Back To My Roots...

They say that life usually comes full circle and on the evening of my 39th Birthday it most certainly did.

My blogging days were done. After a year of forcing myself to blog for the sake of blogging, I left that part of me behind and started a new chapter. My blogging became a focus of the next best thing, numbers, SEO's and hypocrisy made something that I love turn into something that I dreaded. Funny how that works right?

Then today in Bi-lo, after picking up my daughter from work and needing sugar for my morning coffee.... it hit me. I had words that I needed to write.... But it wasn't that easy. My blog was gone. Deleted from cyberspace. My domain was gone, my name was gone, my writing was gone. Gone. POOF... Gigi's Place didn't exist.

I'm not sure the help desk was prepared for me. Whining and crying that I needed it back. I had things I had to write... and how could 7 years of heartfelt words vanish? But they did... And I let it happen. I was at a point where I could not even bear to renew my domain name and through my season of needing to hide, two years of my work went with it....

I couldn't cry. It wasn't a moment that could produce tears, but the sadness was deep. Oh the saddness of The early years when I poured my heart out for no one and wrote about my new house that was being built...The new baby girl that we were going to have... and the kitty we just bought. Back when blogging wasn't a household term and back when my view wasn't jaded....

As I drove home, totally deflated it hit me.... Wait, I still had SOMETHING!! I had THIS. The Gap Girl!! Remember her? I quickly pulled up my own domain and their I was.. smiling and a few pounds thinner. Waiting...Patiently waiting for me to come back. To be done with this silliness of business blogging and to come back home to the safe place she once was...

I find it ironic. I left this blog almost exactly 2 years ago. With big dreams and plans....and now I am back... my past 2 years gone. As if they never existed... I came full circle, back to my roots. Back to my heart. Where I wrote to just write. And I didn't care who read it. I never check my stats and don't worry about comments...because that's not why I started this to begin with.

Today is my 39th Birthday. And here I am, accidentally given the best birthday gift ever. I was taken back. Back where life was good and thoughts were pure. God has a way of doing that. He's a funny guy isn't he? I kinda like Him. Things happen, we panic and in the end, He works things out for OUR GOOD! And oh how good it feels to be back. And Oh how I have missed you....Have you missed me?

XoXo,
GiGi

HI!! GiGi's Place has MOVED!!

I moved over to another place thats beautiful and perfect and waiting for YOU!

Some COME ON OVER and Say Hi!!!

www.Gigisplace9.com

XoXo

GiGI

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

HELLO DEAR FRIENDS....

Please hang in there for a couple of days... While my blog visits the salon for a complete makeover!!

I am working quickly to get her up and ready for this weekend!!!!

Well. as quick as I can with 7 kids and a travel business... HA!

But, I PROMISE ....

IT WILL BE WORTH IT...

COME BACK SOON AND STAY TUNED...

XOXO

GIGI

Wing night.

**This is NOT an advertisement or review post. All opinions are my own and I was not reimbursed  by Tyson in any way!**

Every Saturday night, after the little kids are tucked in bed, our oven is turned on to precisely 375 degrees. Our screen door is unlocked and the night is ready to begin. By 8 pm, Cuncle Neal walks in and wing night begins!

Wing night is a tradition in our house. It's Facebook famous. Everyone knows, that on Saturday night, our little red house is ALIVE with laughter and the smell of WINGS!

But what people don't know is WHY we have it or how its started... And many would never guess in a million years WHAT type of wings we use.

Over the years, I have received private messages asking about our night... Or when friends realize we made other plans, our Facebook blows UP with friendly reminders of what we were SUPPOSED to be doing....

But for the most part, Saturday night is ALWAYS wing night.

It started almost 3 years ago. Neal was going through some tumultuous time in his life and would swing by our house to just relax and talk. His week was filled with late nights at the office, so after errands on Saturday, he would come by...

I would dig thru our freezer and pop anything we could in the oven and we would just hang out... Sometimes not ending the night till 2 in the morning...

The next week, my phone would ring and it was Neal...

" Hey, you guys doing anything this Saturday night?"

" nothing why..."

"Well, wanna hang out again? Last week was so much fun.."

