Fall Break

I might very well lose my mind in the next few days! Today was the first day of fall break and the kids are already driving me crazy!! The boys have fought all day long!
I do have a list about 3 pages long of things that I would like to accomplish over the weekend...we will see if I get any of it done.
The High School game is on Thursday this week because of fall break and Trace does not have a game this, so that is nice. Dawson had his last soccer game on Monday, I am very happy about that. I can now breathe a little!! LOL!!
We had parent teacher conferences on Monday and all the boys are doing great! They all have good grades and got excellent reports. Dawson recently won the Caring Kid award...he was the only one in his class to get it, he was given a little medal, a gift certificate for a movie rental and his picture was in the paper.
It has been rainy here since Monday and it is getting cold! I had to turn our heat on yesterday...yuck!!

Homecoming pics

Homecoming was on Friday. I am not sure why, but we were scheduled to play the #1 team in the state (in our class)....so the game was pretty ugly!! The final score was 40-0! There is always a parade downtown in the afternoon and a pep rally following.

Trace rode on a float with his team and Dawson and Trenton rode on the float with Dustin and the High School team.

Trinity...clapping as the band went by

Here is Trace on his float

Dawson and Trenton

The kids had a lot of fun! They love to be around the football team and Coach Gale (the head coach).....and of course they love being with their daddy!

Trace's team played on Thursday night, but he was unable to go because he was sick. His team lost 7-0.

Been a long week!!

The flu has made it's rounds at our house! It started last Friday with Dawson and has made it's way through the whole family now except for Dustin.
I have not been able to go to work for a week now! I have been stuck at home cleaning up messes, shampooing carpets and furniture, scrubbing toilets and bleaching everything!! It has been pretty miserable. All the kids have had to miss school this week along with soccer games, football practice and probably a football game tomorrow night. Trace is really ill right now so I do not think there is any way that he can play football tomorrow night.
Our family has never been this sick before....it has been passed around and around. I was also told that there were a lot of kids out at Trenton and Dawson's school....about 30! So I guess it is making it's way around town.

I haven't been able to get on to update about last weeks games. Dustin's team had to go to Hobart, which is about 3 hrs away....they won! I couldn't go b/c I had sick kids so I listened to it on the radio.

Trace's team lost...again! They played well, the other team was just better.....and a lot BIGGER!!

This week is Homecoming...so Trace and Dustin will both be on floats in the parade. The team that we are playing is #1 in the state....so I have a feeling we are going to get spanked. So it will probably be a long weekend at my house!

A little survey

I got this from Heather-kinda fun

1.What is your occupation right now? I actually have a few...lol! Secretary, Mortgage broker, UCL demonstrator

2.What color are your socks right now? not wearing socks

3.What are you listening to right now? Hinder

4.What was the last thing that you ate? cinnamon roll

5.Can you drive a stick shift? Yep! My first 2 cars were 5-speeds

6.Last person you spoke to on the phone? Susan

7.Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes!!

8.How old are you today? 27

9.What is your favorite sport(S) to watch? college football...GO SOONERS!

10.What is your favorite drinks? Dr. Pepper

11.Have you ever dyed your hair? Yep...not real sure what my natual color is anymore

12.Favorite food? anything Italian

13.What is the last movie you watched? Cast Away on tv last week

14.Favorite day of the year? Christmas Day (I love to see how excited the kids get)

15.How do you vent anger? keep it inside

16.What was your favorite toy as a child? Teddy Ruxpin

17.What is your favorite season? Spring

18.Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries

19.Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? hoping to catch up with everyone on my blog roll

20.Who is the most likely to respond? not sure

21.Who is least likely to respond? not sure

22.Living arrangements? in a little rental house with my husband and 4 kids

23.When was the last time you cried? last week

24.What is on the floor of your closet? hangers, shoes, a couple of boxes

25.Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? not sending it to anyone

26.What did you do last night? took kids to bible study/football practice, worked for a while and went to bed early

27.What are you most afraid of? something happening to my kids

28.Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? cheese

29.Favorite dog breed? English bulldogs

30.Favorite day of the week? Saturday

31.How many states have you lived in? 3-Kansas, South Dakota and Oklahoma

32.Diamonds or pearls? diamonds

33.What is your favorite flower? Daisies

Busy Busy Busy

Boy it sure feels like I do not have any free time lately!

