t.m.i. Tuesday

So, almost anyone reading this at this point knows me fairly well, but just for the sake of posterity, I'm going to give you the scoop on my crazy family tree. Just so you understand the format of how I'm sharing this info, I remember learning that when you are giving some one feedback, it is good to make a "positive sandwich." Meaning, say something positive, give your criticism, say something positive. Nice, huh? It is supposed to take the sting out of the criticism (which is clearly constructive) and end on a positive note. Keeping that in mind, here is the run down on my husband and 8 (yes, EIGHT) kids.

1. Steven (22) Sweet, unemployed, making me a grandma again (#2)
2. Michael (20) Funny, attending college?, has his own posse
3. Jade (18) Fiercely loyal, fiercely stubborn, has a fiercely tall boyfriend
4. Jasmine (16) Currently making all A's in school, creates a mess faster than anyone I know, gives me her hand-me-downs
5. Madeline (13) Very smart, no common sense, will ask almost anyone almost anything
6. Levi (10) Good, good boy, also completely devoid of common sense, keeps a tidy room (mostly)
7. Patia (p-long a-shu) (6) Passionate (her word) about singing and dancing, sneaky, has her dad's dimples (DO NOT ask my mom where dimples come from)
8. Olivia (4) Sweet little voice, unrealistically afraid of being left for even a second, LOVES to talk to me ALL DAY LONG...
9. Last, but not least, is John (40) Good Christian father, very little phone etiquette, loves me just the way I am (I know, hard to believe, right?)

So, there you have it--that's the scoop. On the off chance that anyone who hasn't seen me since high school is reading this, think back--you know I didn't begin having kids at the tender age of 13. I married a man with 4 kids. I know what you are thinking--and yes I had quit drinking by then. And although there are some days I consider taking up the habit again, I instead find solace in a cup of coffee, a quick cry, and an encouraging word from a friend. Besides, better to practice parenting on someone else's kids, right? We also have 2 kids together, Patia and Olivia. That brings the kid-count to 6 if you are keeping track. The last two we added 2 1/2 years ago after their parents passed away with in 6 months of each other. Madeline and Levi are John's niece and nephew from his older sister, Christine. We had a 10 year age gap to fill in between Jasmine and Patia, so that worked out nicely. It has been interesting, challenging, and a complete blessing to add them to our family.

I'm not sure t.m.i. is an accurate heading for this blog, but it sure is a lot of info to digest. Knowing what you now know about each of them, feel free to take the quiz below! Next Tuesday I promise something a little less lengthy and a little more scandalous. Ooohhh, ya! Of course, I will change the names to protect the innocent!

Tomorrow will be Word-Free Wednesday. And, yes Jeni, I completely plagiarised this from your blog. But like any good plagiariser, I changed it just enough to make it my own! Since I am vowing not to use any words tomorrow--here's the caption for the picture you will see:

"My dirty little secret."