YES. 

Every week my phone would ring and the same conversation would go on. Hubby had recently discovered that Tyson made a great buffalo style wing, so he bought a bag and we made it. We all agreed it was great BUT, THE CONSISTENCY was off. So Neal suggested we just cook it longer...

And we did.

And out came the most perfect wing. Crispy on the outside and soft chicken on the inside. We oohed and ahhed and ate it all. With a generous side of ranch and sour cream.

3 years later and wing night has become our thing. We exchange funny family stories, tell jokes and chat about the week we had. We laugh at the most stupidest things and then in the next breath, serious topics are thrown around.

While always... always eating our wings!

Our theology discussions are the best. We are all so strong in our faith and love to study the bible and analyze Moses and Abraham.... Around Easter we discussed the disciples. Creation, evolution, rapture, pre-mid-post trib, politics, parables, theories... You name it, we have discussed it... And always leave the table in complete awe of who God is.

Over the years we have perfected the exact crispy crunch of the wings outer layer. Spray Pam works the best on a cookie sheet and by the time the smell carries thru the house, its time to flip them.

Different seasons in our life sometimes brings wing night gaps but before long, one of us gears the other back on track...right where we are supposed to be.

When we are mad or sad or having a bad day, we know we need a wing night. A night to blow off steam, get things off our chest and relax. It's great to reconnect after a long week to re-connect over some perfectly cooked Tyson wings.

I'm not sure where life will lead all of us. Will we always live in our Little Red House? Or live around the corner from our cousin? One day Neal will get married and have a family and wing night just might not make the cut.... But for now we will cherish each and every night together. And make memories that I hold dear in my heart. But for now A bag if wings always remains in my freezer.... And at 7:30, as the littles make their way up the stairs, they know to unlock the screen door to let Cuncle Neal in for Wing night!

An OLD Wing Night Post...

XoXo,

GiGi

Our Easter Story...

HAPPY EASTER

I can't believe its already April. I just got used to writing March on the schoolboard.  My calendar is still on March.. but its April...

And that means WARM weather!

And since today is Monday... and its Spring break...

We will celebrate by playing outside in the 70 degree weather. What better way right??

A nice quiet Monday to recover from a crazy hectic Easter weekend.

Good Friday we had off of co-op, so I spent the day grocery shopping and buying items for our big Easter dinner. We invited hubby's parents over, Cuncle Neal and for dessert, Michelle and her crew.

Plus the fact that my cubbards are bare... made for a very very busy day of shopping, unloading, unpacking and cleaning.

Then that evening, I took the oldest 3 girls out to finish all those little things that I forgot to buy, which led to a trip to Walgreens... and for some reason, we tend to LIVE at Walgreens. Seriously.

They really should give us our own parking space...

Right near the red box preferably.

Afterwords, after the kids went to bed, and the teens took over the tv, we snuck to Neals house to hang out at his home recording studio. I tried to refrain myself from wanting to record the next record breaking hit!!

But knew the world wasn't ready for this amount of awesome-ness yet

*wink*

( I really can't sing a lick!)

But soon Saturday approached and the cooking commenced. Meat sauce, lasagna, jello, pudding pie, string bean casserole and a whole lotta mess!

But once I got the kitchen back to looking presentable, we headed outdoors to enjoy the warm day. Our kids were already running amuck up and down the block so it only made sense to join them!

Which led to an impromptu street party with Michelle and John and the in-laws who rode in on a very shiny Harley...

And made all the babies cry...

But that's another story!

We followed them back to their house for a BBQ dinner of burgers and hot dogs...

And the evening was perfect. Crickets in the woods behind their house...

Kids laughing in the sunset...

Yeah, it was good!

But time to go home where Neal awaited us with 2 bags of wings!!

( Have I mentioned that I am desperate for another girl to come to wing night?? As in a wife for Neal?? Hanging with 2 guys and being outnumbered is killin me!!!)

Easter baskets were assembled while the wings cooked and eggs dyed all sorts of pastel colors. My father-in-law joined in on the fun for a while until it was way past his bedtime and he headed home...