Dustin's football game on Friday was moved to Saturday due to highways being closed from flooding. They played on Saturday at 2:00 and we lost! They played Blackwell and as long as Dustin has been a coach (6 years) they have never lost to them. It was pretty ugly!! The final score was 28-7.

Trace had his first football game on Thursday, they lost too. The final score was 14-7. It rained the whole time so we were soaked!! It was Dustin's birthday so we went out to eat afterwards.

Dawson has had a couple of soccer games. He is doing great, he has scored a couple of goals and he played goalie one game and didn't let the other team score on him.

They are all enjoying school and all their other activities....we are staying really busy though!!

9/11

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing this day in 2001? I remember it like it was yesterday, I remember every detail about the whole day. Sept 11 is Dustin's B-day and the attacks happened on his 21st B-day. I was in class (I didn't know a lot of people so I pretty much kept to myself) and I heard people talking about an airplane crash, I wasn't sure of the details though. After class I went home and Dustin was watching the t.v. and we saw the second plane hit.....I was horrified. Then hearing about the other planes that were not accounted for, I kept wondering what was going to happen next. I couldn't believe this was happening to our country. We are the United States of America, we are supposed to be might and powerful, we should not be broken like that.
We were supposed to be getting everything ready for a bar-b-que but instead we were both glued to the tv.
Our friends and family came over that evening to celebrate Dustin's birthday, but it just didn't feel right. After everyone left we were back watching the news channels. I didn't hardly sleep at all that night....or that week.
I still watch shows and documentaries that are on tv about 9/11 and I always cry. I personally did not know anyone that was killed that day. But knowing that so many fellow Americans were killed.....they were someone's mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter....it breaks my heart.
I am very proud to be an American and I love this country with all my heart, we are so blessed in so many ways.
I just ask that God be with the survivors, I am sure it does not get any easier on them from year to year.

Battle Wounds

As I have mentioned...Trace is playing football this year. I was not crazy about the idea....I love football, but he is so small!! He is the smallest kid on the team, weighing in at 65 lbs. The first few weeks he took a beating....he even said several times he wanted to quit. We have a rule at our house.....there is NO quitting something after you have started....but I wanted to let him quit. Dustin said NO WAY. So he stuck it out and he is now enjoying it. He has started to really enjoy punting and doing kick-off's....he is the back up kicker.....he has even asked to go to practice early so he can get some extra kicking practice before everyone else gets there. This makes me happy b/c a week ago I would cry after I dropped him off b/c he was crying so hard. I felt horrible, like I was sending him into a battle zone and he didn't even stand a chance. He ended up with some nasty bruises....I took these pics after 5 days...and they still look horrible.

This is his arm...it has bruises all over it, but this was the worst

And this is his neck...you can't see it really well...but it was black and blue

These are the worst bruises he has had so far....but the season has just started!!

Another Blog for UCL

I have started another blog for my Uppercase Living business. I am really excited about it! I will be displaying photos, having contests, giving ideas on where to buy supplies, etc. I just started it this afternoon so there is not much there yet, but you can check it out at http://tiffanyucl.blogspot.com

In other news, Trace has his first football game on Thurs, which is also Dustin's B-day....so we will be traveling to Enid to watch him play (it is going to be a long day). Dawson had his first soccer game last night...and it was FREEZING!! It is crazy how the weather here turns on a dime. Almost forgot, Dustin had his first football game last Friday and they won 28-0!! I was unable to go, it was the first home game in Dustin's 6 years of coaching that I have had to miss. Trinity was not feeling well and it was COLD! So I stayed home and listened to it on the radio.

We have a busy week ahead of us, 2 soccer games, 2 football games, and a lot of practices..lol!

So it begins....

You would think that year after year I would be prepared for the busiest season of all...FALL....but once again I am not. Dustin has football practice every evening, games every Friday and film on weekends. Trace has football practice (yes...tackle football) 3 times a week and games every Thursday, and all his games are out of town (1 hr away). Dawson has soccer practice 1-2 times a week and 2-3 games a week. I am really happy that Trenton wanted to sit out this year, he did not want to play soccer....which makes it a little easier on me.
It is only week 2 and I am pooped! I am wondering how I am going to make it through this season. I was looking at my planner (yes I carry a planner..everywhere) and it is so full.
I am beginning to think that my plate is a little too full.
Besides the kids and their sports....I have many jobs...lol!
1. Secreatary at the University
2. At home agent for an internet company (I answer calls for them in the evening a few nights a week)
3. Licensed Mortgage broker and Insurance agent
4. Uppercase Living demonstrator
5. I sell on E-Bay and Amazon
6. I also work every other weekend as a clerk at a Convenience store
I am currently doing all these in addition to being the head cook, taxi driver, housekeeper, and dry cleaner.
When I write it all out it seems like even more...lol.
I am starting to debate hiring a house cleaner to come in a couple hours a week to help me out.....and the kids have been doing their chores....suprisingly it is working well so far! But I still feel like our house is a mess all time.
I think that I need to trim out a few things...just not sure where to begin!

