Ya Gotta Read This One! - It's a Vivas Thing!

Apr 09 2010

2010 Ultimate Blog Party!

I'll have to admit I'm kind of excited! I woke up this morning, wondering what on earth would I blog about today? Then, I discovered the 2010 Ultimate Blog Party going on at 5minutesforMom.com and thought…oh, that could be fun!

I started "It's a Vivas Thing" a little over a year ago. I'd had many friends and family tell me over and over I should write a book, and so I decided blogging would be the next best thing! I'll never forget sitting there trying to figure out what I'd write, when B-boo started screaming in the shower! A spider had decided to join her and my first ever blog was written!

It's these kind of posts that are really what happens on a constant basis at our house. As my good friend so kindly pointed out to me last night, "Nothing is ever small when it comes to the Vivas's!" In a family of 7, life can be chaotic much of the time! Adding in my niece and nephew to our mix a year ago only added to the chaos fun!

I still find it amazing that others enjoy reading my blog; after all, I really don't think I'm that interesting. Not long after I started blogging, I discovered "We're That Family." I like to read her blog because she makes me laugh…and think. So imagine my surprise after coming home from vacation last year to see my blog had been hit with numerous readers. It took me a moment to figure out why…and then I discovered I'd been added to the "We're THAT Family" with my "Bird, Dogs, and TV Crew" post!

And what's really neat is that my hubby and kids like to read my blog. My family has been so encouraging and supportive, even when I'm writing about them! As a matter of fact, two months ago when I became septic and hospitalized after a minor surgery; unable to even think of touching a computer, it was B-boo who conquered my blog and wrote what was happening. A few blogger herself?

This week also will hold a big moment for "It's a Vivas Thing!" I'm about to hit 10,000 views! I think that's pretty cool! And what better way to celebrate than to join in this blog party!

Can I Share?

Warning: this may turn into a rather long blog!

I am blessed. Not just with an amazingly awesome family, but with friends and a church that mean so much.

As some of you may know, I've had a rather rough year so far. Two months ago, I had a surgery that turned into a long battle. I became septic and have battled that, along with a wound that didn't want to heal and a strength that refused to come back. I went from the queen of energy to not being able to care for myself at all, let alone my family.

But, God has blessed us. Our friends & family were there with us in the hospital, going shopping for us, taking children where they needed to be, bringing meals into our home and getting our children out for a breather when needed. My children have stepped up; taking care of mom, instead of mom taking care of them. And my husband; words cannot express. All I can say is that our marriage has reached a new level! 🙂

A few weeks ago, Easter discussion began. Should we cancel our annual party this year? After much begging from me, we decided to move forward with it. 🙂 After being cooped up in a house for two months except for doctor's appointments, I needed my party!

Friday, my children really stepped up and gave the house a once over! It was wonderful to see them work together and get things done quickly!

Saturday, a couple of sweethearts came over to help with the cooking; which was considerably less since others had volunteered to bring things I usually make! B-boo also helped me put together the dozens of eggs for hiding and the Easter baskets for the next morning.

Tradition has us hiding baskets each year for the kids to find. We get up early and film and take pictures of the kids finding and then raiding, their Easter baskets. This year, hubby had to be at church by 7 am. And he wasn't coming home until shortly before the party started. And you know what? I think this was perhaps the biggest blessing of all. You see, my children weren't so worried about finding their baskets. They were more concerned with helping dad and mom get the little ones ready and going to church. And the little ones didn't complain at all about going to church before they found their baskets.

It wasn't even mentioned.

Not that tradition isn't important. But I will share what an amazing moment I had, when I realized my kids get it. They understand the real reason we celebrate Easter. They understand that while *tradition* is fun, there are just certain things that mean more. And so, we went to church and worshiped and celebrated. It was my first Sunday back, so B-boo kicked me out quickly before I could be caught up in the crowd. She is more like me every day.

And we came home, and they got to work setting up tables and doing the little things that had to wait until the last moment. And it was only after Dad got home that we quickly found our baskets; baskets that are steeped in tradition. The same baskets that Grandma had made for each of them when they were born; the same basket that my oldest son, for the 1st time in 22 years, was not here to receive.

And shortly after, our house was flooded. Flooded with friends that have been there for us for the past two months; for the past year; for the past several years.

We are blessed, indeed. And when we circled up outside for prayer before the feast, I looked around. I was overcome with emotion and tried so hard not to cry as my husband thanked everyone and then asked for the blessing. Our home was brimming; inside and out, with over 80 friends.

They were smiling, laughing, making memories. And it was amazing.

Someone came up to me at one point and commented, "You're not loved are you?"

Her point?

Our house was full. Full of His love; a love most definitely worth sharing!