Five minutes later we lost power...

completely! The whole neighborhood did. After the sirens went off, we knew it was an accident. My teenagers came downstairs to hang out with me while hubby and Neal went out exploring...

Freaking each other out with weird faces

But 20 minutes later, the excitement ended and the lights went on.

Easter was filled with even more excitement.

Easter baskets were opened, egg hunt accomplished and candy was eaten for breakfast (yuck.)

Then off to church half of us went...

(Noah and the babies stayed home with hubby due to a sour tummy.)

I loved the feeling in the air at church. The anticipation of celebrating the most important event in Christian history...

Our Easter play was fabulous. Even my older girls commented that this was the best.one.yet!

Then our Little Red House started filling up with family. Kids ran in and out and we ate ourselves sick...

Then cleared the table and added dessert...

and ate some more.

I don't think we ever left our big wooden table for very long. We all just sat around and laughed and laughed and enjoyed the day.

It was perfect. Celebrating Jesus's ultimate sacrifice of LOVE

By loving others and serving them in our home.

Exactly what life is about....

And after a few rounds of Zumba on the Wii...

I collapsed into bed...

Utterly and purely exhausted.

But it was GOOD!

How was yours?

XoXo

GiGi

Infertility..

*** Welcome to INFERTILITY FRIDAY: Supporting a friend thru secondary infertility and beyond. If your new, catch up HERE! ***

Last Thursday was the day!! The day those tiny 2 little embryos would be re-united with their Mama.

It was going to happen at exactly 11 A.M on Thursday March 21st!

I refrained myself from jumping in the back seat like an excited little puppy and trusted them to fill me in one every.single.detail.

It would be a quick procedure... and be followed by a weekend of lots of rest!

The proud parents

After the procedure, they were handed their very first picture of their two babies...

Proud Mama M and her chick-lets

 Later that evening, I ran across the street and up her stairs to say Hi! There she was, resting in bed surrounded by magazines and books... with a big 'ol smile.

She had her babies and was as happy. Like any proud mom, she showed me their first pictures and we oohhed and ahhed over how cute they were...

And decided that the baby on the left was a girl because she blasted first... and we all know girls are quick like that ;)

And her twin was a boy!

We talked about where their crib would go and if they would have blonde hair like one of their sisters...

And we joked on how the family would finally cross over into the "large family" world.

Exactly where they were put in... 

As I was sitting up in her bedroom chatting with her, I got a text from Jason's step-mom asking how Michelle was doing. She too has been following her journey and praying for the best. I sent her this picture...

When I saw my Mother in Law the next day, she clapped her hands excitedly and said...

"I never knew twins from birth. It will be nice to see them grow up.."

They will get to know my Aunt Diana and soon realize that a trip to her house means lollipops and banana bread...

And that their close friends live right across the street in the Little Red House. They don't even have to knock to come in because they visit so often...

 Good 'ol crazy Cuncle Neal lives on the next block... The ever present good sport whenever the kids play ding dong ditch or leave food to rot on his front porch just for fun...

Their other friends in Alabama... the way older ones that come for the summer...

They are fun to hang out with too...

And we can't forget Cindy... Aunt Cindy who comes to visit at The Little Red House. She brings their friend Ashlyn to play and the moms all stay up late laughing and yelling at the kids to go outside. She is an expert in make-up and all things shiny. She is FUN!...

And last but not least Grandpa Dennis...

Yeah, He is great to have around when the ice cream man comes cause he will buy ice cream for the WHOLE BLOCK!!!

He is the Grandpa of my friends over in The Little Red House

Yup, We love these little babies already and know they are going to have a great life... We will be the family they don't have living here, with enough arms for hugs and kisses...

No matter when they come or how long we get to know them...

They ARE loved!

Theres a whole big world waiting for them here!!

So today... we wait to find out if she is pregnant.

And we CELEBRATE! We celebrate their LIFE Now and in the future...

** To be continued...**

Xoxo,

GiGI

Schooling With Little Ones... A Daily Lesson In Patience...

I often am asked... " how the heck do you homeschool with so many kids?" And I hear... " I could never homeschool, I just don't have the patience for it..."

