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Adventures of the A-Team: Meeting the Crew

February 23, 2015 By: admin

22 people on a couch (plus a bun in the oven) is never a good idea.

Christmas Eve at the Artherton house is nothing less than a 3-ring circus. Complete with a chocolate fountain, 50 plus people ranging from old folks to tiny babies, marshmallow guns, and presents. Lots and lots of presents.

Christmas Lily

Lilian May

This past Christmas, Grandma decided to make handmade pajamas for all the grandkids. After all, what else do you get for your 26 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. She started sewing and cutting out the pjs in early fall and worked nearly every weekend until every last pair was complete, including a little night gown for our new baby girl Lily May.

After what seemed like hours of begging from the kiddos, Grandma and Grandpa finally announced it was time to open presents. It had taken her months of construction and sewing, but in just 2 short minutes, the kids had ripped open their gifts to find matching pjs and a marshmallow gun made from PVC pipe.

In no time flat, the kids were all running around in their new jammies shooting each other with sticky peppermint marshmallows. It didn’t take long for the 6 brothers, who are now grown men with kids of their own, to confiscate the guns and battle it out for themselves in the living room.

Grandma didn’t bat an eye in spite of the flying marshmallows and dozens of boxes and discarded wrapping paper strung all over her house. I guess raising 9 kids will do that to you.

artherton christmasOf course, the mommas needed pictures of our cuties in their Christmas jammies. Somebody had the great idea of putting all the grandkids, keep in mind they range from a 24 year old newly pregnant momma to a week old baby, on the couch. Well, more like a love seat if you will.

After quickly posing everyone and handing over the baby to the oldest cousin, the dads start acting ridiculous trying to get the attention of their own kid in hopes that they will maybe crack a smile, or at minimum at least look at the camera. Flashes are going off as if these kids are walking the red carpet.

CRACK! The dads stop with their silly noises and faces. Kids all look at their parents with wide eyes and an “I didn’t do it look.” We quickly realize our little darlings had just broken Grandma’s couch!

All heads quickly look to Grandma and she breaks the silence with a chuckle. Whew! After Grandma gives the go ahead, the room breaks into laughter and the kids come tumbling off the broken couch.

That is just a tiny glimpse of the chaos that is the Artherton house! With 9, now adult children, 26 grandkids, and 10 great-grandkids, there is a never a dull moment when this crew is together!

football game, 2009

Jake, Brooklyn, Kelli, Mindi, & Robbie

Kelli and I married brothers. She married number 6 in the line-up and I am married to the baby. I think I can speak for both of us when I say the day I said “I do” I didn’t really realize just what I was signing up for. I knew I had a fantastic man standing in front of me that I would no doubt love forever, but I did not also realize I would gain one crazy, large, and ever growing, group of family members that would add endless love and entertainment to my already full heart.

That is us. The A-team. I hope you will follow along as we share our fun adventures and experiences as an Artherton!

And yes. Grandpa was able to fix the couch. Just took some grumblings, a nail gun, and a couple of squirts of wood glue.

One “cool” giveaway from Metro and SWMO Moms

February 19, 2015 By: admin

fridge giveaway sliderWe’re thrilled to celebrate the website’s launch with an AMAZING giveaway from Metro Appliances & More. One lucky local mom will win a new refrigerator which Metro will deliver to the winner’s home in March!

Of course, we’re not giving away just any old fridge. This refrigerator offers a unique “door-in-door” feature. How many times a day do you reach in to grab a juicebox, carton of milk, or a fruit cup for your little darlings? This feature saves time for busy moms, not to mention the cost savings with this energy-efficient appliance.

This refrigerator would normally cost more than $2,600. And your bill for all this awesomeness? Um… zero. Zilch. Nada. How cool is that? Click HERE to read all the specs on the refrigerator. But here are some of our favorite features:RF28HDEDBSR

  • Super convenient door-in-door feature
  • Filtered water and ice dispenser with both cubed and crushed ice options
  • Lots of room (enough room to fit 28 grocery bags full of items!)
  • 5 spill-proof shelves
  • High efficiency LED interior light
  • Freezer has in-door pizza pocket
  • Freezer drawer divider
  • Cooling features keep fruits and veggies fresher longer
  • Unique cooling allows for safe defrosting in a controlled space

HOW TO ENTER IN PERSON: See this refrigerator in person (and also throw your name in the drawing) when you swing by our booth at this weekend’s KGBX Show at the Ozark Empire Fair E-plex. We’ll have this beauty on display and will let shoppers throw their name into the fridge’s crisper drawer for an extra chance to win. (Click HERE for more info on the KGBX Show.)

