Well the time has finally come

To say goodbye at the chance of ever having another child. I mean I think we kinda decided we were not going to have anymore now that we are taking care of Marley, Its like having twins and its ALOT of work having her and Jonathan who are less than a year apart. Nor do I think physically my body could handle another pregnancy.

After 3 laperoscopies, 2 Hsgs ( dye in the uterus,tubes to look at blockages) , many cycles of fertility medications, cyts & fibriods, a prolapsed uterus and lots of physical and emotional pain my Dr. last week confirmed it would be best to do a Hysterectomy, when he said those words I was in COMPLETE shock......I just was not expecting that, but considering the size of my current fibroids and ovarian cysts, as well as the back pain,weigh gain, and severe bleeding he does not feel there is another option . He will also be doing surgery to "tie up" my bladder as that has prolapsed as well.......on the bright side might as well kill two birds with one stone :)

Now that I have let the thought settle and actually relieved that I might start feeling "good" again pain free, I need to decide when this is going to happen.
Alan is away Monday -Friday and recovery time is 6-8 weeks......I panic at the thought of how I'am going to do it with the little 2 still at home . We are going to Disney in May and then want to enjoy the summer time while the kids are out of school......so do it now or wait......UGH.......decisions, decisions :(

This Contest Really SUCKS!!

Enter to win a Dyson Upright Vacuum Cleaner for you and the friend who reffered you.
Simply go to the site and sign up, tweet about it, and share on Facebook!!

www.getsubmit.com

Persistence

There may be times when we feel like giving up. Everyone has these moments. Life is an adventure, and sometimes it's and adventure that gets the better of us.
But we keep on, and we will keep on. Around the corner is somthing we haven't seen before. And it could be somthing wonderful!!!

" We are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are "

MyBlogSpark-New Progresso Souper You Contest!

Hello friends,

Are you ready for a new look this New Year? Progresso is excited to announce the return to their Souper You Contest giving you the chance to win an incredible makeover! By telling Progresso why you deserve a makover and what you love about their soup, you could have the chance to win an ulitmate makeover experiance in Hollywood this Spring!

Now that the ball has dropped and the confetti has settled, it's time to consider how you will stick to your resolution for the New Year and maintain your weight managment plan, without sacrificing on variety or the taste of foods you love. Thanks to Progresso, you can have your soup and eat it too!

With 40 delicious soups with 100 calories or less per serving, Progresso Soup has a variety of offerings that help you beat diet boredom and satisfy your taste cravings, while helping you stick to your weight managment calori goals. Progresso soups are packed with hearty ingredients like pasta,beans,rice, meat and vegetables that suit your taste buds and make you feel good about including it in your meal choices.

This year, the Souper You Contest will provide three lucky winners with an ultimate makeover experiance in Hollywood. This includes a trip for 2to Los Angeles , California where the winner will recieve a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season's live finale of NBC's The Biggest Loser

Progresso is asking for fans to visit www.SouperYou.com
and submit their photo with a brief essay about why they love Progresso soups and why they deserve a makeover, by no later than February 22nd

Fans can check back on March 12th for the announcement of the top ten finalists, and to vote for their favorite finalist until March 25th

In addition, visit http://bit.ly/ProgressoCoup
to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off the purchase of four (4) cans of Progresso Soup today, and feel free to share with your blog readers so they take advantage of the savings as well.

Tune into The Biggest Loser on NBC Tuesdays at 8/7c

Post http://bit.ly/ProgressoSY11
in your Tweets,Facebook updates and blog posts.

Disclosing :

This information was provided to me by Progresso through MyBlogSpark

Its that time again!!!

Out with the old.....in with the new. With the holidays just past us its time to clean out the closets, and make room for all those new clothes and kiddie toys. Last year I found out about a terrific event in our community called
http://www.dejavucouturesales.com
a great place as their slogan states to "Reduce,Reuse,Recycle....Reware!!! I found out about this through word of mouth from another "Mom of Many" with families of our size many moms like us always buy on sale or at consignment stores, the key is to find things that our gently worn that will still have lots of life left.....this even had SO much to offer....from clothes,shoes,toys,bikes,strollers...you name it, and the best part was the condition of the items were excellent!!! My big find last year was a big Little Tykes outdoor play center that I paid a FRACTION of what I would have paid going to a local chain store, and I can tell you not only have my children have gotten lots of use out of it but so many of the neighborhood kids have too.
This year I signed on to consign with them....I'am thrilled as I can clean out my bins of clothes, but I can also put that money twards buying new items for the kids.....its a WIN/WIN :)
Any of my local moms who I have not shared this even with please let me know I will be happy to pass along the info!!
YOU CAN ALSO FIND THEM ON FACEBOOK

Quote of the day

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom"

55' in January??

