My Fab Four

Elves on Shelves

2011-12-01T17:45:00.001-05:00

It appears that some Christmas magic has reappeared in our home. Many years ago, Santa was spoiled when my children were still young and they were told Santa was not "real." I was so sad that this magical time was ruined; not just for them but for their future siblings, as well. As it turns out, three of the four no longer believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the like. I know that someday we all figure out that there is no man who shimmies down the chimney or fairy that slips under the pillow to leave treats and surprises. So, it wasn't necessarily the loss of Santa that grieved me but the loss of the magic of Christmas. A five-year old doesn't understand the "spirit" of Christmas. Plus, they then spoil it for future little sisters long before it's time.

On the bright side, I no longer had to worry about hiding wrapped presents or explaining why the handwriting or wrapping paper Santa uses matches mine. I didn't have to decide which presents came from Santa and which came from me. I no longer felt "jealous" that they like Santa's gifts better than the ones I gave them. I can wrap the presents and put them under the tree right away. The downside is I cannot use Santa as a motivation to "be good" either. It just doesn't work LOL! We still talk about Santa, enjoy the shows on TV and visit Santa at the mall.

Last year I read about an elf on the shelf that reports back to Santa if you've been naughty or nice. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the money on something that really wasn't going to be useful for a long period of time. It wasn't on the radar much and the holiday season passed without much thought to the creepy little elf. Fast forward a year.

It seems that the devilish little elf has returned in a big way. We've seen him everywhere: Facebook, the card stores, Target, friends have it and there's even one at my daughter's preschool. He's making a huge comeback, but I have found many friends who don't even know what I'm talking about. My SIL hates the thing and sent me a link to a blog about hating the elf. I skipped that one. I felt like I was being judged, especially when she told her kid that only BAD kids got the elf, when he asked for one.

There was a cartoon on about the elf recently which my children watched and thus became enamoured with this little elf that reports whether you've been naughty or nice to Santa each night . It was all they talked about for several days, and in the end I broke down and bought the darn thing. It came with a wiry, plushy-type elf with no feet and a lovely hardcover book. I think it's severely overpriced but, hey, I bought it anyway.

The premise of the elf is you adopt him and set him somewhere in your home. He stays in that spot all day recording his observations and then magically flies back to the North Pole each night to give a report to Santa. Then he flies back and finds a new spot to sit in your home which the children will find the next day when they wake up. I thought it was a cute way to talk about the magic of Christmas and have a little hide and seek fun during the holidays.

I came home and put the box under the tree so the kids could find it the next day, which they did. We opened the box and discovered the elf had already left the box. Since he's supposed to hide in the first place, this was rather creepy. No one admitted to taking the elf out and hiding him somewhere. Already we had elf issues. I returned the box to the store, I mean elf adoption center, and we were given a new one.

After the kids got home from school, we took him out, read the story, chose a name and visited the elf website. His name was Twinkle. Then the next day we changed it to Jingles which seemed to suit him better. I put Jingles on a candle on the TV stand. The girls seemed a little skittish with the elf while their brother shook his head at all of it. Did I mention he has no feet?

As bedtime got closer, the tension ramped up a great deal. It turns out the girls thought that he would hide and jump out to scare them or do some other nefarious things to frighten them like sneak in their room while they were sleeping. This was a big deal at bedtime. I mean HUGE! Oh, the drama of little girls. They were quite frightened. I'll admit that he looks a little odd what with his no feet, skinny legs and eyes that don't really look straight ahead but off to the side. But they are big blue eyes and a little smile to look happy. All I heard for days was how much they wanted an elf like their friends and now they were scared. Make that petrified.

We ended up with two little bodies in our bed that night. I figured we'd just move them after they fell asleep. Eventually, they fell asleep but woke up frequently worried about the elf. I promised he'd stay downstairs and not come upstairs. The bed was very crowded and no one got any sleep that night. For children who don't believe in Santa, they sure did attribute quite a lot of power to a stuffed elf. At one point the littlest one woke up thinking she saw him on the dresser, actually pointing, looking and trembling in fear. I finally got her back to sleep but vowed that darn elf was going back to the store. It was a long sleepless night.