Thanks exactly what came across my mind when I first heard the call to homeschool. In early 2008 as my kids were happily attending public school, I felt God leading me towards schooling them at home. I fought and fought and in the end, I'll give you two guesses who won?!

I don't fit the Homeschooling mold. I hate denim skirts, have acrylic nails and love me some make-up.

I also didn't have a stitch of patience.

I mean... when was I going to get my time?

 For the love of sweet corn, I needed

M-Y T-I-M-E.

But like water on a rock, God gently kept at me. Slow and steady won this race and when He kept on asking me if I could fulfill Deut 6: 6-9...

 My honest answer had to be No.

For me, if they continued to attend public school absolutely not. Fifth grade brought tons of homework and with an early rise, it was early to bed. Not to mention splitting myself 5 ways ( I only had 5 kids at the time) for the 3 hours they were home and awake was impossible..

Every Day as I gave God VERY GOOD reasons why homeschooling my own children would be an epic fail...

He kept nicely showing me this verse. I tripped over this verse, ate this verse, dreamt about this verse...

I couldn't get away from this darn verse!!!

And I didn't have one stitch of peace in my life till I waved my white flag and told God YES! I WILL homeschool... and prove how WRONG he was for asking me in the first place...

5 years have passed and I never ever have regretted my decision. I mean, I have plenty of days where I just KNOW God must be up in heaven laughing at me... But in the end, when I am beaten down without tears left to cry, he pours Grace right into me and I'm ready to go.

He never promised it would be easy but the rewards would be endless. Since my decision, I had 2 pregnancies, 2 miscarriages and added 2 babies to our family... Challenging any type of schedule I ever tried to have.

But most of the days, we accomplish what needs to be done and call it a day.

Over the years, through some tough trial and error... I have become a little... and I stress little more seasoned... I have a 10th grader, 8th grader, 3rd grader, 1st grader, Kindergartener and a toddler... and for kicks... the baby! A very cute and noisy 7 month old....So for anyone out there that thinks they might be interested, wonders how I do it, wonder how YOU can ever do it or have done it...

This is for you!

1) School when is best for YOU... for us, that is mornings. I know that if the work is not done by lunchtime ( with the exception of reading) it just will not get done.

2) Plan plan plan. I will never ever win any type of organization award nor can I ever preach on the subject, but I DO know, when I take time to review the next days lessons the night before... The next day goes MUCH sooner. The key is, actually doing it... ( gulp)

3) Keep toddlers busy. My 2 year old KNOWS when I am craving silence to school and THAT'S when she screams the loudest. It must be some built in survival thing, but it gets me nuts QUICK... but thankfully, I have an ipad and usually with one swish of the finger, she can be tracing letters, singing and learning without even knowing it ( and being quiet too!!!)

4) Have the older kids help!! I am blessed enough to have teenage girls to help me out when the baby won't stop crying and i just HAVE to explain multiplication for the THIRD time to my daughter... since both teenage girls work independently at an online school, they take turns... whichever one is free at the time goes on baby duty and they switch with each other when necessary... its never really long. Just enough to get thru a lesson or two or finish explaining a new concept.

**But before you get too jealous of my current situation... remember, it took me a LONG time to get to this point and there was a time that I had 5 kids 9 and under.... so being able to breathe a bit is very well earned..**

5) If tears appear (and they will) just stop! Close the book, walk away and revisit at a later time. Someone or both of you are losing their patience and getting frustrated and a break is needed. Learning a new concept while damaging a relationship is just.not.worth.it. The world won't end. Take a recess, go out and play and continue on with the school day. Revisit THAT area tomorrow.

6) Last but never ever least... Never compare your behind the scenes to someones highlight reel...

We all have bad days, unfinished days, frustrated days and days they just KNOW they are not cut out for this... its NORMAL! Anyone who says its not either never honeschooled or is flat out lying.. I can't begin to tell you the times I have just cried to my husband about what a failure I was, only to have him gently remind me of MY mission statement for my kids... and then after falling asleep DURING in prayer, God pours his grace into me and I awaken with a fresh start.

