Typical Chin Sunday--Catie Goes to Camp!

We spent the whole weekend getting Catie ready to go to camp. First the Walmart trip....HUNDREDS of dollars later, Catie started packing. She needed new boots, shoes and extra warm clothes since the temp around here is sub zero.

Nobody wanted to go out, but I did manage to get Andy and Justin to the store once and Joe made a trip out. We had to have cleaning products as everyone cleaned their rooms today and then Joe made a big breakfast AND dinner. Aaaah, it was good NOT to cook.

It took Catie 2 different bags to settle on one, then a re-pack when she found she couldn't lift it. We informed her that there are no bell hops, porters or others to carry her bags, so she trimmed down her load.

Her camera is ready for lots of pictures, which will be posted here soon!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

What a winter! The kids have had FOG delays, below ZERO temperature days and SNOW days all within the past 2 weeks. The tough part has been convincing the boys that if the buses won't run to school, the Chin cars do not need to run either! With 1 smashed and 2 crunched, we just don't need any more issues. (No more comments about flying Christmas trees)

I pray we make it through a whole school week next week, especially since Catie is going to 7th grade camp and I hate to think how cold it could get. Poor Catie!

The Suessical

Catie has discovered the theatre and we attended another performance tonight. It was absolutely wonderful with talented students singing and dancing. Characters were all from the Dr. Seuss books and the costumes were great.

It was an unexpected pleasure to find out that 7th and 8th grade students could perform so well. Joe, MikeO and myself were all impressed and of course, I was snapping tons of pictures. Catie's role as the baby kangaroo was just perfect for her and she could not have been cuter. The kids have rehearsed every single day for the past 6 weeks and it showed!

Another Wrestling Saturday!

Eaton Rapids returned with 2nd place in their Division from the Michigan Duals on Saturday night, missing 1st place by 6 points. 16 schools attended and it was hard, tough stuff from 8am till about 8pm. I am still telling Andy that I hurt worse than he does after slipping in a puddle of water on the gym floor and ending up on my back in front of about 500 people.

Andy did well, as usual and the team continued to power through the day ending up in the finals against Goodrich (from the Flint area and ranked #1 in the state). Goodrich had 2 female wrestlers that none of my readers would want to challenge, which made it an interesting match.

We left for Bay City on Friday night at 5:30 with 5 boys that had to weigh in by 8pm. The boys were exhausted and hungry as they had just finished practice and were not to eat until after weigh in. We made it just in time and then raced to Subway to fill them up before bed.

Morning came all too early after the parents stayed in the hotel bar until after midnight. We assembled for breakfast at 6:30am! I really hate morning scheduled events!

The first match was exciting and the day was stacking up pretty good until I hit the floor. The boys had been throwing their "empty" water bottles off the mats and the water was spilled on the floor.....of course, I slipped and fell as I was on my way to take photos.

I then lay in the van and rested between matches, hoping I didn't have a concussion, after hitting my head on the gym floor or wall...who knows what I hit? However, I am a true wrestling Mom and returned for the finals. Eaton Rapids didn't have to warm up the bus until the end as they fought for 1st place, missing it by ever so little.

After eating junk food and Subway on Friday, "wrestler food" from the cafeteria tables all day Saturday, we rounded off our evening with.........Wendys! UGH! I was starving for good food, craving my own coffee and of course a cigarette. I was oh so glad to see my own coffee pot, bed and puppies at about midnight last night.

So today, we are arguing about who is hurt the worst....me or wrestlers! I am not moving today.

South Beach Diet

It is the New Year and time for all the resolutions. Yeah, I am going to do a lot of things differently.....sure, I am. Let's start with the diet....the Atkins nearly turned me into a raving maniac last year in search of carbs, so this time it will be the South Beach Diet. THEY allow some carbs.

It began on Sunday with stir fry of some kind. I say, some kind, because I kept adding vegetables to make enough food to eat! By the end, I failed. I realized that we had 2 extra guests for dinner (not a surprise on Sundays) and I couldn't serve this without rice! Ok.....I only ate a small spoonful of rice.

Monday will be a new day. I had shopped for this, right? I bought $260 worth of damned vegetables. There MUST be a meal in here somewhere. Due to my very own European heritage (French/English/IRISH) there MUST be a potato to make a meal! How to do it without? I began with ground round burgers (no bun, of course), Onions sauteed in just a bit of olive oil....now to the veggies.