Doing housework with Trinity

Well that was interesting! For some reason today she took an interest in the vaccum....she hasn't before, and I don't think she will again.
The whole time I am vaccuming the kitchen she is following me around and tripping over the cord and getting tangled up in it.
While I am vaccuming the steps she climbs through my legs to the top and sits there and waits. When I get to the top I take the hose and put it on the bottom of her foot....she laughs.....I do it again....she again laughs....she then tries to touch it......it sucks up her WHOLE ARM. Yes her whole arm goes up the vaccum hose. She is screaming....I am trying to get to the bottom of the stairs to shut it off....I fall on my butt down about 4 stairs! I reach the vaccum and get it shut off....she calms down. So I go to finish the stairs, I am still working on the top of the staircase, well she decides to climb down the stairs going through my legs. All the sudden I feel a jerk....hear a couple of thuds followed by a scream. I look down she is hanging upside down about 4 steps up from the bottom with the cord wrapped around her waist and leg.
I get her untangled and she goes about her way....and did not come near the vaccum again.

I am putting them to work

I have decided that I can not do all the household chores anymore! Working part-time at the University, e-bay on the side, and running all the kids to and from all their activities is A LOT for one person to handle....so I am going to delegate some of my household chores to the boys!

I can already hear the whining and groaning about this one. I am trying to think of a creative way to put it so that they might think it is fun. I know....it is a long shot, but a girl can hope can't she!

That is my project for this evening....to come up with some sort of chore chart for the boys!

Wish me luck!

The Canaan's

Here we are!

This is Dustin and I

This is Trace

Here is Dawson

And Trenton

My baby girl Trinity

Let me tell you about me

Well.....my name is Tiffany and I am a wife to Dustin (who is a teacher and a coach) and mother 3 boys Trace (10), Dawson (6), Trenton (5) and 1 baby girl Trinity (1). I was born and raised in a small town in KS and currently live in a small town in OK.

I have a Business Degree, but have chosen to stay at home with my kids for the last 3 years, to me it was more important to be here with them. This year my youngest son started going to school all day so I took a part-time job at a University. I still get to take them to school everyday, pick them up and attend all their activities. My baby girl stays with my best friend, who owns a daycare. It was hard for me to put her into daycare, but it is nice to get out of the house for 20 hrs a week and be with other adults. For the last 3 years most of my adult interaction has been with my friends that I have met online.

We have an extremely busy life.....I feel like I live in total chaos 24/7!! As I mentioned my husband is a coach, he is the defensive coordiator for the High School football team and the head high school baseball coach. From the months of Aug-May I do not see him hardly at all and I can not depend on him for anything. I am on my own as far as the kids go....school, sports, activities, etc!

Trace is 10 years old and he is in 5th grade. He is very smart and shy. He plays football, basketball, soccer and baseball. (forgot to mention that Dustin is his baseball coach in the summer too). He enjoys playing the Wii, riding his ripstick and playing with his friends. He is in our church youth group and 4H.

Dawson is 6 years old and is in 1st grade. He is very loud and rowdy! He it a ball of energy. He plays soccer and baseball. He will be able to play football in 2 more years and I can't wait...I think it will be a good way to burn off all that energy! He likes to ride his bike, play his gameboy, and play with his friends.

Trenton is 5 years old and is in Kindergarten. He is very quiet, shy and lovable. He plays soccer and T-ball. He loves school, riding his bike, and going to grandma's farm.

Trinity just turned 1 in June. She is growing too fast for me. She is definitely the boss of the house. Her brothers love her and spoil her!! She is so fun and entertaining.

I spend most of my time with the kids, but in my free time I like to scrapbook.

There are is a long list of things that I want to learn how to do...such as make professional looking cakes and baked goods, sew, learn more about photography and gardening....the list goes on and on! Someday I hope to accomplish my list.