Thats right its January 7th and its 55' here and still NO snow......Last year at had I think it was 88" inches of snow for the year, Of course last year it was the first winter after us moving back from Georgia and we had no snow blower, therefore we had to shovel the massive amount of snow by hand, alot of it being just me and the older kids as Alan is typically traveling mon-fri. We made sure early this fall we purchased a snowblower before the winter season began......I told him then we will not have any snow this year.......so far that has been the case, although it would be nice to get a little bit for the kids to play in.... minus the snow days of course :) afterall our summers are short enough as it is......we dont want to be making up school days at the end of June like last year. So just going to enjoy this day .....sitting with my coffee in hand watching the new bikes and scooters that Santa brought get thier first spins in the neighborhood!

Some of the Goodies for my Tru Moo House Party

House Party Party Julie's I Heart TruMoo® House Party™

House Party Party Julie's I Heart TruMoo® House Party™

Enter to win a prize pack from YOPLAIT

With the new year already in swing lots of us have made resolutions to get healthy, well MyBlogSpark contacted me to review and giveaway a prize pack from *Yoplait.

This year, Yoplait light is giving women a great new way to get ready for special occasions with the launch of the new "Two Week Tune Up Plan ".

Whether it's for a class reunion, a birthday or for me my daughters up-coming wedding, Yoplait Light's "Two Week Tune Up Plan" could help you lose five pounds in two weeks by:

* Replacing your breakfast and lunch with a Yoplait Light yogurt, a whole grain, and a fruit.

* Eating a diet rich in lean protein and non-fat dairy, including sensible dinner, beverages , and snacks.

* Walking 30-40 minutes daily

Please visit www.Yoplait.com for study and full diet details.

By visiting consumers can find the full plan details as well as robust online tools to help them lose weight and boost their confidence over two weeks.

To help women look and feel their best, Yoplait light has provided tips and advice available at , along with valuable online weight loss tools such as a meal planner, healthy recipes and a daily food and exercise tracker. With 33 delicious flavors of Yoplait Light to choose from, yoy can switch up your diet menu as often as you like.

If you would like to win a Great little prize pack from Yoplait which includes a athletic gym bag, a reflective wrist wallet, pedometer and a free coupon for Yoplait , simply do the following. Each one is worth 1 entry do this under where it says "comments" remeber if you want 4 entries you need to make 4 comments.

* Become a "Fan" of my blog
* got to and tell me what your favorite Yoplait Light Flavor is
* Tell me if you are going to participate in the "Two Week Tune Up " and why ?

* Share my post of facebook.

All entries must be recieved on February 12th......Good Luck!!!

FAMILY TACO NIGHT

This is one of our families favorite meals they ALL 7 kids love....never an argument or a sigh when it comes to Taco Night!!!! So why not set aside time with your family once a month for "Family Taco Night?" Old El Paso offers a variety of seasonings, sides, sauces and meal kits as simple solutions for a night of catching up with the family over a delicious taco dinner. To satisfy your mexican style cravings, the Old El Paso line up of products includes chilies,dinner kits, dips and sides, enchilada sauce, refried beans, seasoning mixes, shells, taco sauce and salsa. The Old El Paso seasoning mix includes flavors like Burrito, Cheasy Taco, Chili, Fajita, Taco, Mild taco and even a seasoning with 40% less sodium. For a fun twist on Taco Night, be sure to try one of the delicious recipes below.

*Double Layer Tacos Old El Paso favorite recipe! Layered taco shells and tortillas create the "double" in beef and bean stuffed tacos.

* Chicken Ranch Taco's Need a new idea for a 30-minute dinner? Here's a twist on tacos using precooked chicken.

