Tips for Surviving a Family Vacation

So I'm planning a quick get away for the family. What happened to the days of throwing a bikini in a bag & hitting the road? Oh I know, 4 kids, a husband, a business & a dog made those days disappear.  I Googled tips on family vacation survival. Here is what I learned:
Take lots of food.   For when kids {and adults} get hungry they get cranky. It's called "hangry" people.

Take time to exercise.  Bwahahahahaha.

Recognize your child's limits.  Hey, forgot to add, "and your husband's limitations".

Take lots of pics of happy memories.

Yes, like this lovely example from last Christmas with my precious children. Such sweet memories.

Embrace technology.

We had to count cows on road trips when I was kid. I don't want to be without my technology on the road. Why not let the kids enjoy a movie, game, app or text while driving countless hours down the road.

Perhaps the most important tip for planning a family vacation is to remember to enjoy the moment. Especially given the technology today. It makes it hard to put down the phone to take a pic, which requires editing, before posting on the 5 different social media sites. Vacay means taking a break from our normal routine to have fun, relax, enjoy the moment. With that said, I need a vacay from my vacay.

xoxo, Mrs. Montgomery Summer Traveling Like...

Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

As we prepare all our food, deserts, party favors & cute outfits let's remember what this holiday is all about. Sing along with me...

The Star-Spangled Banner

  by Francis Scott Key

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,   

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?   
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,   
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming;   
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;   
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave   
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?   
   


On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,   
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, 
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,   
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?   
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,   
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream;   
'Tis the star-spangled banner; O long may it wave 
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!   

   
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore   
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion   
A home and a country should leave us no more?   
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution. 
No refuge could save the hireling and slave,   
From the terror of flight and the gloom of the grave;   
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave   
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!   
   

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand 
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!   
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land,   
Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.   
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just.   
And this be our motto— "In God is our trust; " 
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave   
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave. 

xoxo, Mrs. Montgomery Thanking our Military Men & Women Like...

Meet the RHOC

We recently received an email that started like this:

Okay, you Okie housewives, I hope you will consider me to be an honorary RHOK. I think my chances are pretty slim, but felt I should put my best foot forward anyway. I don't live in Oklahoma (anymore), but I know how to pronounce Muskogee.  I am a former resident of Lawton and Tulsa, a graduate of Memorial High School. In my past life, I was a frequent guest at the home (and dinner table) of "The Doc's" parents. I even attended the wedding of Ms. Priss and the Doc one hot and steamy Texas summer day! I am not a housewife, but I am a wife and I do live in a house. I am not a SAHM, but I am, in fact, a mom, a mother of four (three boys and one girl). I am a school nurse at an elementary school and an advocate for all children, especially those with special needs.

I'm not certain what you are looking for in a guest post, but feel that my observations of the following are worth sharing...somewhere!

And with that kind of intro, there is a guarantee you will be showing up here on our website!
We would like you to meet Mrs. Nightengale!  We are hopeful to have many future guest postings from our honorary RHOK star.  In fact, it is convenient that she lives in Connecticut because this makes her a RHOC star, right?

And with that, we bring you Mrs. Nightengale's first guest post.

The other day I had an epiphany, or two, when I observed the action of a young child. 

This child, a boy, was probably three or four years old. The approximation of his age is based on the fact that he was sitting in a booster seat in the back seat of his parents shiny, new automobile. I could tell in an instant that he had wonderful, caring parents. His proud father was sitting smartly in the driver's seat and slowly maneuvering the parking lot of the local supermarket. His mother,  in front passenger seat, was well dressed, hair perfect and adorned in fine jewelry (most certainly purchased for her by her adoring husband). 

This young man and his brother were sitting in their car seats with belts carefully locked about them to keep them safe. They too, were dressed impeccably with not one hair out of place or a speck of dirt to be found on their face. As a mother of four, this was a clear indication to me of the great deal of attention paid to these boys. I am convinced jealousy is the reason I was able to remember the details of this family with such clarity. 

I thought to myself, "Why is it that when I go to the store with any number of my four children, they are not sitting so still, quiet and well-kempt? Where have I gone wrong?" 

And then all of a sudden, the action happened. An action, especially when performed publicly, offends most and sends even the most relaxed of parents into a frenzy. A habit, a disgusting habit, I am sure most parents have lost their mind over at one time or another. A habit every parent has tried ten million different ways to break. 

