Ryan is excited because the school is having a spelling bee. The Murphy kids are all competitive whether it is a meatball eating contest or a spelling bee. They hear the word contest and start to foam at the mouth. Ryan has never been a good speller but insists that he will win the spelling bee. He has been walking around all week with his spelling book asking everyone in the house to quiz him. He was getting desperate so he asked Erin/Sybil, she responded with, "I would rather do ANYTHING else, other than help you study." He responded with, "OK, will you lick my belly button please?"He even got a little giggle out of her before she gave him a love pat/smack.

Shannon is officially 16, she is not going to try to get her license until she can drive a car without running a stop sign. She really struggles with that. She thinks they shouldn't be off to the side, she says it is confusing. She will be the first Murphy to pass on the first try if she can master the whole stop sign. She won't drive with Dave anymore so it is all me, I have never been one to take Prozac but I'm starting to re-consider. Her birthday was yesterday, I just took a seasonal job at Macy's for Christmas. I had training last night. I made Shannon's favorite dinner at 4:00 before I left, (fettuccine) I scarfed down around 1600 calories before I walked out the door to go to work. When I got home at 10, the dinner was still on the stove and everyone's plates were still on the table. That made me really happy:)

My Shannon turns 16 on Thursday, it seems like just yesterday I brought my little 5 lb baby home from the hospital. She was the perfect baby for the first three days of her life, she just laid there all bundled up as quiet as a mouse. When I brought her home, things started to take a nasty turn. Maybe it is because Erin almost bit her pointer finger off her first day home, I don't know if that caused the start of her crabbiness but it has been down hill ever since.

Sunday Shannon decided to make pancakes for her, Maggie and Ryan. She announced to everyone that she got first pick of the stack of pancakes that she was going to eat. Apparently Ryan missed that part of the conversation. He saw a stack of delicious golden pancakes on a plate and started ripping them apart with his hands like a barbarian. It would be way to difficult to use a knife and fork. Shannon happened to notice her perfect stack of pancakes that were now shredded and touched by her brother's less than sterile hands. At about this time she borrowed a psychotic personality from Erin. She was dangerously close to beating him with the spatula, he offered to give the pancakes back but for some reason she didn't want them any more. He got up from the table and ran as fast as he could. One of the perks of having six sisters is the ability to know when to run. She even turned to me and screamed, "You never discipline him, he gets away with murder." I said, "Shannon, what type of discipline do you suggest I give him for picking up the wrong stack of pancakes?, I'm thinking I may have to discuss this serious matter with your father before I punish him." He may have to miss Christmas this year.

When I told Erin the story her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She said, "That sounds like something I would do." I think Erin can go off to college now knowing that the torch has been passed. Shannon is starting to show promise when it comes to abusing Ryan.

This is my last week with the car, I can't believe how fast this month has flown by. I want to thank Chevy for helping me realize what a complete piece of crap I normally drive. If not for this promotion I never would have realized what a hunk a junk my van is. All kidding aside, this month has been a ton of fun and I know what my next car will be. Without a doubt, the Traverse will be at the top of my list!! As soon as that money drops from the sky!!

I am going to be on Great Day St Louis tomorrow morning, I should be upstairs getting my beauty rest but instead I am down here writing on my blog. I have never been on TV before, much less live TV, yikes!! I went shopping to find a new outfit for my two minutes of fame. I ended up with a purple argyle sweater and black pants. When I got home I re-read my email from the consulting firm that gave me tips on what to wear. Right there in black and white it said, "try to avoid geometric shapes." I think I must have took that to mean, run to the mall, try on 50 things that make you look like a complete cow, buy a sweater in a color that you never wear with diamonds all over it. Are diamonds geometric shapes??? I think I dropped geometry and took practical math. No wonder my son does so well in math. (NOT)