Jan 18 2010

A Glimpse into Our Family

We're a strange bunch, us Vivas's! I thought I'd give a glimpse into little daily parts of our lives. But where to start? Hmmm.

We like to just hang out. Literally.

We like to have parties that scare our favorite friends. Really.

We're not afraid to take happy pictures! (And some of us look a lot alike!)

We're not afraid of nature…or little critters.

We're not afraid of a little adventure, either.

(Don't you just love the look on their faces?)

We're kind of competitive…(even if it means beating our best friend's little sister!)

…and we like our cousins, especially if we're in the race for our lives!

We are a little afraid of small people with big knives!

Some lessons are painful for us. Literally.

Matching Christmas gifts are cool. Matching personalities even better.

Sometimes.

We take care of each other. Even if it means carrying your sister down a slippery rock.

Some of us are a little weird. She's pretending to eat the iguana rock in the background. It's the blurry thing that she's about to take a bite out of.

Then there are those bonding moments. You know…youngest and oldest, just chillin'

We also have weird pets. This one has a tongue disorder. Can you tell? We convinced the Good Looking One's girlfriend that we had even taken her to the vet and that the name of the disorder was too long to say. She felt so sorry for the poor dog. We finally caved in laughter! (But we really do think she has some unknown tongue disorder!) I really think this picture is priceless though! I mean, what are the chances of catching a shot like this?!

And after a long day of licking…she lays down ON MY PILLOW and crashes.

(In case you're wondering, the weird dog belongs to the girl who likes to pretend she's eating iguana rocks. Don't you think that's a perfect match?)

But the all time funniest picture I have come across is this one.

Seriously. I went to upload pictures onto my computer and found several of these. Not just one, but six or seven. See, my brother bought us a Wii for Christmas. My HUSBAND is addicted. He bowls with his sons almost every night. Before the Wii, he had no interest in video games. Notice the bald head and glasses? That's hubby. Notice the score in 1st place? That's the Smart One. Who had to take a picture and have me upload it to my computer for safe keeping. For proof.

As if the hysterical screaming when he actually scored it wasn't enough!

It'll be interesting to see what 2010 holds for us!

Hopefully, we'll still be smiling. Like this…

Jan 10 2010

Sear’s Repairmen and Goldfish, Part 2

…And there is water every where.

My first thought was, "Lord, please don't let it be the washing machine."

And then I thought, "Lord, please don't let it be the water heater."

And then, I called the Smart One over to help me figure it out. We got out the flashlight and looked up, down, around, over and under. I didn't think it could be the water heater because there wasn't enough water, unless it was a slow leak. But, the water was actually closer to the heater than the washing machine, so I wasn't sure. We ran a rinse and drain and couldn't find the leak, so we finally decided to call hubby. The conversation went somewhat like the other night; only this time, I was the bearer of bad news.

Me: "Hi, honey. You may not want to come home."

Him, "What's wrong?"

Me, "Well, you know how the other night you told me to just go to bed? You might want to do that tonight."

Him, "Why's that?"

Me, "Well, either the washer or the water heater is broke. Regardless, the garage is full of water."

He came straight home and went to work trying to figure it out. And it was; you guessed it, the washing machine! The water was pouring out of the top of the machine, towards the water heater. The new rubber seal was put on incorrectly. I won't tell you what I was thinking, but you can imagine that I wasn't real happy. I called the Sear's repair line and stayed on hold forever, only to get the person that makes you give them all of your information even though you've just told them that you have a warranty, a service number, etc and you don't want to have to repeat the information all over again to a different person. Then, I tell them anyway because after all, they're just trying to do their job, and I'm put on hold once again. After another 15 minutes go by, we're finally connected and none of the information has been passed, so I have to start all over again!

They apologize and say that they can't get anyone over to fix it until Tuesday. (It's Saturday, and I've been waiting since Thursday to wash my clothes.And there are EIGHT people in my house!) It does not matter that there is water in the garage or that I have dirty clothes or that their repair men are incompetent. It does not matter that I am desperate or that the dumb washing machine keeps breaking on me! Apparently, they think by giving me a $10 gift card takes care of the countless hours I've spent waiting for them to fix my machine. And I don't qualify for a new machine, because in order to qualify it has to be the same thing that keeps breaking, not several different things. Yeah, like that makes sense. So…They can't come until Tuesday.

The lady does give me another number and suggests that I call on Monday and see if they can get over to fix it same day, pleading my case. She wants me to call at seven am, central time. That's five am for me, but hey, if it will get my dishwasher fixed a day earlier, I'll do it! Then she realizes that that won't work because their department calls my city's department and if it is five am when I call them, it is also five am for my city's department. Well, duh!