The elf did find a new spot to sit after that night. The girls, seemingly excited, ran down the stairs to see if Jingles was still there. And there he sat -- in the Christmas tree! They were so excited, yelling and pointing. They weren't sure what to make of it or if we should keep it. I had promised them and my husband I would take it back to the store, but I did not have time to make a trip to the store that day.

Last night we had some discussion about what to do about the elf. Santa has given the elf rules he has to follow so I suggested we tell the elf to talk to Santa about staying on the main floor of the house. They seemed more open to keeping Jingles so I decided to follow their lead. This morning they got right up and ran down the stairs to find the elf on top of the Manger with baby Jesus. The girls thought this was hysterical! They were laughing and going around telling everyone where they found Jingles.

Along with Jingles was a note from Santa explaining that Jingles was a really nice elf who didn't wish to scare anyone. The rules include that no elf is allowed to leave the main floor, go in any bedrooms or bathrooms. The only comment my oldest daughter had about the note was that she liked the font Santa used. I find this quite funny. The girls seemed okay with that today, so I will continue to follow their lead.

I'm excited that we are keeping the elf. For now. While it's probably only a couple-year tradition here, it's brought back some of the magic of the holiday. Whether or not they believe the elf can really go visit Santa or move about the house, it looks like it's going to be a fun and magical game that we can enjoy together. They grow up too fast and I want to hold onto that magical innocence that only children have for as long as possible.

Now, where will we find the elf tomorrow ...?

A Perfect Pattern

2010-09-28T19:32:00.000-04:00

I redesigned my blog recently. Still unsure if I like it. If not, I'll change it again!

I've been on the hunt for the "perfect" knitting bag. Something that looks sophisticated but somewhat girly, sturdy enough that the needles won't poke through and large enough to holder some bigger projects/longer needles.

My first inclination was to make a felted knitting bag ... perfect! I've been searching out patterns here and there and saving them but felting is a still a bit scary to me. I'm still working on sock #1 I started at least a month ago.

A while ago I was out and saw the perfect tote bag. I want to say it was handmade but I'm not really sure. It was a nice shape with three different fabric patterns that I could see. One main patterned fabric for the body of the bag, a matching solid for the bottom quarter or so of the bag and then a coordinating trim that ran along where the two different fabrics met. I figured it looked somewhat easy to make for a mostly novice sewer.

I have been searching high and low for the perfect pattern. My gripes are links that links that link to links ad infitium and the links that lead to sites that are just talking about tote bags. How disappointing to find a picture of the perfect bag only to find out there's really not a pattern, just a blog talking about totes.

Tonight I stumbled across several patterns I thought might work. I'll probably check a couple more sites and perhaps the patterns at JoAnn's (although I prefer free!) before selecting a pattern and purchasing my fabric. I'm excited about sewing again since I made my dinner-table napkins. I'm very much task oriented and enjoy seeing a finished project.

I had a design in my head that involved black toile with coordinating fabrics but I can't recall exactly what I was going to do now. I'll probably just browse the fabric aisles at the store and see what inspires me at the time. I am looking forward to having a nicer bag to tote my knitting around.

A Tribute

2010-09-17T10:55:00.000-04:00

Way back when, when I was a tween before there was even a term "tween," my mom met a man. I had turbulent upbringing so this man wasn't necessarily as welcome as I would have wanted. But what did I know, I was a kid. What began as a rocky relationship turned into the father-daughter relationship I had never had.

I have so many memories at this point. The many times he intervened on my behalf between disagreements and overly harsh punishments from my mom, eating dinner in the car while my mom drove to visit him at his place, the crazy curly perm, playing pool, when he tried to teach me to drive my mom's stick-shift truck and I jumped the curb in front of my high school and dug up the grass for all to see. The trips down the back roads of NC to visit my grandparents, quitting smoking by putting down the cigs one day and never looking back, walking me down the aisle when I got married.