Portabello mushrooms stuffed and baked seemed to make a good sidedish. They were stuffed with mushroom bits, onion, cheese and tomatoes. NOT A HIT! Everyone tasted them and said, "No thanks". They WERE however, left on the table and SPIKE finished them off, or so I thought.....the dog actually ate the stuffing and left behind HUGE mushroom parts all over the house. Not a repeat recipe!

Slices of zucchini and yellow squash, tomatoes,onions and mushrooms seasoned with olive oil and spices and baked....Joe ate it. Catie ate the green squash only. Mike and Andy just looked at it. Brussel sprouts steamed in soy sauce....bowl empty!

Ok, by this time I was dying for a Pop Tart or a bowl of Cheerios. I had eaten a can of tuna with lemon for breakfast/lunch and now this culinary feast of dinner was not satisfying me. The Sugar Free Jello didn't get it either. I began to search in a frantic mode....BEEF JERKY!!! It is MEAT! IT IS OK!!!

Does anybody want to start placing bets on how long this lasts?

A True Vacation Day...Sort of

When you stay in your PJs for 24 hours, it is a TRUE vacation day. Ok, I admit to cleaning up and changing PJs, but no trips out into the sub-zero temperatures yesterday for me. It didn't even matter that I went into high gear on organizational and cleaning projects, it was a choice, not a "must". Joe hooked up his "Surround Sound" gear in the living room....(I wasn't consulted on that project) and enjoyed puttering around all day.

He accused me of going from one project to another...who me? However, I am in the midst of packing up all heirlooms, china, etc. I also wanted to clean up my bedroom, which led to making piles....bills and filing, tax records, stuff to shred, stuff to throw away...you get it, right?

Then I continued to try to put away things that had made their way into my room. Hmmmm, where to put them? The first hall closet is stuffed....better straighten it up...what are the tableclothes doing up here? I'll make a pile to take down to the OTHER closet. I will clean that one too....maybe tomorrow?

Have to run downstairs to check on some laundry...hmmm....I have an idea! I will take the HUGE TV that Joe doesn't want to get rid of (even though it is broken) and move it into the utility room so I can clean the family room! I just found my scrapbook scissors that I have been hunting for! (Mikey had them)Then I will go out to the back porch to put them away and let the dogs out....I think I will just sweep up while I am here! Oh yeah...I forgot....I was cleaning the bedroom, I think.

Hey Catie! It is time for Dr. Phil! Let's just lay on my bed and watch.

Yeah, there is a pile of tablecloths in the hall, a bin half filled with china in the living room, a half cleaned family room, half swept porch and it is time for a nap. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh.........

Happy New Year!

I was happy to say goodbye to 2007 for obvious reasons, but the final week was a pretty good one. There is nothing more fun than grandchildren and I had a great time on Saturday night with Alexis, Catie, Nick and Cam. They all spent the night and we did nothing but PLAY! (Except eating pizza and homemade chocolate chip cookies....they wiped out 2 dozen in about 2 minutes!)



As soon as I heard they were coming I went to Target in search of fun things to play with that would work for the entire age group of 6-53....and I found it. UNO ATTACK was a so much fun that we could not stop laughing. For once, it wasn't a night of video games or TV or movies...just family fun and laughter. Every time someone had to push the button on the game and the cards came flying out...the kids could NOT stop laughing...which just made me laugh harder!


PlayDough was next....yeah, I got into it too. I hadn't played with it in years and I think it just might be good therapy. It still smells wonderful, the colors are better than when I was a kid and I made Alexis laugh at my creations!






Even the big boys got into the party when Mike, Andy and friends Justin and Kyle showed up and got the video games going just about the time this Grandma was getting tired. The kids headed upstairs in new PJs from Aunt Cat, invaded Andy's room where multiple games were being played. Cam, Catie and Alexis were singing their hearts out with a sing-along game on the Play Station in her room and laughter could be heard from every room.

Since I had to get up and have Joey to the train station by 7:30 am, Papa felt sorry for me and cooked a big breakfast for all the kids while I got a bit of a nap in the morning after my return. You KNOW it was a fun visit when all the kids are whining when it was time to go home....as for me, I had a wonderful time!

Merry Christmas From the Nuthouse!!!!

It was a traditional Chin Family Christmas, even though we sure missed our girls this year. The boys kept it VERY lively and Catie and Alexis kept the giggles going non-stop....Christmas Eve wouldn't have been complete without Mike Ohm and Justin joining us. Once again, I was surrounded by boys! Thank God for Alexis and Catie!

Catie picked out the Hannah Montana wig for her gift to Alexis and she was squealing in delight as Catie helped her put it on. She was SO excited that Catie got a BIG hug!






