to college and it will be more difficult to bring us all together as frequent as now....Thank you for being you!!! I love you all for who you are and what you give to me and each other you are wonderful kids and I am proud to call myself your MOM :o) LOVE Traci

Watching life come alive....

We had the opportunity to purchase a butterfly habitat at the store the other day and the younger kids were beyond excited as they had never had chance to take this on before...the older kids did but it was before the younger ones were even born....so we purchased the habitat brought it home opened it up and set it up and set it up on the bar in the kitchen....the next day I then quickly got online and ordered the little caterpillars so we didn't have to wait long to get started on our little adventure....mean while the kids kept asking are they here yet mommy are they here????

finally one day when we stopped at the mailbox and opened it there was a key for the larger compartment and we thought it must be them...so we opened it up and sure enough it was a little box containing our 5 little guys/gals...on the box it said handle with care...Jamisyn was the one to carry it home and she did it with such loving care it was so cute :o).....so we got it home and read the next paragraph as to what the next step in the process was...we were told to just set the cup out and let them munch on the lunch they had in their cup and let them get fat and full....the kids remembered the story of the very hungry caterpillar so I had them go find the book and I read it to them.....it took about 4 days to finally get full and happy then they hung from the top of the cup and all got in their cocoons ready for hibernation.....oooh the excitement was building in our house!!!!

so now came the fun part we got to place them in the habitat....so I opened the cup and removed them CAREFULLY from there and taped them to the habitat ready for their stay in their quiet little spa....waiting patiently well some of them not so patiently slowly one by one they emerged from their cocoons....what beauty it was and how special to watch them emerge and stretch and flap their wings pumping the blood through them....well one problem their THE CATS!!!! forgot to even think about that!!! after a few days and the third one had emerged max was so intrigued by them and kept jumping on the bar which he NEVER does my cats are not allowed on my counters!!! knocking down the habitat to the floor attempting to open it up which of course he was never going to be able to do because it was closed with a zipper....

so I finally had to place the habitat on the fireplace hearth after the 4th and 5th butterfly emerged which wasn't any fun anymore because the kids couldn't really watch them from that height....you are supposed to be able to keep the butterflies after they emerge for at least around 3 weeks after that...well we made the informed decision with the way we now had two cats behaving badly to free them so they didn't feel under attack and like they were going to be eaten as a meal.....so after only having them for only 4 days we set them free...we took them outside on a nice sunny afternoon and opened the habitat and the first one flew out immediately...LOL I'M FREE!!! I am sure it was saying the others didn't really want to come out the were stuck to each other in twos...LOL so we got them out gently and onto a our fingers then placed them a bush where they rested and I guess later flew away...Be blessed little butterflies I hope you have a good life......

"Honey Do" forever ongoing....

I keep lists running lists of things that need to be done grocery lists, to do lists and honey do lists...lately we haven't had much time to tackle our "honey do" list and that is no one persons fault...with ice skating, ballet, soccer, bible study, teen activities and just plain family fun I guess we have just been taking care of the basics around here...plus with us living in a fairly new home there hasn't been much to tackle on the honey do list but I am looking around lately and there are a few things that I would love to accomplish...

1. Rechaulk the shower...the builders didn't do it correctly in the first place

2. Painting the stairway and the hallway...I will admit I am afraid of heights

3. repaint the deck...the builder used cheap paint and It needs a new coat to make it shine :o)

4. steam the carpets on all floors of the house

5. Finish decorating the Teenagers room.....once they decide on a theme ;o)

I am hoping once school is out we can start tackling some of this but yet I don't want it to bump into spending time with the kids the school year is busy and having all 6 of the kids in school this year I want to spend as much time with them as I can....so we will see how far on the list we can get...I will be happy to accomplish half of it....

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Nobody said this was going to be easy.....

Life with Teenagers is anything but easy especially 3 female teens...I have read all of these books from the time I was pregnant on pregnancy then it was on the toddler years I then started reading on the toddler years and discipline...a few years back my mom sent me some from zondervan that focused on the teen years and guiding your children but I never would've imagined it would be this hard...and Maybe it's because I have 3 all at the same time...OY!!!! I have shed more tears these past few months to create a river...but I am giving it all to god...I know he is the one who can lead me to be the best parent I can be...They may not like what I have to say now, they may not like the rules I am setting, the chores they are assigned and it's sad that I am going to have to wait about 15 more years for them to see the good that I am doing for them...but I know it is all for the best...I want what is best for my children...it is what I decided 17 years ago when I chose to have my first child is to stay home with them and be the best mom that god will allow me to be....I know it's not an easy task I am not saying it is...I remember my teenage years and what my mom and I had to deal with and I commend her for a Job well done...she shaped me to be the mom I am today and has given me the tools I have to be a great parent to my children....with mothers day approaching I feel great pride in being a mom I wouldn't trade my job for anything in the world...not even on one of the worst days when all six are attacking....I am thankful that I have god on my side to guide me in my ways and I know that I will become a stronger parent, I may not have all the answers we will learn together along the way....

It really saddens me lately in the news when I read storys of people who are hurting their children on purpose...there is no reason on this earth to harm a child....yes they make mistakes we all do we are not perfect but that is why there is grace....I will be praying each and everyday for those hurting ones and for the ones behind it hoping that change can be made....no child should have to live like that....how can you look in these eyes and harm her?? I have made a choice and that was to be a parent and by golly I will be the best one I can be even with tears streaming down my face...