HOW TO ENTER ONLINE: To put your name in the online drawing for this giveaway package (which normally costs more than $2,600), SWMOMOMlogo 5click the word “comment” at the top of this story and tell us what you’d like to see offered on this mom-focused local website. (Recipes? Fashion articles? Stories about local moms? Kid pictures, etc.?)

If you already like what you see here on the website, let us know what we’re doing right. We’d love your feedback.

We’d also love it if you’d include a word of thanks for awesome website sponsors like Metro Appliances & More, who made this mom-friendly giveaway possible. The staff at Metro continues to be the BEST we’ve found in Southwest Missouri when it comes to customer service.

TO ENTER VIA EMAIL: You can also throw your name in the hat by answering the question above via email. Just send it to giveaways@SouthwestMissouriMoms.com.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR ODDS: We know some of you REALLY need new appliances. So here’s what you do if you want to increase your odds of winning. Simply send an email to your friends and family about this giveaway and be sure to put giveaways@SouthwestMissouriMoms.com on the CC line of your note. We’ll give you an extra chance to win for every person you tell.

MORE BONUS ENTRIES: And here’s another way to get extra chances to win: Post an update on Facebook about this giveaway (feel free to use one of these photos, too) and let us know that you shared it with your Facebook friends. If you’re a Twitter fan, feel free to tweet this news as well for extra chances to win. (Tell us in your posted comment or email if you shared it on Facebook or Twitter or both.)

Please note that winners are always chosen at random using a random number generator so anyone can win.

Good luck in the giveaway, and keep an eye on your inbox because we’ll send the winner an email with the great news in mid-March.

 

Welcome SWMO Moms!

February 3, 2015 By: admin

welcome mat

Welcome to SouthwestMissouriMoms.com! Today we’re announcing the birth of a new website, and we’re so excited to see how it will grow.

group, 1We developed this site because moms in Southwest Missouri deserve an informative, fun online resource where they can come for helpful tips and connections to local women and mom-friendly businesses.

We believe one of the best things any mom can have is the support and encouragement of moms in her community. Our hope is that this website will become an online gathering spot and a source of joy in your daily life. Here’s some of what you’ll find on this site:

  • Recipes
  • Local calendar of events
  • Fun photos of Southwest Missouri families
  • cropped-LogoX2.pngInterviews with local moms
  • Kids Eat Free list
  • Celebrity news
  • Hair & Makeup tips and product reviews
  • Relationship insight
  • Mom blogs
  • Viral videos

We’ll update the site several times each week so you’ll always find something new when you visit. Bookmark this page now so your return trips will be quick and easy. And be sure to download our new app, available in the App Store and the Google Play store. Just search for SWMO Moms.

If you like what you see so far, please tell a friend or fellow mom about the new website or share a link on Facebook or Twitter. We’d also love to connect with you on Instagram and Pinterest, too. We’re ALWAYS interested in your thoughts, opinions and suggestions for how to get better. (Read more about our personal story by clicking here.)

Email us anytime by clicking HERE. Thanks so much for being a part of this site’s launch!

Five Minutes with a Local Mom: Sara Forhetz

February 3, 2015 By: admin

Name: Sara Forhetz

Kid’s names and ages:  

Caroline, 5.  Ainsley, 3.  Griffin, almost 2.

Where are you from and how long have you lived in Southwest Missouri? 

I grew up in Fort Gibson, Okla.  I have lived in the Springfield area for the last 10 years. Work brought me here, then I met my husband and we’ve built our lives here!

What is your favorite family activity in SWMO? 

My favorite family activity is going to the park with my kids. If it is even half way warm and/or sunny, we are outside on the swings!

What is your favorite thing to do with friends in SWMO? 

I love to go trail running with my friends. I love to do triathlons. And I love to go to dinner, then coffee.

If you could have an entire day to yourself, how would you spend it?

I would probably spend the day outside on my bicycle listening to some great podcast. I would then take a nap, wake up and read and have some more coffee.

Describe your typical day: 

If I’m off work, I get up later than I should, as do my kids, we eat a late breakfast, and then go outside and play.  After that, we eat some more, and play some more. You’ll find us on a trail somewhere. Then, my husband Ethan and I catch up on our favorite shows.

What is the most enjoyable thing about being a mother? 

I love watching my three kids play together.  It brings my heart so much joy to watch them get along so well and laugh a lot.  I also like watching my oldest be a little “mommy” to the younger ones. I think I enjoy the spontaneity as well. You never know what you are going to get!

What is the most challenging part of being a mother? 

Logistics.  My husband and I often work opposite shifts so that one of us can be home with the kids, which means learning how to juggle. I’m sure once my oldest starts school, I might have a different answer.


What is the last thing your kids have done to make you laugh? 

Last night my 3 and 5 year olds were singing “Moves Like Jagger,” and dancing around the house.  I have no idea where they learned that song or where they even heard it.  But it was hilarious! I just love watching them dance! Kids don’t care!