For once, Joe got to play Santa and the gifts were handed out one by one. Josie found the Doggy Bag and stuck her head in to get her own gift. First thing in the morning she was hunting around for the new dog treats and toys.



Mike got a "toy" for the first time in years...a new XBox 360 and he had that same trance-like look on his face that he gets when he plays the guitar! He was lost in the game for hours...like from the time he opened it on Christmas Eve until about six oclock on Christmas morning. After a sleep break until 2pm, he was back at it again!



Catie and Alexis were very quiet as they crept down the stairs early this morning to see what Santa had left. Catie then left to go to brunch with her Graham family and Alexis played quietly while the family slept in! What a great kid!

It wasn't long before Laura and Daniel joined us, Justin came back and we had a delicious dinner of ham AND turkey with all the trimmings. Everyone played with new toys, watched old Christmas videos and ate and ate and ate! It was a good day.

Happy Birthday Alexis!

This family LOVES birthdays and Alexis turning 6 was a good reason to celebrate. If you think about it, with a family the size of ours, we can get together, have fun and eat cake on a pretty frquent basis. Last night was no exception, as Alexis celebrated being 6 years old with a Hannah Montana birthday cake, lots of dolls and lots of family.




Now she actually missed eating a piece of cake, which she realized on the way home. Good thing Gram had taken the rest home. Alexis was so busy opening gifts, playing with Chuck E Cheese and playing games that cake was forgotten.

Daniel NEVER forgets cake!



We all laughed as we watched him trying to steal licks from the main cake, eat as many pieces as he could get and lick every drop of frosting from EVERY plate he could find! You would think he was related to Junkfood Grandma!

What a Fun Day

Catie had the role of Snow White in the local children's play "2 Nights Before Christmas" and after we attended her wonderful performance, we all gathered for dinner. When I say all, I mean Joe, myelf, Mike, Andy, Justin, Catie, Nicolas, Cameron, Laura, Alexis, Daniel, in addition to Ruby,Shelby and Dan Graham. As Nicholas said at the dinner table, "Grandma, this feels like a family reunion!" It was a good warm feeling to sit at that table.

The kids were excited to be together and that is not a strong enough word to use to describe it. They were just so happy! They played in the snow, used the sled in the driveway to pull each other and then came in for a snack. Daniel suddenly said,
"CHOCOLATE!" He saw the Oreos and was scoped in on them. They all enjoyed cookies and milk and I enjoyed just watching my beautiful grandchildren.

This is what Sunday is meant to be.

Look at my SMILE!

The braces are off! Mike's new smile is definitely worth the $$.....He looks like a million bucks!

He's DRIVING!!!

The day has come when my youngest child left the driveway behind the wheel alone. It was a milestone for both of us. He was ready....I was not!

We had a day that proved the theory.."If it can go wrong...it will!"
I was happy for Andy as he felt his first day of independence, if a bit nervous.

The day began with plans for Andy to take his Driver Test, so of course, we got up to SNOW! Now, since he took Driver Ed in the spring, it didn't give him any snow driving time. I offered to reschedule the test for a day of dry pavement, but I should have known what the response would be...."I've got it, Mom."

I followed Joe's instructions to take the car to the local garage for fluid checks, tires, etc. before going to the test. The car must be in perfect working order in order to use it for testing. We get to the test site and Andy begins to practice driving in and around the cones in the lot on snow. He turns the car off and seems to be waiting for the instructor.....then I see him motion to me. What is wrong?

The auto ignition has LOCKED UP and the car will NOT start! I could NOT believe this! After 10 minutes of trying, I call Joe, who tells me "It has done that to me a few times. Just keep playing with it." I do not believe this is happening.

I finally get lucky and the key turns after about 50 tries. Andy and I both give a sigh of relief. Now the guy begins to check the car equipment. He informs us that we have a BRAKE LIGHT OUT! We look at each other in total amazement. Is the devil after us today? Since we have 2 part brake lights and one working, at least, on each side, that he will test and Andy passes with an excellent score. I think the worst is over. NOT!

Andy has about 45 minutes before he must be on the Wrestling bus to a tournament, so I tell him he can take my car out for a spin. He calls me 10 minutes later and the car is again LOCKED UP! Mike to the rescue!! I send Mike to get him and as he gets 1/2 way to Andy, the car finally starts.

Mike got to work on time. Andy made the bus and I am exhausted. For those of you who hang around much, you will know what I mean when I say..."Andy is an excellent driver."

Is it really Christmas already?