Ok, honestly, this is where it becomes almost comical. She then spends the next few minutes trying to calculate what time I should call on Monday. She's trying to figure it out because there is a two hour time difference and she wants to make sure that my city's office is open when I call. I suggest that I just call at whatever time they open, since I live in the same city. She isn't happy with that answer, because she's still trying to figure out the time difference. HELLO…I am in the same time zone as the office in my city!!! She finally decides that I should call her at 9:30 in her time zone which would be 7:30 in my time zone because by then the office in my city should be open, because they also have a two hour difference. Ok, ma'm, I'll do that.

Do you suppose that they train their repairmen and their customer service people in the same office? Maybe what they really do in their training sessions is teach them 101 Ways to Annoy Their Customers.

At any rate, I finally get off the phone and head upstairs to relax and try and watch a movie after such a day as this.

And then the wailing starts. OH NO PLEASE SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!

Yah, it's the Drama Queen.

"Goldie is dead! I was watching him and he was breathing and then he went upside down and his mouth was doing this (she actually shows me how he was gasping for air) and then it stopped and now he's DEADDDDD!!!"

We are not a callous family, honest. But B-boo had to leave the room before she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Poor Punky had to hold the Drama Queen while she sobbed.

I offered her a hot bath to make her feel better.

And when she left, I quickly told B-boo to have her daddy flush it into Neverland.

He wasn't thrilled because the agreement was that I would do it while they were at church. But hey, the fish was still alive then! He flushed; I tried to appear compassionate.

Hey, at least I didn't make us circle the toilet as we said a few nice things about the fish!

As for the washing machine…we're waiting for part 4 of the continuing drama.

Other Sear's Fiascoes:

Appliances and Repairmen

A New Day

Sear's Repairmen & Goldfish

Sear's Repairmen & Goldfish, Part 2

DMV

Sear's Part 3

Jan 10 2010

Sear’s Repairmen and Golfish

After the week that I'd had, I decided to rise to the occasion on Saturday and make it a great one. I was hoping the repairman would come early so that I could accomplish my mounds of laundry. I was ready for my day! I'd made an omelet for the bowler, a waffle sandwich for the karate boy and was working on turkey bacon for the others.

We managed to get them where they needed to be in the morning and came back to tackle the house. The three little ones and I would clean, clean, clean and have fun doing it We dusted, we vacuumed, we straightened shoes, we mopped.

And of course, there was drama. Chicken Noodle Butt has been on a roll of tantrums whenever he's asked to do something. Not hard things, just normal things; like taking a shower, picking up your toys, putting your plate in the sink…you know, normal things. And while this was going on, Mr. Goldfish had been found floating around on his side. Then upside down. With his little mouth trying to suck up air. The Drama Queen was sobbing uncontrollably because *this was the first pet that she'd ever had that she didn't have to share that was dying." Now understand that we've had hamsters, rats, fish, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds and dogs. The only thing that is remaining today is the snake and the dogs! (Ok, we had to give the birds away because the dog wanted to eat them, but still! And no, they didn't all die, some we shared with others, but still!) And we were crying over a goldfish??? I was nice and I held her and told her how sorry I was. I asked hubby to take her out of the house with him when he left so I could flush it down the toilet give it a proper burial. Meanwhile, little Goldie was still trying to decide whether he wanted to float or swim.

And then, the repairman calls to let me know he's on his way. I ask if he's got the rubber seal. He doesn't know what I'm talking about. No, the nice lady from Friday didn't put it in the notes. I tell him what is needed, he states he'll get it and I'll have my washing machine today. I do have serious doubts, especially after my last Sear's fiasco, but I am determined to stay positive! He comes on over, with the part needed and we discuss the washing machine. We talk about previous fiascoes with the washer and repairmen and my growing dislike of this particular machine. He guarantees me that he will be able to fix it and fix it correctly the first time.I almost believe him. I'm elated when he tells me it's fixed and I can do laundry! I'm so happy, I can do anything! I can put up with temper tantrums and dead goldfish because I can wash clothes again. Wow, this was easy. I can't believe it! Life is good again in the Vivas household!

I manage to get a load in and even sit for a whole 30 minutes! The kids are happy playing outside now, the goldfish has decided to live after all, and it's not so bad.

For about 30 minutes.

We head out to run an errand and do what we need to do while the clothes wash. I get back and start cleaning again, and ask the Smart One to please put the clothes in the dryer, then put the jeans from the other day back in the washer so that they can be rinsed out properly. He wonders if the reason why he was itching the other day was due to soap in his jeans, I say it might be. I finally finish and head downstairs to relax.

And I walk into the garage.

And there is water every where.