The Countdown begins

Tomorrow is June First and the kids Are super excited...

Because we are starting our Disney count down

We started our Movie a week countdown last night

We watched the Orginal Parent Trap, Circa 1961

I am pretty sure Cherry and I were the only ones that enjoyed it lol

But alas it was fun

Today we did our first Disney craft

A Countdown chain...

I know, I know we have over 700 days until we leave...

Which is why we did a monthly one

It currently it has 26 links on it and tomorrow morning on June 1st we will take off the first link and it will be 25months until we leave for Dinseyland :)

The kids are so excited!!!

And So am I lol

so without further ado

here is our mickey mouse countdown link

First Gather your supplies

 And your helpers :P

 I didn't follow exact Directions to make this..

but there is a tutorial and printable template over at

http://www.familyeverafterblog.com/2013/06/disney-vacation-countdown-free-printable.html

Where I got the idea :)

here is our Finished product

 Kids are super excited to remove the very first link tomorrow

Then we will have 25months to go 

:)

We will remove one link on the first of every month

and the kids don't know yet but they will get to open a goody for every link :)

After we get down to the last link we will make a month long day by day countdown

:) This is so exciting:)

Disney Fever

If you know anything about our family know this...

We like to do things big!!!

Hence the 6 (so far) kids

And after much discussion and a lot of financial figures being looked at...

We have decided to go to Disneyland!!!!

But as mentioned above...We have six kids 

That means now that the decision is made we have to spend sometime saving.

From all the blogs I have read and all the information I have gathered,

The first Steps to planning a Disney Vacation are

Picking your dates (DONE)

and Setting your Budget (also Done)

Because this will be our first actual Vacation

( we have never taken a actual vacation, just visited family on the other side of the state)

We want it to be Amazing...

Redwood Forest

Jelly Belly Factory

San Fransico

Hollywood sights

Disneyland

Seaworld

San Diego Zoo

Legoland

Universal Studios

Seeing Devons Cali family

Death Valley

Las Vegas and Hoover Dam

Yeah that's A LOT of stuff to do with six (maybe/hopfully 7) kids

so it's going to take us two years of saving to pay for it and we will be driving not flying.

Which is A OK with me because Road trips are WAY more fun.

They are also a lot of work lol especially with 6kids

So as you can imagine I have been doing a lot of research and pinning on pintrest.

The kids are EXCITED....

Devon's Excited...

I can barely contain my excitement...

It's just a whole LOT of excitement.

So I will probably be blogging about a lot of it :)

We have 25months and 2days until we get to leave for our Road trip!!!

And of Course that feels like forever

So we wanted to do something NOW because we are so excited!!!

So Devon and I are working up a list of Movies..

Well I already made it but we are fine tuning it lol

In other words Devon's complaing I didn't add more that he wants :P

And we will be watching a movie every week as a family as our countdown for that week

Most of them are Disney movies and we threw in a couple Lego and Universal Studios ones

since we are visiting both those places too.

The best part is once a month we will do a themed Dinner and a Movie night :)

:) I will post a blog with the details for each of those as we do them ;) and photos as well

I am also currently working on another vacation project...well two more actually

Becuse you know one HUGE one isn't enough lol

The first project I am working on is a Disney Vacation planning binder...

Let me tell you... It may sound crazy...

But after all the research I have done and with the fact there will be between 9 and 11 of us on this trip I realized that I need a area to keep everything organized.

It's still a work in Progress so I will post more photos when I finish it but here the cover :) 

 I saw lots of different versions online but I didn't really like any of them

So I decided to make my own version

Which I love

Even the imprefections

 I love that's it is totally me

:D

It's all in the Details

I am also working on making the kids "Busy books"

So far I just have the covers done on these

(I need to buy a printer so I can print all the stuff I want to do for them)

and a laminator as well. 

So they are a work in progress also.

But we took all the kiddos to the store and let them pick out 2sheets of scrapbook paper

and some stickers.

And their covers turned out awesome :)

Aren't those so cute :)

can't wait to fill them with goodies to keep the kids busy in the car :)

I will post another blog post when I finish making them so you can see what I put in them

And we also bought some goodies for when we go to the park

I have read everywhere that it's best to buy all the little goodies like this before you go to the park

It will save you tons of money

Noise markers for the parades

:) That's all the Disney news for now :) 

can't wait to share our journey with you

Depression...

     Depression is a horrible Illness that affects millions of people. 

It's ugly and heartbreaking and comes in many forms. 