To Keep your family laughing at the dinner table , have some fun with EL Tacodor, the world's only Family Taco Night Game> With El Tacodor, your family can share a special night at home by challenging one another to quick fire trivia, wordplay and pantomime. Visit www.ELTacodor.com today to download instructions, score card, and challenge sheet.

To Enter to win a Old El Paso Frize pack which includes : Old El Paso Taco seasoning, A Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish , a set of 3 Fiesta Chili pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase your fixings.

Winner will be anounced by random generator on December 8th

* Tell me which recipe you would try
* Share your favorite aspect of coming together for Taco night
* Share this link on Facebook
* 3 extra enteries if you blog about this and send them here

Pay it Forward

Today is Pay it Forward day.....now personally I think we should focus on this everyday in our lives, but at least for today I would really like to encourage everyone to take a moment and think about someone else......go out of the way to do somthing nice, it could be a small as holding a door open to buying a cup of coffee for the person behind you. Have your children make Christmas cards for our troops,our Veterans, our seniors. We need to start teaching our children KINDNESS.....we have lost sight of that in our "spoiled" society.

I would love to hear what YOU did today to pay it forward!!!!

A Million Morning Smiles Giveaway by Pillsbury

If your morning is anything like ours make it a better morning with Pillsubury Toaster Strudel frozen pastries. A simple pleasure with sweet filling, creamy icing and flaky crust, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel pastries are somthing the whole family will want to eat -- and decorate too! Since every Toaster Strudel pastry can be personalized with your own icing design. Your Family can gather around the table to kick off the day with a fun delight that will keep everyone smiling. My children love Toaster Strudels ...Strawberry is their favorite. Stay tuned for pictures of our "Doodle a Strudel" morning :)

NOW.....You have the chance to show Pillsbury what kind of icing artist you are with the "Doodle on a Strudel" Facebook application. Visit Pillsbury on Facebook and click on the virtual Toaster Strudel pastry.

Want to smile even more? Pillsbury is also giving YOU the chance to win Toaster Strudel pastries for a month through "A Million Morning Smiles" sweepstakes with hover 2,000 winners per week simply visit www.strudelsmiles.pillsbury.com and enter to win four boxes of Toaster Strudel from now through February 7, 2011

I'am also giving away to one of my readers a Pillsbury "Million Morning Smiles" prize pack that includes a large size Pillsbury Doughboy Electronic Giggle doll, along with a smiley face-themed mug, place mat, and stress ball. To participate, you simply need to do 4 things.

1. Post my link of facebook and comeback and tell me that you did
2. Tell me your favorite morning routine with your children
3. Tell me what makes you smile
4. Tell me what you would doodle on your strudel

You can also gain 1 extra entry for each new follower you reffer, but please make sure they put your name so you gain the credit.

Giveaway ends Tuesday December 7th

October is here

Gosh it has been a while since I have posted. Soooo much has happend this past year I could write a book. To make the long version short after my husband lost his job we packed up and moved fromn Georgia back to Massachusettes, moved in with my family for 6 months and I can honestly say it was the hardest 6 months I have ever experianced...I'll just leave it at that. Our previous builder heard about our situation and generously offered to help us get into a new home again....provisions were 1. Alan had to find a job 2. we needed to sell our home in Georgia, after many many sleepless nights and prayers we finally sold the house and Alan accepted a job offer with Dunkin brands which has since been a whole new way of life for us.....and it is TRUE all things do happen for a reason!!

We are in our New home in Northbridge which I love.....living back on a cul-de-sac its wonderful for our children to run outside riding their bikes, or running in the woods...it really is just perfect.

Its chaotic as ever with the kids schedules....everyone is in school this year except for Jonathan, Jarrett started kindergarten and despite what everyone else thought ( because mommy did know best) He has done GREAT!!! he has Makenna's old kindergarten teacher and she is a perfect fit for him. Melissa started High School this year is also transitioned very well, she not only made the field hockey team, but made the varsity team....which was a huge thing for a freshman. Mallory and Jordan are both in the Middle School and are great students and also busy with many sports activities. And our Miss Makenna is in second grade still SUCH a peanut.