So many memories, so little time to make more. The type of memories you mostly stop and consider when the person you're remembering is no longer around. I'm sad to say my stepdad died 8/13/10. Way too soon, way too soon. I still find it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I'll never speak to him on this earth again.

Every time I hear the word "kiddo" I think of him as that was always the first thing he said to me: "Hey, Kiddo!" Some other select phrases I remember growing up; "Between the A & the T," "You make a better door than a window," "You been drinking muddy water," and the various comments about singing with the commercial jingles. It rankled him to no end how many television commercials I could recite verbatum!

The last thing he did for my family was send the kids some things in the mail. My older two received adventure books for girls and boys, respectively. He also send National Geo to my son and the younger version to my other daughters. It's strange to get the subscriptions in the mail but a wonderful reminder each month that even though I didn't keep in touch as often as I should that we still had a special place in his heart.

In that vein, I recently ran across a card he sent my husband 11 years ago on my husband's very first father's day. It was a pure fluke I even found it but my stepdad wrote a most meaningful message to my husband. I don't know if I knew about the card and message at the time but it meant more to me than ever to read the words he wrote, especially now. And it reminds me that no matter his laid back attitude, my stepdad was such a multi-layered man with so many more talents than he let on.

So, I'm sharing his message here as a tribute to a fine father figure who, more than anything else, he LOVED his children.

Darrin,
     On the occasion of your 1st Father's Day, I thought that I would tell you a little about my Dad.

     My Dad wasn't an athlete or race driver, he wasn't a great hunter or fisherman. He was just a regular guy who worked hard and loved his family. He taught me to ride a bike, and to catch a ball. He came to every Little League game, even though I was the worst player on the team. He took me to Saturday matinees of "Tarzan" and "The Crimson Pirate," and he was alway[s] "there" for me. He was, I believe, the finest man that I have ever known. He taught me how to be a man, not by what he said, but by what he did, and by who he was.

     Many people take ther[sic] father for granted, because they have always had them, but for those of us like me and Matthew, who started out without one, a Dad is a truly special person. You can spot a Dad by the way his eyes "lite-up" when his children come into the room. I always saw that lite in my Dad's eyes, and I see it in yours when your [sic] with Matthew.

     I've always thought that you are a great son-in-law, i'm sure that your [sic] a great Dad, and I think Matthew will be as proud of his Dad, as i am of mine.

                                                                                 HAPPY FATHERS DAY

                                                                                               Jim

My heart kind of hurts at all I've missed over the past few years while busy raising my children and not tending to my own family relationships. But overall I know that my stepdad loved me like his own all these years no matter what. I did get an opportunity to speak with him a couple weeks or so before he died and I feel blessed that we had that time together, however brief.

RIP Jimbo. I miss you more every day.

Have to laugh ...

2010-04-22T16:27:00.004-04:00

found my way back here after a long hiatus. Guess you could say the knitting bug took over me! I've gone way beyond a couple sets of needles and couple balls of cotton yarn. I have what is considered a STASH! and find myself consumed by all things knitting on a daily basis.

That said, the Sheep and Wool (or Sheep and Wolf as my kids say) Festival is the first weekend in May. My SIL and I are going, sans kids, and I can't wait to really get my hands on some product. I have a new appreciation of the festival as a knitter and think I will get some much more out of it than previous years. EVery day I contemplate which project I should focus on: a baby blanket for my nephew due in the fall, some felting wood to make a felted knitting bag (and work a new technique) or the hooded scarf, which I also covet.

I need to set myself a budget and project/s. I'm thinking maybe the blanket and scarf. However, after working some personal cloths from a Purl Bee pattern, using a chunky bamboo blend, I'm thinking this would be a wonderful wool to use but rather pricey. Lots of thinking to do on that one. So just a small update because I thought it was funny how far I've fallen in such a short period of time ... not even a year.

OH and if you happen by the festival, be sure and stop by my friend's shop: Cloverhill Yarn Shop. Last year they were in the large exhibit hall. Wonderful vendor with lovely products :)

Knit 1, Purl 2

2009-07-30T10:23:00.006-04:00

My newest endeavor this summer was learning to knit. I thought it might be fun for Madison to learn to keep her hands busy. One Sunday my SIL came over and we traded craft assistance. I helped her make a stepping stone (that my 2-year old promptly destroyed necessitating a do-over) and she taught us how to knit.