Saturday night was the Eaton Rapids Christmas Parade and Catie was in it! At first, I grumbled, as usual about having to be out in the FREEZING cold, but of course I went anyway. One stop at Family Dollar and I had gloves, hat and scarf, but I was STILL FREEZING. Then I began to laugh, as I watched all the children running down Main Street and throwing themselves on the street to slide. It was like a scene from an old movie.


I was alone, as Mikey was at work and Joe and Andy were at a wrestling match. It was kind of strange to stand in the midst of all the families, but the Christmas spirit was alive and I began to enjoy myself in spite of the cold. Finally, Catie's float came by and I NEVER EVEN SAW HER!!!!!

Saying Goodbye

It was a tough morning on Thursday, as Cat, Paul and Tate loaded up and moved on down the road towards St. Louis. If we weren't laughing so hard at Paul, it would have been much worse.

The trailer he rented was too small and as he kept smiling and packing (and repacking) we got to listen to Cat. That was enough to keep everyone laughing. It really was funny, if you weren't the one it was happening to! By the end of the morning, Paul had crammed and jammed every crack and crevice in the van and trailer. He ended it all by making his own back door for the trailer to hold it all in! I really did chuckle as he tied it together.

We Are Thankful

Every year, we all begin looking forward to the Thanksgiving trip to the Alberts. Now, we moan and groan about the traffic, change our departure times at least 3 times and finally load up the car, ready to brave Chicago traffic.

Some things never change and that is so good. We begin Wednesday night....EATING! We have decided it is our weekend theme. Actually, it is EAT, SLEEP, EAT some more (while the women scrapbook between naps) and Dave and Paul shop for bargains.





First thing Thursday morning Dave and Paul are looking for newspapers. It is so hard to find, that last year Paul was spotted removing them from neighbors driveways! He said, "Just going to waste! They are out of town for the holiday."



Thursday was great. Dave even remembered to get our Mom's special cranberry dish out and the table was complete with Mom's china and lots of memories. We allowed only good memories. Prayers said, the dishes began to fly and we really did consume 29 lbs of turkey before the weekend was over.

Lots of scrapbooking was done, in between naps and lots of shopping. Cat and Paul made a couple of trips to Ikea, Dave hit the bargain stores with Paul on Friday morning while the rest of us slept off the turkey dinner. On Saturday Joe, Andy, Catie and I went to the train station to head into Chicago. Catie really wanted to see the American Girl store.



I had no idea that it was going to be a day of Chicago living up to it's name...The Windy City. I was absolutely FREEZING! I am not much of a walker to start with and with the wind ripping through me, I was miserable as we waited for the trolley car. Then my phone rang...it was Cat and she was only blocks away! She had followed us into the city and was truly my Angel, as she scooped me off that cold, windy street.
We continued to the American Girl store, where Catie nearly lost her mind. Then on to dinner at a Spanish place that Joe had read about.

By Sunday night, we were relaxed and had enjoyed a great weekend with family as we headed home. It doesn't get any better!

Home at Last

After 6 long months, Paul is home and safe. Tate acted as if it was just yesterday that he had been hanging all over his Dad. From the moment he saw Paul, he latched on and they are best buds, as usual. Cat is both relieved to have Paul home safe and to have 2 minutes to herself for a change. It was fun to watch her enjoy eating a whole meal without interruption, as Paul and Tate bonded again.

A Bittersweet Night

It hit me tonight. As we all gathered on the back porch, making Welcome Home signs for Paul, I realized that it was the last night like this. After 6 months of sharing dinners, listening to Blues Clues in the background and the general noise of the Nuthouse, it would all change tomorrow.

No more hearing Tate shout, "TA DAAAAA!" as he showed me whatever delighted him. No more running in the door yelling "Grammy!" with his big hugs and loud kisses. I will pass the frozen waffles at Meijers and tear up and no one will know why. We will stop eating white rice 100 times a week and start throwing away leftovers. I know I will start looking for a little lunch partner about 11:30...maybe one who really likes broccoli.

If I start singing "You just got a letter...." people will think I am crazy.

Andy and Catie will be lost without Cat's Taxi service, which was at their beck and call for 6 months. She was a pretty easy mark. They had it made! McDonald's runs, "I forgot my homework" runs, go to the mall, get a haircut, pick me up from...whatever! They were just plain enjoying each other. We all knew it.