I have started watching kids since moving into the new house, and currently have 2 that I watch on a regular basis and it keeps Jonathan from getting "too" Bored :)

I'am also teaching 7th grade CCD this year a big change from teaching pre-k

Alan and I have never been happier in all our married years, its so nice that we have a real "family" now , his crazy schedule before left me being a single mom of 7 in many ways as his job before placed such unrealistic demands on him, truley him losing his job was the BEST thing that has happend...despited the stress and turmoil we dealt with it has all worked out. So now that I finally have some stabilty back I'am looking forward to blogging again, and posting many giveaway links.

October is just a day away so Happy Fall Y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Join(RED)

Join(RED)

Enter to win a package from YOPLAIT

Well now that I will have a little free time I decided to start getting back to my blogging.....so until I post just thought I would share a link for a giveaway from my friend and Yoplait. So check it out

Http://mommyneedsmoney@wordpress.com

The Winner is :

#17 Anonymous said They like the crayola website, the glowboard looks cool.

I will make contact with you in the next day to send Crayola your shipping info.

Congrats!!!

Inspirational Quote Of The Day

I do not wish you joy without a sorrow,
Nor endless day without the healing dark,

Nor brilliant sun without the restful shadows,

Nor tides that never turn against your barque.

I wish you love and faith and strength and wisdom.

Goods , gold enough to help some needy one.

I wish you songs but also blessed silence.

And God's sweet peace when every day is done.

Almost there

So its been a few weeks now since Alan was let go, although we have gone through so many emotions, I have to be honest and say its been rather nice having him around, I cant remember the last time I have had him around to not only help with the kids but also enjoy them, we are finally getting that opportunity to not only connect as a couple , but to enjoy our large family and really appreciate the reasons why we chose to have 7 children . In the midst of packing and organizing we have been able to sit down and watch movies of the children when they were younger, look through the baby books and see how many fun and happy times we have had being the parents to a great bunch of kids, It has truley been an eye opener for us both. We know that this is a new beggining for our family.....we had a short stay here in Georgia, but look at it as an "adventure" the kids got to see another part of our great country, we were able to take them to places that they might not have seen, Its been fun but its time to move on.
Alan has 4 interviews set up for when we arrive back into Massachusetts, he has had nothing but support from the people who he has previously worked with many of them wanting to re-hire him and we have NO doubt he will find somthing and be able to do a great job at it, however with a much different approach, Its been such a huge transformation and SUCH a nice one for him to see that although he has to work, he does not have sacrifice his family life for it. I have not seen him so relaxed about going back to the corporate world as he is now.

We have also along this journey know the people that are really truley there for you...again another lesson learned. And for the friends who have supported us and are heartfelt over him losing his job I'am thankful.

The house is 75% packed, my father arrives next week to help drive one of the rental trucks back to Ma for our 20+ hour drive. I swear if we get through this I'am going to write a book.

I'am so proud at how the kids are all taking this in stride, granted some days do have the challenges more so with Melissa as she is really starting to make some good friends, she made the girls basketball team so for her its going to be the hardest.

Jordan is very happy to see all his old friends but has also gained such confidence this year being on the High honors list for second term is HUGE for him, and he has worked and focused hard to get there and I feel for him and hope he can maintain that once he starts back home.

The younger children they are pretty go with the flow, Mallory is going to miss the neighbor girl across the street.... but is going back to her Best Buddy back home and thats ALL we have heard about for weeks now.
Makenna also is really anxious to see her friends and Jarrett I'am such an emotional wreck over as he has grown SO much since starting Pre-K , his teachers adore him and I'am going to be so sad to leave them for taking such good care of my little guy.

But I cant tell you how excited I'am to see our oldest daughter Meghan and our grandbaby!! I think it must have been a sign when I would have daily dreams about waking up and driving to all the places I used to have to go everyday....maybe it was Gods way of telling me that we should not have left.

We are spending Thanksgiving over our friends house whom also moved down here in Georgia from Massachusetts to work and we are really going to miss them. They are cooking dinner for us and its going to be a nice day.

As difficult as things seem at times I'am very Thankful and wish all my family and freinds Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. I hope everyone takes a moment to really think about the people they have in their lives and be truley grateful.