Privacy concerns frustrate Facebook.

Facebook claims to have 175 million users. I don't remember what the minimum age requirement is to set up an account , but kids lie about their age, mine did, and so did all of their friends. I didn't catch that at the time, but as I sit here typing that's starting to sink into my brain. Our teens have their own computers . Paul , and I really hate that , but their high school only uses computers - did you catch that ? No books are used. Much of their homework is turned in by computer too. We have a printer that they can hook up to to make paper copies of their work when necessary. I spoke with the technology teachers , and hopefully our kids will be blocked from youtube, and facebook in a couple of weeks.
* Steve Perry's youtube hits will tank after Kate is blocked.
Belinda does tough love, and Kate hates me. :(

Dear creepy facebook leaders,

I feel much better now the you say you have corrected the problem.

Repeat after me..... facebook is goooood.


Dear Mr.Perry, your pants are sooo tight here that I am actually concerned for your personal safety..... Safety never takes a holiday.

Paul, he's mad about me.

Joseph's sick . I made the "jello" , and he took his own temperature.

He said, "Mom," "my temperature says's it's 6.66."
I said, "dude those are some bad numbers", "what's it say when you turn it around?"
99.9
He didn't do that right either. It's at least 102.0 but he talks so much while we take it that we may have to take it the "Old fashion way". You know the way that scars you for life. :0

Don't worry we really wont.

Super bowl Sunday

Okay, so where did I put my "Game Face"? I don't like football, and I am glad that my husband isn't a sports fan, but today we will watch the game. I am also wondering where I put my Janet Jackson " black leather jacket , and my leather shorts :0 (I am totally kidding,) I only wear pleather. (Oh, I am still kidding.) You know the jacket that I'm talking about though , it's perfect for today's party with those special somebodies. (nope not kidding - ooooh, yes I am.)

I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan either which will make for a nice hour of mortification, (The game will only be like an hour long right?)This get together is only made worse by the "Superbowl party foods". Who on Gods green earth doesn't like those little smokey sausages in a crock pot full of grape jelly simmering in nitrates, and those overly salty pretzels with plastic cheese from a can make my blood pressure swoon with delight. If I eat anything with mono sodium glutamate in it I seriously will want to die. Last time I ate that stuff I begged Paul to take me to the emergency room ,but he said no , and that I just had to ride it out. I hope he doesn't say the same thing if I ever have chest pains.

MSG is in most all of the partaaay foods, "planters dry roasted peanuts, Doritos ranch, and nacho cheese chips, and most dips, and also it's in those above mentioned toxic sausages. Satan must love to party, cause his food is killing me. I gotta go- Paul is begging me to find the canned "Rotel" for him. UUUGGGGHHHHH.............

I wish that the Mexicans played football cause then we would have some great food. Oh, and I don't like soccer either. When is Cinco de Mayo?

Our twin daughters at their Catholic high school.

Kate -Is our blond twin she's pictured here in the middle , and Grace our brown haired twin is pictured on the far left. They're here with Sister Mercedes who teaches their theology class. Kate told me that Sister talked to them yesterday about how to remove melted candle wax from their habits. She said that you place the habit onto a cloth then you iron the wax out onto another cloth. Kate said to me, "I hope that sister didn't get burned!" , I said "Kate , she didn't get burned , because she took her habit off first."

The new television programming scheduled for the fall.

of -1968

I am reconsidering our Cemetery walks,

Because stuff happens.

Where will we have our picnics now ?

Kate's test results are back from the lab,

Thanks, and praise to God.

Kate's blood work is now fine.

Katie likes to keep her parents on the edge.

Dear God, Thank you, thank you , thank you.

BTW...God who is raising Kate, is it you ,

or is it Paul , and I ?

Your doing most of the work aren't you?

You are always working for her behind the scenes , by sending

wonderful people to help her.

Please remember all of these people for their kindness.
Especially her teachers who bend over backwards for her ,

and yet she is too immature ,and ungrateful to understand.

Please help her to know you , and to love you.

Please God never forget her even if she should forget about you.

But most importantly please never remove yourself from her.

I would rather you leave me first, and I pray that , that never happens.

Let her always know that she is loved , and wanted -even though we get fed up with her.

Thanks God , Love Belinda

Paul received a "cowboy" outfit for Christmas, and so he rushed to try it on !

This is truer to his personality than the Sonny Bono impersonation was.

Paul can actually pull this look off.

I can't wait to photo shop him into a cockpit of some cool fighter jet.

He would really enjoy that.

The dreaded "Holiday Letter". Paul wrote it ,and he sent out all of the Christmas cards too. Isn't he wonderful !

Joseph is in Kindergarten. He loves everything to do with the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, camo cloths, fire department uniforms and gear, trucks, food, and picking on his sisters, etc.

Rose is in the 4th grade. She loves camping and the outdoors. She also likes to draw, and is currently drawing a picture of the horse “Spirit” from the same movie , and Elizabeth said she would have the animator of the movie sign her drawing for her. She likes anything to do with horses and all the stuff that little girls like. She helps the neighbors take care of their horses.