Yes, folks, the little boy, adorable, well dressed, perfectly coiffed, took his pointer finger and placed it so far up his right nostril. I was convinced beyond all odds, he would never get it out. 

And it hit me - hit me hard... ALL CHILDREN PICK THEIR NOSE. Nose picking does not discriminate color, creed or socioeconomic status. And I thought to myself, "If those perfect children pick their noses, maybe I'm not such a bad parent after all!" 

* One of Mrs. Nightengale's own little nosepickers *

I left that supermarket parking lot in my messy, battered old mom taxi, with a smile on my face!

Mrs. Nightengale
Scrubbing her kiddos hands like...

Going Home

Every once in a while, you gotta go home.
I was born an Okie and have lived in Oklahoma most of my life now.
Texas still feels more like "going home" to me even though my parents haven't lived there in years.

I loaded up my youngest, Jacob, and my mom to head for my sister's house.
And Sophie.
We can't forget Sophie.

I froze in 65 degree weather to watch my nephews play baseball.
I have a ski jacket and two blankets.
No joke.

Then Jacob and I ran off to Dallas to celebrate my adorable nephew turning one.

Jacob told his cousins he was drunk.

Turns out "drunk" and "tummyache" are interchangeable terms.

Met back up with my other nephews, my mom and my sis to see Iron Man 3.
Loved it.

But the next day, we had this.

Jacob found this dead bunny in my sister's yard and laid its stiff body on that patio table.
That's how we do breakfast in Texas.

We rounded out our trip by going to see our Popie, who is in the hospital and not doing so well.

I can't not show you this doctor's portrait from the hospital hallway.
Now that's a Texan for ya.

Jacob and I were exhausted from making the rounds.
This last photo says it all.
My children never sleep in the car.
Well, almost never.

What's it like for you to go home?

~ Mrs. Priss
Still recovering from all of the excitement like...

St. Patrick's Day Family Style

If you are like me, you have nothing green for this St. Patrick's Day. I will share the cute ideas I found with you. My girls wanted green nails. Found this polish at our corner Walgreens for 99 cents.

Saw this idea & thought it was cute AND easy. Great idea for lunch boxes or friends.

Free Printable Here
I love to do crafts with the kids. This idea from Parenting Magazine is just too cute. Cute to display for  future St. Patrick's Day decorations.

In our house poop is a popular topic. I even receive poop texts from time to time. When I found this idea I just knew I had to make  it for St. Patrick's Day. 

Free Printable Here On behalf of all the RHOK girls we wish you nothing but green this St. Patrick's Day. Here is a little blessing for you.

Free Printable Here

What do you do for St. Patrick's Day? Share your ideas with us. xoxo- Mrs. Montgomery Chasing that Pot O' Gold, Like...

Elf on the Shelf Names

We elf. Our family loves it. It is something the kids really get into. My oldest has graduated to elf sitter & he helps me with the elf activities. He brings a sense of fun in coming up with elf antics for his brother & sisters. A few weeks ago my oldest daughter explained to me that our elf, Jingles, had to leave his wife at the N.Pole. Santa sent him to our house to work & she had to stay behind. Oh how she wished Jingles wife could come to our house.  Well we went to Macy's & found Elf on the Shelf half off plus an additional 25% off. {With that deal I should have purchased all they had & made some extra Christmas cash.} So Jingles wife came to visit.  The girl elf is almost identical to the boy elf. She did have white dot earrings. That just wouldn't do for me, she needed a little bling. Jingles put a ring on it.

The kids were so excited to see her! Jingles wrote a note explaining that she brought reindeer antlers for everyone. Something got lost in translation & they started calling Jingles wife, "Antlers". Antlers?! That is not a name for a cute, blingy, newly married elf. This led to many discussions about her name. She has morphed into, Polkadot Snowflake, or Antlers for short.

Last year I found a vintage elf. He came to help Jingles last year & showed up again this year. His name is cousin Ralph. My husband calls him Uncle Si because he is old & looks a little crazy. Cousin Ralph can't spell. Jingles is always having to help him.

I love seeing all the elf activity on Facebook & Instagram. The names crack me up!

Here are the RHOK elf names:

Mrs. Albright's elves are Fred Jack Tubbington & Tinsel Belle.

Mrs. Southern's elves are Chuck & Glenda.

Mrs. Hart elf is Malia.