If I wasn't homeschooling my children, I would be working... I would be challenged at something I don't normally do... so whats the difference?? Why would I pour myself into something... a career, promotion, raise, transfer... when I can do the same with my kids??? With a MUCH better eternal outcome. I see no better use of my time then to dedicate my life to future members of society.

So for all you moms out there that are feeling the call to homeschool but don't think you qualify??

 You don't qualify...

 None of us do. But God never calls the qualified... He qualifies the called.... and its through His grace and love do we ultimately see the light at the end of the tunnel...

Oh and P.s. I get plenty of my time... but since the relationship with my kids have grown so close, I often drag a few of them with me when its time to get my time.

Ironic huh??

XoXo,

GiGi

Christmas in March......

I love books. I love the smell of books. The feel of books. Turning the stiff new pages of the books. I can't get enough of BOOKS! Especially new ones. Bookstores make me giddy. Its no surprise that I have several bookshelves filled with books and some in the garage too....

And may even be adding a small bookshelf to the kitchen to catch all the overflow of the books from my other rooms...

As far back as I can remember, books have always been my thing. I was never super smart or nerdy... but I loved getting lost in the world of my books.

Im also a hater of change, which is why I have been unable to handle or accept switching over to online reading devices....

although, they are lovely little pieces of modern machinery... I just can't even think of not turning the literal PAGE of a book...

I know, I have to get with the times... but did I mention how long it took me to drop the 35 mm film??

Yeah, That's a whole OTHER blog post.

So, its no surprise that I passed my love of books onto my children. My oldest is very overprotective of her books. NO creasing the binding. NO bent corners and dont EVER...E-V-E-R borrow a book and return it in less shape....

Oh my word...

Last week, I placed a very large homeschooling book order AND Scholastic book order online and havent slept a wink since...

Ok, maybe a few winks but i can assure you that my new books consumed my thoughts.

Is that wrong? Don't judge k?

I tracked and tracked until the shipment day arrived....

And when they showed up on my lil front porch...

* OH GLORY *

New math books and writing books. Sight word Bingo and rhyming books...

ALL FOR ME!!!! MY KIDS!!

It was like Christmas in March!

My kids were super excited as well.... (until i open the books to begin school.)

I Also wanted to share with you some of my FAVORITE homeschooling treasures.

For Math we use HORIZONS Math. I have a K5 a 1st grader and a 3rd grader I'm using them for. I just adore the bright colors, the easy learning style and repetitive practice. New concepts don't overwhelm them and they quickly move onto something else to give them a break... but each concept is re-visited in other lessons to re-enforce learning. These books ALWAYS grace my school table

Another book I love is The " Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons." I have taught Molly how to read with this book, as well as Noah and I'm going through it with my Kindergartener right now. I pair this book up with the EXPLODE THE CODE series... ( once they get past lesson 20.) and they really take off with spelling and reading sight words. The funny sentences and pictures in the Explode the Code books really keeps them laughing....

We just started the Draw Right Now series. We will incorporate a bit of art with copywriting. Practicing penmanship is important, even in a computer dominated world. I don't focus on the Art aspect as they take creative art classes in their co-op and have for the last 2 years. But its fun to see them creat and learn at the same time. But the Draw Right Now series teaches them how to draw the picture correctly step by step. We are starting with Book 1 and might even continue with this thru the summer....

The kids take science in their co-op but we also do a bit at home as well. I use Alpha-Omega Life-packs Third Grade... enough to stimulate my 3rd grader but the 1st and k can still follow and learn as well. We just finished a series on the Body and yesterday we started Plants!! Its perfect since we are growing our own vegetable garden and they will be tending to it all spring and summer long. Yesterday we pulled up roots from the ground and placed them under the microscope to study them. We drew what we saw and We learned the uses for them and why they are important to the life of a plant. The experiments are easy to follow and we have most of the materials needed...

But those are my favorite books that we use. We have others that we use for Language arts and various books we read from for History, but they are not on my favorite list YET!! Im still nailing Down the PERFECT books for them...

What are your favorites? I love to discuss what other homeschoolers use and why.... helps me see things differently and explore ALL options...