Maria is in the 6th grade. She has a great since of humor. She loves her cats (3 outdoor cat's) and dogs (3, one that is ours, one that is Sarah’s and one that belongs to the neighbor). It seems like every stray animal in the neighborhood finds Maria. She’s a great cook too, and she also helps our neighbors take care of their horses.

Grace is in the 9th grade and loves her new school. She is busy working on her homework and spends a lot of time on her laptop. She is a talented seamstress and enjoys making clothes. (and she doesn't use patterns either) She’s also a good artist. She likes antique books, especially anything to do with the “prairie” life style.

Kate is in the 9th grade and could not care less about school. She has a great since of humor, and she loves to play on her computer. I found out that she is a pretty good artist when she puts her mind to it. She likes to cook and watch movies. She loves clothes and fashion, and she loves the band “ Journey”…. and "Steve Perry".

Ana is a freshman at College, and she loves the new friends that she's made. She is part of the "Mass Club" , and the "cigar club". (She said that they wear cool vests) and she has found out that it is not as easy as high school. She is the freshman class secretary, and she’s doing great . She thinks that she may want to be a teacher, and she still works at the YMCA as a life guard, and a swimming instructor.

Elizabeth began work on her Masters degree in digital animation. She attends school in Southern California and loves it. She would like to have a little money so she that could do more things though. She has the most fun stories to tell us , about the people in L.A. and the Hollywood types.

Sarah works the night shift at a local lab and has also been working on her Masters degree in Public health. She’s doing great, other than not liking her work schedule . She has to get up at 1:00 AM. Sarah has a boy friend and they plan to marry in 2009. He's a soldier . They may move to Michigan where he will begin a family medicine residency. We are happy she has found the man that she wants to marry and look forward to their new life together.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we are thankful that everyone is home.

The Christmas decorations are up and we have all been busy around the house and we've been out buying gifts. Through all of this, one of my favorite holiday pastimes at the end of the day is to sit and think about the manger and dream about what it would have been like to be there on that most holy night.

From our family to yours, may you have a Christmas filled with joy and peace, and may it be the same peace found in Christ’s nativity , and may he reign our hearts now and forever.

Modern day mortification, and "the clapper."

Our 15 year old daughter Kate wants a clapper for Christmas. I have tried to explain to her that a "clapper" would be a really crappy gift unless your 75-ish, but she still wants one. The problem is that even if she had a "clapper " , she would still leave the light on which would mean that I would have to go all of the way up the stairs to clap the thing off , which wouldn't be any different than me going all of the way up there to flip a switch. I got so frustrated with her for not ever turning off her lights that I finally just took her table lamp. I wonder if she would like some underwear for Christmas instead?

St. Nicholas pray for us, and for my Kate. Dear God , please help me to bring a joyful Christmas to Kate, and to all of our children. I just can't seem to get into it this year.

Modern day mortification -Joseph

I hate taking Joseph shopping. It's the worst. Oh it was fun ,and pleasurable when I carried him in his baby snugly on my tummy- years ago, he loved it too, but then when he got bigger I would tie him onto my back. That was fine until he got even bigger, and could walk, and then run. You know you can't slap your child in public , or ever really ,and I think that's a good thing , but what's a parent to do? I do spank my children , but rarely -Paul doesn't spank them at all, because the children listen to Paul ,and they don't want to disappoint him. With me they couldn't care less. I have found that one well placed spank is enough, but not in public because S.R.S . would be my door greeters when I got home. In public stores my solution is to have Joseph sit in front of the "Revlon" , or "Maybellene" make up display wall. He hates that! That just kills him even though he has begged me many times to put makeup on him in the past , by me creating some sort of fake facial hair or "fire fighter" soot smudges on his face, all very manly stuff of course- but it's still makeup.
I often wonder why God has given me so many children. I am not good enough for them. I have trouble meeting all of their emotional, and intellectual needs. I try so hard though. I am not worthy of these awesome people, and I will be held accountable for all of it, by God himself . What were you thinking God? Sometimes they overwhelm me. One of the times when I have real trouble parenting is when one of them tells me to "shut up". Something freaky happens to me - my eyes roll into the back of my head ,and I begin to speak in tongues, then I shake a little, and then I go blank . I can't remember much else after this occurs. :)

From "Vincenzo" our lovable photoshop ninja master.

Thank you Vincenzo , my kids thought this was hilarious.

I haven't looked this good since..... eight kids ago, sometime back in the 1980's I think.

Hey Paul do these jeans make me look fat? (Paul hates that question.)

I still wear those "Mom" jeans .

P.aul M.ust S.uffer

With a household of women,who are really wonderful people most of the time, every 28 days they turn into monsters. They say things like "your a jerk", "go away you idiot" ,"shut up", etc.. and they throw things. They're moody ,and edgy, and they cry-in harmony. They shoot you a look kinda like a death ray, and we "tip-toe" around them, but then before you know it ,they turn back into their sweet reasonable, lovable selves. Thanks be to God. All the while Paul suffers, and I am not kidding.