What is your number one tip for keeping your house clean (or “cleanish”)? 

I let my husband be in charge of making the kids pick up the toys after themselves. If Ethan tells them to clean it, it will be cleaned!

How do you relax at the end of the day?

Do a devotional, drink some coffee and eat bonbons.

What’s something your friends might not know about you?

I prefer to exercise alone. I also prefer to listen, not read. So I’d rather them call me than text me.

One word to sum me up: (highly) caffeinated.sara fam1

Guys Tell All: Husband says wife spends too much time on Facebook

January 10, 2015 By: admin

700Guys tell all sliderHi guys.

My husband hates how much time I spend on Facebook. He’s not on there so he doesn’t get how much fun it can be to catch up with people and see what’s going on with friends. He’s asked me stay off the computer so much at night, but that’s when I have time to myself. How can I make him understand he’s not being reasonable?

JOE: Once upon a time we had to physically visit people, write letters or call them on the phone. If your husband picked up the phone and talked with his friends for hours instead of spending time with you that would be ok? Right? Especially if he did it every…single…night? Well, would it?

It’s easy to get wrapped up in Facebook. If you don’t know the news instantly you’re behind the curve. After all, nobody wants to be the 30th person to say “congratulations” to Jane after she announced her new baby. Sometimes you might even feel as though you’re missing out on life if you’re not reading your feed. But the reality is that 75% of status updates are garbage, 10% is stuff that you have no use for, 10% you already knew and the remaining 5% is stuff you wish you didn’t know. (You TMI people know who you are.)

You could always start with trying to get him engaged on Facebook and see if he finds it as interesting as you do. That way you could both sit in opposite ends of the house on separate computers and just use the chat feature to let him know if dinner’s ready. When you go out to eat you can both use your smartphones to see if any of your friends have “checked in.”

“So what” you say? No worse than sitting on the couch in front of the television? Yeah, I’d have to agree. And to ask you to not log in at all every night sounds unreasonable to me. I suspect there’s some kind of compromise to be struck. If you’re really glued to your computer for hours each night it would probably do you some good to take a break.

Tell him you’ll scale back Facebook time to something reasonable. Better yet, find something in the real world to do. Go to a movie with the hubby. Have a date night. Go check out that new Thai restaurant.

Besides, you could always use a better status update than “sitting at home scrolling through lol cats.”

MICHAEL: How about you find out what’s going on with your husband? If you want to catch up with your friends then give them a call. Facebook has made it so easy to watch our “friends” that it’s become a form of entertainment. I wouldn’t have as much trouble with it if you were only friends with people you were truly your friends. That wouldn’t take very long at all.

Just remember your best friend is sitting there beside you being ignored while you spend time reading about people whose life you really don’t have a vested interest in.

If it’s really necessary that you do this, set a timer for a reasonable time(15 minutes?) then quit. Don’t use it on your phone. Don’t sneak around and check updates.

Remember, where you spend your time shows what you care about.

RICHARD: If he wants you to stay off Facebook entirely, then he is being unreasonable. If he’d like you to spend a moderate amount of time on social media, mostly so you can spend some time together in the evening and you don’t want to, you’re being unreasonable.

It’s easy to lose track of time in cyberspace and often folks end up cruising away from Facebook and spend tons of time in other mental black holes like on youtube or shopping online. They think they’re on there a short time but they flush whole evenings down the toilet spending time online.

So, check your actual time spent in front of the screen doing the Facebook thing.

If it’s a half hour or so, I think you’re good. If you’re spending hours on Facebook every day “catching up with people” it’s way beyond cool. If you only do a half hour at a time but you check back five times in the evening, once again, too much.

No matter how much fun you’re having, would you think it was reasonable for him to, say, spend a couple of hours every evening in the bar or at the gym? What if every evening he got up and simply walked outside for a half-hour at a time a couple of times a night?

If you say, sure, because it’ll let me hang out more on Facebook, you have deeper issues.

Does your Facebook profile picture look like a Glamour Shot? Do you post more pics of yourself than your family? Do you feel compelled to tell the world every time your child takes a poop? Would a casual reader come away from reading your Facebook page feeling you’re self-obsessed, needy or preachy?

News flash: Facebook does not make you smart, or clever or important. It just makes some people think they are.

Step away from the machine and spend some time with your husband. Unless, of course, he’s a controlling nut job and that’s the core of his request. He’s probably telling you he misses you and wants to hang out. He’s telling you he thinks you’re smart and clever and important.

Don’t prove him wrong.

Got a question for our anonymous panel of husbands? We’ll pass it along to them and you might just see the answer to your question in our next “Guys Tell All” post. Just email Mindi and Kelli at info@southwestmissourimoms.com

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