I didn't intend to learn but thought if I learned also I could help Madison if she needed help. My SIL cast on for each of us and I was hooked, instantly! I LOVE knitting. It's very soothing and appeals to the task/goal-oriented side of my brain. Plus, I can pick it up and put it down as needed, unlike using the sewing machine.

I spent two weeks practicing on a ball of yarn until it was almost gone. Mentally I lined up two projects; dish cloths for myself and a gift for someone else. Since my SIL wasn't available at 10p to help me with a pattern, I turned to Ravelry.com to look for free patterns. SIL was kind enough to send me the link to this website. It's great! I even downloaded Ewe Stash app on my iPhone to keep track of my stuff! I told you I was hooked!

So, now I have two sets of needles, 5 balls of new yarn and projects in my head. I checked out about 20 books trying to figure out how to cast on since I taught myself to cast off. I couldn't get the casting on to save my life. I turned to the internet hoping there would be a self-help somewhere and I found one! I figured out what I was doing wrong when casting on and managed to figure it out. Go me!

So, my first project is now complete. I think it took almost a week. I can't remember which day I started it but I finished it this morning. I had to refigure out how to cast off. I used Bernat Cotn Corn yarn in a Peach Tree ombre. It's very pretty peaches, tans and browns and *very* soft. I'd love to make a scarf or something with something similar. I chose this over my cotton yarn because it was softer but that also made it difficult to work with. It was very splitty.

So my final work is not perfect by any stretch of the means, but since it's just a dishcloth not that big of a deal. I can't wait to start the next one. That will be my practice to get ready for the gift I'm making. I bought my SIL a book for Christmas last year called Mason Dixon Knitting or something like that. It didn't appeal to me at the time but I think I'd like to read it now. I also want to crochet some little animals, shapes and knit some bean bags for the kids. One of the kids' knitting books had a project for making your own knitting needles and I think if Madison sticks with it, I'll make her some for Christmas. I LOVE my bamboo knitting needles from JoAnn's. They are nice to work with, smooth and feel nice in my hands. I love how the ends got smoother and shiney as I worked the yarn. Can't wait to get to Cloverhill Yarn store one of these days!

Guess I'd better do some chores and take care of some kids before I start my next project! Perhaps I should also brush my teeth.

Spring come now

2009-03-23T08:32:00.003-04:00

Signs of Spring --

Flocking geese honking their song
Little Robin Red Breast hopping about
Forsythia slowing unveiling it's beautiful golden show
Pussywillows unfurling their soft little buds
Enough sunshine left in the day to take an after-supper stroll.

Spring -- we welcome you back!

Week 1: Birthday, PT and pedometer

2009-03-03T16:36:00.002-05:00

So today is 3/3/09. I keep wanting to write 3/3/99 because that's the date my son was born. Hats off to you and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW! I can't believe he's ten already. My I feel old and how much faster could a decade go? Even though he's a typical brother, he's growing into a fine young man. I'm so proud of him.

So I made it through surgery. I must say, I really enjoyed the afternoon/evening after my surgery and the three days following that I got to lay around and be waited on. It was a bummer that the laptop crashed a week beforehand so I couldn't use the internet while resting. Maybe we'll pick up a cheap one at the holidays instead of gifts.

The surgery went well and 1/3 of the cartilage was removed. The stitches were removed on 2/25 and today was my first PT appointment. It went well and in general I liked the therapist. He addressed my back issues as well as my knee so that was a plus. Two for one deal LOL! He manipulated my knee, back, etc., gave me some recommendations and exercises and I'm supposed to go back on Friday morning. I wish it was a woman but that's just my idiosyncrasy LOL! I think I have appointments schedule for the next several weeks, although, the doctor said three weeks but I guess we'll see how things are going after three weeks. At least it's only 2x a week instead of three.