You can't put someone that has depression in a category anymore then you can 

someone who has cancer.

My Name is Nancy, I am 27years old, Happily Married, I have Six beautiful amazing kids...

I am BLESSED...

I am also Depressed. 

Man that's hard to write. 

Talking about being sick isn't something I do well.

I know I shouldn't feel ashamed or angry at myself.

Depression is a sickness...

I don't blame anyone who has it,

I don't think them weak,

I don't think they are over-exaggerating. 

But I blame myself, I think myself weak, and I feel like I am making a mountain out a mole-hill.

Depression is a black hole that sucks you in and won't let you go.

It eats at you, makes you doubt yourself.

There are many forms of depression.

Hormonal...

Mental...

Emotional...

My depression is a emotional depression.

Meds don't work.

Talking it out doesn't work.

It kills me because it's a daily struggle for me when it rears it's ugly head.

I haven't had a stretch of depression in almost 4years.

But recently I have had a lot of...

let's call them triggers..

Big emotional things that weigh down on me.

Most of the time I am great at handling things.

But there are some triggers I can't fight.

My Dad's death...

My Miscarriage..

Ect...

Recently I have suffered a couple triggers...

Some not so difficult to fight through...

And one that broke me.

A couple of you know what I am talking about...

But most of you don't.

I am a private person when it comes to certain things.

This Trigger being one of them.

I know people are going to tell me to talk about it...

It'll help...that's what you believe.

It won't..

I have talked about it.

With the person who caused it.

With a few people close to me.

It's been a daily struggle the last couple months.

Don't get me wrong.. I am blessed. 

I know this.

 I remind myself every moment of everyday.

But Depression isn't a easy foe to beat.

Depression eats at me in ways I know, I see them, I feel them, I recognize them...

But that doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter when I wake up in the morning and I feel exhausted...

I feel like I could close my eyes and never wake up...

And I know, It's depression.

It's trying to take this from me.

I know that. 

I push off that need to curl up under the covers and go back to the darkness.

I get up and I kiss my kids. 

I get them dressed and I feed them breakfast.

I get them to school and I come home with the littles.

Then that's all I have in me.

I think...

I should want to clean, to cook, to bake, to edit photos, to play with the kids...

To do anything that makes me happy...just anything.

But I don't want to do anything at all.

I sit feeling isolated.

Feeling sick.

I don't eat.

I barely drink.

I feel alone and weak and tired.

I know I am not alone. I push myself up.

I hug my kids and pull them in for cuddles.

I try to get the motivation to do the dishes,

To tackle the laundry.

To make dinner.

I could care less about doing it.

Anyone who knows me knows that's not normal.

I surround myself in chaos..

In busy work.

I always have...

It's my cure all.

I can't get down and out. I won't let depression win..

If I keep myself busy. 

If I am do do doing, depression can't catch me to set in...

Until I trip and stumble on a big old emotional road block...

When those bring me to my knees the depression reaches from the shadows and grabs hold.

Then it's a fight...

I try so hard to kick it loose..

But sometimes it takes way longer then I would like.

Today I won...

First day in months I have gotten shit done.

I didn't want to.

I kept thinking...

This is to much to do. 

I should just stop.

It can wait...

Or should I say depression kept trying to make me think.

Then I would shake my head and say no.

No I just have to do "insert whatever I was working on"

I just have to focus on finishing this.

Then I would start the next thing and fight the same battle.

Before I knew it. I had cleaned my kitchen.

Top to bottom.

Done all the dishes.

Started a crockpot dinner.

Cleaned my dining room top to bottom.

Done laundry.

Taken out the trash and recycle.

Cleaned the living room.

Vacuumed.

Mopped.

And I thought...Okay I got this...

And then...I got another trip in my road.

Not a big one...

Not one that would normally phase me in the slightest.

But the problem is once I am depressed...

Everything is big.

Because depression makes me feel small...

It makes me feel low and dragged down.

And when you are so low...

Every LITTLE thing...seems so big.

And it pulls you down.

It weighs you down.

And I thought.

Not again.

No I don't want to be pulled down.

I don't want to eat three bites of dinner and feel full.

I don't want to lay on the couch and feel numb at the same time I feel super sensetized.

I don't want Depression to win.

So what do I do.

I face my foe.

I stand toe to toe with Depression and I don't back down.

The first step to beating your enemy is recognizing your enemy.

I see you depression.

I know you as well as you know me.

You aren't as subtle as you think.

And You will not win.