XoXo,

GiGi

S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D

Whoever created the saying 

"I'm too blessed to be stressed" 

obviously has never ever tried to have an active blog with 7 kids! Especially being barely able to do the most basic computer functions!

And especially has never tried to re-do the blog to make it look semi-presentable with pictures that ACTUALLY fit... IF you know what Im sayin...

So please excuse my blessed mess while I adjust and tweak a few things around.

My awesome cousin and incredible hubby spent wing night helping me...

Well, actually, I cleaned up the kitchen and kept the wings coming and they worked behind their screens. Don't mind the mess on the counters. I won't lie... that's how it always looks. (Sometimes worse.) Keepin it real folks... Just keepin it REAL!.....

And tonight I will relax in my recliner and play around with my new domain while watching The Bible on DVR!

Our weekend was pretty low key which fit the weather perfectly. With constant rain, who wants to go out anyway???

Today Grandpa came to the rescue and took the kids (sand Penny and Caleb) to his house for the afternoon and then invited us over for dinner. SCORE!

Napping babies + quiet house = Time for Momma to catch up on her 25 page to-do list. One of them being my poor, neglected blog.

But Im excited for the finished product!... well, the FIRST finished product. The SECOND and final finished product will come later in the year... but Im still excited.

Maybe then will I be able to finally tackle Mt. Laundry and the Valley of the dirty dishes...

Just maybe...

How was your weekend??

XoXo,

GiGi

- XoXo GiGi

Morning Coffee On Main...

I love my city.

Its precious in every single way. 

I adore supporting the businesses Downtown...

And I Love showing friends and family WHY this City is so loved.

So I was super excited when my hubby told me that he was taking me out on Saturday morning for a breakfast date. It was last Monday night and we were up way past our bedtime. Hubby and I were reclined on the couch when he turned to me and asked me if I wanted to go to breakfast this Saturday at a little hotspot downtown.

Of course, I said YES!

And Saturday came and I didn't want to get out of bed. To make matters worse, it was COLD and rainy. Exactly the opposite of what I imagined. No cute sundress... or cute new rhinestone sandals I just bought...

Instead I reluctantly parted with my warm down duvet and picked out a warm winter cardigan.

Our reservation was for 9:30 a.m. so I decided to skip my morning coffee and try theirs... a BIG step for me since I'm a coffee SNOB! I only like ONE brand of coffee, from my coffee pot...

But, everybody deserves a fair chance....

I lined my eyes, dabbed some lipstick and bathed in perfume.

I was ready.

Main street was so quiet. We actually got FRONT street parking. Even the trees looked sleepy. Still recovering from a late night before.  

The hostess had our table ready. Right up front, by the window.  The music was soft and the coffee, freshly brewed.

The rain began to slow down and hubby and I began to chatter..

It was nice to get away. Leave our precious 7 kids safe in their home and venture out to re-connect.

We chatted about The 2 to 1 Conference coming up in three weeks.

We talked about the kids, work and our big DISNEY vacation we have planned for September...

o

And just enjoyed sitting across from one another...

Him and I...

Me and Him...

The way things started over 17 years ago.

I'm a HUGE advocate of date nights. Date days, date afternoons... Date anything.

When  our kids were little, escaping out of the house was hard and seldom done. Babysitters were rare, family wasn't always available and money was tight...

But I believe the older they get, the more date nights need to occur.

Life gets busier, kids get their own life and before long you have come full circle. Back to it being just 

Him and I.

Me and Him.

I don't want to stare across the table and see a stranger.

I want to see my friend. My best friend. The one I did life with...

And cried with...

and loved with...

Hubby and I sneak away as often as possible. Little lunch rendezvous, dinner dates and sometimes just a snack  meet-up around town. And its those times that are the most special to me. When I'm meeting him across the parking lot and he greets me with a smile...

And takes my hand.

And as our fingers touch, I am instantly reminded why I married this man...

In a world that's starving for every bit of your time...

You need to make time.

And I'm so glad we did. 

I will remember this morning as extra special. The quietness of Main Street.

 Our booth by the window and the rain gently beating against the pane...

And my handsome groom sitting across from me, sharing his grits!

Does it get better??

XoXo,

GiGi