They started a "walking" program at church. The goal is to walk from our area to Loma Linda, CA by June, I think. I signed up two weeks before my surgery. So I bought my pedometer today and walked at least 1000 steps just from 1:00 on. I noticed it counts "steps" when I move the meter too much or bump in or my clothes move. Also, if I'm stationary too long I believe it resets to zero so I need to keep an eye on it. Perhaps there's other, more sophisticated models out there but I'll see how this works for now. The goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day. I know as my knee mends, I'll be able to do more walking.

So to keep track, I'll mark Week 1, Day 1 as 1000 steps.

Surgery Nightmares

2009-02-04T10:14:00.002-05:00

I knew it had been quite some time since posting to my blog, but I didn't realize just how long! Every few days I think of an entry to type up and never get to it.

My knee has healed okay since I tore the cartilege but I went ahead and scheduled the surgery anyhow. It's on 2/19. I have a lot of scheduling to do to get the kids sorted out. My knee feels much better but when I get too ambitious it definately creaks and snaps a lot. And sometimes it's just plain achey. I'll be glad to get the surgery over with.

This week I began having nightmares about the surgery.

Dream A:
I dreamt I was actually having two separate surgeries; one for my nose/ear or some such thing and the knee surgery. I was nervous about having two surgeries so close together. My dh took me to the surgery and I was terrified of going under the anesthia so my body was fighting it. The surgeon tried three times to get it to work.

On the flip side of being nervous about going under, I was also scared of the anestheia not working and I was going to feel everything and not be able to respond. Thankfully, I made it through the surgery okay and there are some hazy parts here. On the end note, my dh went to work and left me home all bandaged up by myself with the kids. Shortly after he left, Mia began throwing up and I remember trying to find a bucket for her while not dislodging the bandaging. I had to call dh back home to take care of us all LOL!

Dream B:
Last night was even worse. It was only the one surgery this time but instead of knee surgery I needed brain surgery. It all happened very quickly as I went to the doctor for something or other and she started talking about admitting me around 8. I freaked out thinking it was 8 the next morning when, in fact, it was 8 that night!

So I went in to this big, archaic inner-city hospital. Lots of stone and rudimentary architecture. It was gigantic and sprawling with wings and off-shoots everywhere. I was assigned to this one nurse. There were several nurses and they each had their own set of patients that were plotted out on this sheet of paper with names, diagnoses, meds, etc.

I got checked in and decided to take a walk in the hospital gown. I rambled all over and on my way back realized that the rooms were way old-fashioned and didn't have TV's. However, I believe the reason for this is that it was too expensive or else people were stealing them. I can't recall. But in any event, they had a space where they lined up those fold-out hospital chairs and had a bank of TV's. Weird.

It was around this point that I realized I was somewhat lost and couldn't remember my room number or where it was. Kind of like the dreams I have where I'm in school and can't remember my locker combination or which class I'm supposed to be in. I finally found the nurses desk with all the assignment sheets but I didn't want to read them because it was confidential information. I kept asking nurses where my room was and they were indifferent. I was getting really angry and started yelling. About this time my nurse appeared and dh showed up to rescue me. My knight in shining armour!

I hope I don't have any more of these dreams because they really increase my anxiety level; as if it wasn't high enough already. Will be glad to get this done and over with.

Torn Meniscus

2008-11-13T15:57:00.002-05:00

Boy, it sure does stink getting old. I always feel like I'm falling apart or something's getting injured or something aches for no apparent reason.

When I was pregnant with C I twisted my knee on the stairs. I chalked it up to loose ligmanets due to pregnancy. It hurt quite a bit but eventually healed. I probably should have had it seen by a doctor but never got around to it. After some time the pain went away even though every once in a while I would step wrong and it would get out of whack for a short period of time.

I did not realize it would come back to bite me.

Last weekend I came up with this bright idea that we should have a family raking the leaves day on Sunday. Did I even get pictures? NO. I remember when I was a kid I loved leaf raking time. It was tons of fun so I just assumed my kids would love it as well.