I am Nancy, I have been fighting depression since I was 8years old.

Many times Depression has won the battle...

But it will not win the war.

I am 27, Happily Married, have 6 beautiful children...

I am BLESSED

And I have depression...

But it does NOT have me.

-Nancy

Motherhood is...

Motherhood is...

Complicated

Exhausting

All consuming

Hard work

It's also...

Amazing

Breathtaking

Awe Inspiring

Perfection

Sometimes right when we think we are going to loose our minds...

Right when the baby is screaming and can't be consoled...

The Toddler is trying to clog the toilet with toilet paper...

The boys are fighting...

The oldest boy is whining he's thirsty...

And your oldest child isn't listening about doing her chores that she has to do because she got grounded..

Right when you want to curl up and cry or scream why...

Right then...

Something happens...

The baby smiles at you and you see that new tooth coming through..

The toddler takes herself potty and says "MOMMY MOMMY I DID IT"

The boys start playing cars and giggling, then hug...

The Big boy gets himself a water...and shares with his siblings...

And you hear as your oldest sings a song to her baby sissy to put her to sleep...

And all the other stuff...just kinds of fades away.

The crappy day isn't so bad anymore.

The stress isn't so overbearing.

You don't feel so overwhelmed..

Because...you got this.

Motherhood Is...

Just for moms

Because only a mom could love you unconditionally 

No matter what you put her through.

Because those moments that make us stop in our tracks...

Tells us we are doing this thing called Motherhood...

Just right.

Cherry and Aria 4/30/2015

The life of a busy mom...

This Crazy life I live is that of a busy mom..

So please accept my apology for not posting a new blog in so long. 

The last time I posted was the middle of January...and now it's almost May..

Crazy how time flies.

Since the last time I posted some pretty awesome stuff has happened to our family.

Emmit is now three and Gracie is two ;(

(excuse me while I bawl my eyes out)

We had a big combo party for them and it turned out awesome 

We paid off my truck :) so now it's ours free and clear. 

It's our first financed vehicle and the first vehicle we owned the wasn't over 15years old.

So this is pretty exciting news for us lol.

We also bought another vehicle :D which let me tell you has been a Godsend the last couple months.

Everyone this is Beauty ;) our newest baby...

Isn't she a beauty 

Get it lol

Okay enough with the jokes 

We also bought another household appliance

(our second such purchase)

make fun if you must but these are pretty damn amazing things for us lol

We bought a washer and dryer :) 

And it's a super nice brand new samsung set

WE LOVE IT 

We also made multiple trips to Western Wa since the beginning of the year 

and we have two more scheduled in June

That's pretty awesome for us as well to have the finances to do these things :)

We have been able to see family and friends from over there again and it's been awesome

On our First trip we took the kids to Snoqualmie falls

 And we got to see a lot of people we love

Here is just one shot of some of the people we love

The Benson and Baxter Bunches

We did a HUGE family trip to the Woodland park zoo a couple months ago :)

A shot of the kids from our zoo trip <3

I love these kiddos more then words can say

(note this is missing Aria and my niece Panda who was also there)

We celebrated Devons birthday with our first family bowling night 

Gracie is potty trained..there are accidents of course

but she only wears a pull up to bed 

Cause mommy doesn't want to wash her bedding all the time lol

but most mornings she wakes up dry and goes straight to the potty

YAY for one baby in Diapers lol

And speaking of baby...

She's not so little anymore ;(

seriously these kids need to quit growing on me

Say hi to Aria who is now 8months old :(

She's crawling and laughing and plays hard with her best friend...

Gracie

Big Diva has created a little Diva and suprisingly she gives into her all the time

We celebrated a nice Easter with Grandpa here at the house and enjoyed a nice quiet dinner.

And then we jumped right into the chaos of our family busy season

Three kids in Soccer with different practice times

oh and did I mention we are coaching Jaydons team..

Yeah no one else would step up :P but it's been fun

And Cherry Sold her little tooshie off for cookie sales.. 604boxes!!!

I am pretty damn proud of her..

But of course cookie season overlaps with soccer season so that was fun to juggle

(remember I said that having that second vehicle was a god send..yeah there ya go) 

Also Devon's new schedule is such a blessing..in fact his Job is in general.

Then cookie season was finally over but we still have regulart GS meetings.

Three different soccer practice times and games.

Oh and Jaydons therapy. 

Not to mention life in general lol.

And now it's tball season and soccer season isn't over. 