My favorite elf name of all time is Enrique. My friend Susan just cracks me up. Here is a crayola portrait of  Enrique drawn by one of her daughters. I was impressed.

Do you elf? If so share your elf names with us. Post a pic on our Facebook page. We love to see your elfing around the house!
xoxo- Mrs. Montgomery Elfing like...

You've Been Elfed!

We have a fun, Christmas tradition we started a couple of years ago.

We are Elfing!

No, it's not the cute lil video you can make called Elf Yourself.

No, it's not the cute lil Elf on the Shelf either. 

Elfing is where we go and drop off treats at our the homes of our neighbors & friends.

Here is the cute card we use.  

From twocrazycupcakes.blogspot.com 

Everyone joins in the fun.

Brother and Sister help bake.

We place our treats in plastic containers.

Attach the poem with cute, grosgrain ribbon.

Easy, peasy.

Then my kids favorite part...sneaking up to the front door, ringing the door bell and running!

My oldest loves this activity and wants to "Elf" everyone we know.

We have so much fun!

When we Elf one friend we always get caught?! Jboy thinks this is hilarious.

We are looking forward to Elfing YOU this year.

xoxo, Mrs. Montgomery Ringing & Running Like...

Christmas Overload

How many of you are ready to have your house back? I mean, are you ready for all those Christmas presents to be put away, the decorations taken down (and, put away), and have life back-to-normal? I'm raising my hand high!

Don't get me wrong, I loved all of it. But, I'm ready to have my house back in order. I'm ready to purge the old to make space for the new. I'm ready to run around in my t-shirt and undies again without worry that I'll frighten our guests!

This was after a little clean up. Like I said, we will need to purge to make room for the new! 

Our Christmas really was pretty spectacular. Anytime we get to see all of our families is good. We didn't have to do any traveling really, either. That's a HUGE plus, in my book. I admit, traveling in a car with kids isn't something I enjoy.

The girls donned their new pajamas Christmas Eve in hopes that this fella would make a stop at our house.

My husband's side of the family has been here for the whole weekend. We've gotten to play lots of games. We love to play games. My side of the family really aren't "gamers." I wish they were though, because I am and I think playing games is a lot of fun and an easy way to create memories. I know, at this point, you are wondering what we played. We played 10-point Pitch (Guess who was the big winner at Pitch, every time?!? Moi! *Fist Pump*), Imaginiff..., and Smart A$$. That last game was a gift won at a White Elephant exchange. It's a trivia game, as if you couldn't guess.

The game I really wanted to play and couldn't find because they were all sold out was Quelf. We played it at Priss' cookie exchange party. It was a lot of fun and I know my family would have loved it. I hope, if you were lucky enough to get one, you've had hours of fun with it! (Side note: If you got one and you don't want it, I know where you could donate it! Ha!)

Probably like most of you, we've eaten entirely too much. It's sad that I'm actually looking forward to dieting and getting back to the gym. I feel miserable and all that feels comfortable at the moment are sweats. Can you say, lack of will power to food?! We've eaten homemade meatballs & spaghetti, JL's BBQ and turkey and the fixins. Oh, and let's not forget all the leftovers and desserts. My sweet mother-in-law brought Italian Cream Cake (along with pumpkin pie and chocolate cake) from La Baguette's in Norman (and OKC). You've not eaten Italian Cream Cake until you've eaten it from La Baguette's. For the love of all things holy...it's divine!

We must have been pretty good this year because Santa did not disappoint! My kids are spoiled and blessed beyond belief and my husband and I must be as well.

I have one more Christmas party before I can call it over and done. I'm hosting a little party for the RHOK girls. We just couldn't manage to work it in before Christmas with all our busy schedules. I always look forward to anytime I can get together with them. I am blessed to work with them on The RHOK and to call them friends. Do you know what I'm really excited about? I don't have to clean my house for the party. My sweet Aunt Glenda has offered to let me use her beautiful home for our party.

My Auntie.... I LOVE her! 

Fun Friends

What did you get for Christmas? Did you get to stay home or did you travel (bless your hearts)? Do you all play games or just sit around visiting? Are you ready to have your company gone and your house back in order? We'd love to hear all about it in the comments.

I'm thinking these will make great Dirty Santa gifts for next year (if I can part with them). What do you think?! 

~Mrs. Albright
I'll be spending my Christmas cash, like.....