I told Cat tonight that although I have certainly had my crabby days in the past 6 months, I have always had her company. We bickered little and loved a lot. We shared a tough time and made a good summer out of it. God knew what he was doing. He put us together and then brought Paul home safely, so they could be a family again. It is how it should be, but it still makes me sad. It doesn't even make me feel better now that I can go back to smoking in teh house! My back porch got winterized, thanks to Cat!

I will just miss them desperately.

Chin Kids Miserable

Nothing makes a Chin kid more miserable than helping Mom do any kind of house WORK! Since I am trying to get ready for a yard sale and have health issus that do not permit me to handle the physical labor, they are out of luck!

The idea began as Catie and I were discussing her life's dream to go to Disney World. We set a budget for the trip and began to plan how we could save for it. She asked me if she could have a yard sale and get rid of all her old toys that she has outgrown. I agreed and then began thinking about all the junk we have accumulated over the years. Hmmmm




So I began cleaning house with a mind to remove any items that were no longer used and things I am just plain tired of dusting. THEN I thought of the crawl space....that dreaded place that all Chin Kids hate to go! It began filling in 1995 when we moved here and most of the items put in that day have remained there since. Each kid along the way stashed and stored old items as they moved away. It was the one place they know NEVER changes.

It has now been filled to the point that you cannot get in.

On Sunday afternoon Cat volunteered "Ok, Mom! I feel sorry for you. I am going in the crawl space." She is my hero.

About 2 hours later the family room was filled with JUNK! Joe was sorting through about 1000 VHS tapes (we told him NOBODY wants them!) and deciding which ones to KEEP! She had found what appeared to be some kids' "fort" set up in the back, complete with a cot to sleep on, a wing back chair, blankets and even a couple of FULL bottles of foul smelling liquid. (Don't ask).

Cat goes home daily with a haul. She has found toys for Tate that I saved from the boys, items to scrapbook with, a lamp, in addition to HER box in storage.

2 sewing machines, computer monitors, video games, cassette player, books and magazines galoere, an aquarium set, artificial trees, dolls and toys all came out. I finally parted with a suitcase that was my mother's (early 1900's), boxes of memorabilia were sorted and we even found a $50 Savings Bond from Deb and Jim given to Michael on his baptism day (tucked inside a baby card).

Catie has worked like a dog to help. Mike and Andy are miserable and keep saying "WE don't want to go to Disney World!" I don't care if they sit on Knight Street forever....they ARE going to help. They have broken down boxes (Joe had at least 10 large computer boxes from computers that have long since died). They have hauled more trash than the average trashman this week.

So the back porch is full. Now they have to set up tables and cart it all out. They are NOT happy boys. TOO BAD! HA HA HA!

CATIE MEETS DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER!

Everyone at the Nuthouse enjoys watching Dog the Bounty Hunter, but Catie absolutely LOVES "The Dog" and his family, Beth, Leeland, Duane Lee and Baby Lisa. Joe, Mike, Andy and Cat were in Ann Arbor yesterday and called to tell us he was signing books. They later reported that the lines were hours long, so although Catie begged, I refused to make the drive.

Catie then got online and found he would be appearing at Borders Books in Taylor, MI on Saturday at noon. Yes, I would take her. She was so excited that could not sleep last night. We got up and headed down (we thought we were early) and found that over 500 people were ahead of us. You had to buy a book, get a ticket and wait for your group to be called just to stand in line some more!

Then Dog and Beth were an hour late! We had a good lunch and waited patiently.

We first caught a glimpse of Beth heading into the crowd after a bathroom break and Catie began to squeal with delight.



As we struggled to survive the crowd for FIVE HOURS, Catie kept trying to SEE Dog or Beth, only to turn around and find Beth scooting behind us trying to get to the ladies room. FINALLY, the moment came and she got the autograph....She says it was DEFINITELY worth it!

Not working?

We highlighted Catie's hair this week, so she could look like her idol, Hannah Montana (from Disney TV). Here is she, holding a pic of Hannah. We did pretty good, huh?

As I ran back looking through the posts of July, I realize why I am so tired! Take off work and rest???? Well, even though I have not been "working", just keeping up with this family is work!

I have spent more family time this month than ever in my life and it has been WONDERFUL. We began the month with Dave, Maryann, Steve and Elizabeth, which leaves me wondering why we don't do it more often. By the 9th we were into full scale birthday week with Cat, Tate and then Nick. Lots of parties.

By the end of the month, I am actually school shopping, since Catie can't wait. It's ok, since I am getting in on early bargains. Andy is off to camp this week and needed stuff and college classes do start in August for Mike.

Hopefully, August will bring more summer rest as we head north for a week at a cottage on the lake. I am ready for that rest!