Tball practice started this week..Soccer isn't over until last weekend of May...

I know I am insane...it's okay to say it.

We are also working on a spring project here at the house on top of our crazy schedule.

So that's been fun lol 

I will be posting photos and blogging about it once we get the first part done. 

So if everyone was wondering what we've up to..

There you have it in a nut shell...

Oh I forgot we also survived a severe stomach bug that hit everyone in the house except Gracie..

Sending 3 of the kids to the ER and causing Jaydon to have a breakthrough sezuire...

And Devon and I are discussing when we want to try again for baby Benson number 7...

I have a doc appointment end of July to check in with my doctor and get the okay to try....

So stay tuned on that front....

Baby Benson number 7... coming 2016

That's all for now folks

-The Benson Bunch

A yummy and Healthy Recipe..

 I don't know if you have heard about the Amazing YL ( Young Living) essential oils...

But if you haven't look them up RIGHT NOW...You maybe skeptical at first...but once you try some that will change quickly and the usefulness of these amazing oils is pure science!!!!

Anyhow this recipe includes one of my favorite YL oils...Thieves

As the mom of 6 kids...three of whom are in school!

I spend a lot of the year fighting sickness. I know I am not the only mom dealing with this.

For years there wasn't much I could do... 

Vaccines that don't always work for the flu...

Vitamin C and Zinc for Colds

And there wasn't much preventative I could do for tummy bugs

(other than washing the kids hands and using hand sanitizer)

But that has all changed now that I use YL oils

Not only can I prevent the kids getting sick more effectively but 

I can also kick the sickness in the butt faster!!!

This morning Cherry woke up with a cough...

When you have six kids..and one gets sick..It's horrid cause you know soon they will all be sick

So I put some thieves on her feet (as well as the other kids) and gave her a extra vitamin C

(I am impatiently waiting for my starter kit so I will have more oils too help fight sickness)

So I am sitting here thinking on how happy I was to have my thieves.
Not only does it work wonders against colds but it also smells amazing

What if I make some  Breakfast muffins!!!!

So here is my recipe :) 

I made these on the fly in the two hours I have between dropping my pre-schooler off 

and leaving to pick up my older two...while taking care of my younger three...

So my execution wasn't flawless lol 

I started out by using one box spice cake mix... 

I added the eggs and milk ( I don't use water when I bake) and I melted the butter

(Bad I know I should use coconut oil but I am southern when I cook and like butter too much lol)

I added three drops of thieves to the butter and whisked it then added the butter

Then I mixed it all up and smelled the batter...I didn't think it smelled different at all so I added three more drops...

That was a mistake lol

I then taste tested the batter and it pretty much tasted like I was eating cinnamon

(thieves has a cinnamon flavor and scent, at least to me)

So I added another box of spice cake mix and the wet ingredients..

Taste tested again and it was perfect...should have stuck with my initial three drops lol

I then filled up a muffin tin with liners and poured the mixture in

I partially peeled a organic red apple because let's face it the skin is tough when you bake it

Then I chopped it up relatively fine on top of the muffins but didn't add to much 

apples release extra moisture into the mix while it bakes so add to much and they won't bake properly

Then I mixed the apple into the muffin mix

I used my finger since it was clean and only my kids and I will be eating these lol 

(now you can just chop up the apples straight into the cake mix and whisk them in before pouring 

it into the muffin pan...I didn't do this because my husband doesn't like red apples and I wanted him to try these. For him I used the rest of the mix and Chopped up pears and made a cake)

I baked them for 15minutes 

And this is my baking Assistant :P 

I started these right after I walked in the door from taking Mack to school

And she was asleep in her carseat...mid mixing she woke up lol

So she watched me finish mixing

and when the muffins went in the oven the baby A came out for cuddles

and took them out...

Tasted them and they are YUM!!!!

You could add pretty much anything to these to make a healthy breakfast muffin...

Nuts, raisins other fruit... I just used what I had on hand :)

These would be great for a healthy breakfast or snack.

I plan to top the cake with a whipped cream cheese frosting and tada I have dessert too...

Now I am not going to tell my hubby there is thieves in it...

Until after he tries it...

Lets see what he thinks of my Witchcraft cake...

That's what he calls my oils ;) Which craft..

Ya know cause they work like magic 

Can't wait to try out other recipes with my YL oils 

Hope you enjoy this one

Just remember all good things in moderation

-Nancy

(Update- Hubby just tasted the Cake and he loved it...Then I told him the theives was in it..

He still loves it lol)