Not! I bought bags and we all trooped out. D asked why we were wasting our time doing this because he wanted to reorganize the basement LOL! I told him it would be good for the kids and we didn't have money to pay someone else double LOL!!! The kids just whined. They were cold, they were hungry, they were tired, their legs hurt, it was boring. On and on and on. They perked up when some friend stopped by and they had contests as to who could bag the most leaves or have the biggest twig pile.

I kept tripping over stuff and it was making me mad. I seemed to find every little hole in the ground, stick to trip on or stumble on the raised tree roots. At one point I tripped on a root and felt a searing pain in my knee. Stupid me kept raking because I really wanted to get the leaves done. Finally I quit and went in to ice my knee. I figured the next day it would be better. Unfortunately, it hurt worse so off to the doctors I went.

After a brief exam and an x-ray the doctor decided I tore the cartilege on the inside of my knee, called the meniscus (sp?). He sent me for an MRI which I had done later that night. Really icky. Luckily, I didn't have to go all the way in. My follow up appointment is Tuesday, which I actually need to reschedule. Better go do that now. It's feeling so much better. I took the kids to my dad's so I can rest. It's been rather relaxing. I pick them up tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that I don't need surgery!!

This and That

2008-11-06T20:57:00.004-05:00

Wow, what a week! I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at the turnout of the presidential election but so be it. Now, let's see where this change takes us and if we really do benefit. It was interesting on election day as a lot of people walked to the polls, including families. I don't ever recall seeing that but I'm not sure I drove around in the morning either. It started raining when I voted.

So, dh is worried I could be pg. I've been trying to get to bed earlier in hopes of getting up earlier. I seem to be more productive in the morning once I actually wake up. Plus it would be nice to be dressed, fed, etc. before DN comes for the day. So far I've been getting in bed earlier but not going to sleep much earlier. Plus I'm tired all the time from C's sleeping habits.

So dh asked if I was pg LOL! I said I hope to heaven not!!! And if I was then certain activities would be abolished from our household. HAHA! I guess I didn't make matters any better when I bought a jar of pickles the other day. However, we had them for our dinner "party" Friday evening and I wanted more. It's been so long but I grew up with sweet gherkins and sometimes you just like that good old comfort food.

Mia's making strides in school/ballet. She's been nodding in answer to questions and walking in on her own. That's some progress. She says she's going to talk when she turns four. We shall see.

Instead of trick or treating this year, the kids invited some friends over for dinner and games. For lack of a better word I called it a dinner "party" but it wasn't meant to be a Halloween party. Several families came, we had spaghetti dinner and the kids had a FAB-O time! They said it was better than trick or treating and asked if we could do that every year.

My DN has been really sick. He was in the hospital last weekend with either RSV or viral pnemonia. He was out all this week as the dr. thinks he's still contagious since he's chest congested and wheezing. I talked with my SIL today and the baby's dr. seemed to think he'll be contagious all next week as well. Oy! I feel badly that I cannot take him but as we agreed it would be a nightmare if it started going through out house. Mia seems to be at the tail end of some sort of cold virus and now Madison's starting. Hopefully it'll pass soon. My DN is feeling better with more energy and eating so that is good news. We do miss the little bugger but I'm trying to get some things done while I'm down one. Still not so easy with two little ones. I was thinking of having someone come watch them for a couple hours, dropping C off somewhere when Mia's in school or taking C to my dad's to spend one night. Can't really decide but I'm uber frustrated at not getting anything done around here and just following C around while she destroys one thing after another.

I attended an interesting LLL conference this past Sunday that was actually held at my church. I attended the seminars for newbies and hope to make some progress on my stuff. Tomorrow's the Friday meeting so we'll probably go to that. Oh, my friend with the new baby came to the LLL thing. He was soooooooooo small and sweet. I did want to hold him but was afraid of infecting him with anything. I feel melancholy about having a newborn around but know in my heart that our quiver is full. Life is good and God has greatly blessed us.

A new birth

2008-10-17T20:45:00.007-04:00

I must say, one of my favorite "things" is a newborn. There's nothing more special than a pregnant woman and subsequently her newborn child. So new, so fresh, so unspoiled.

But there's another birth that I think usurps the specialness of a newborn babe. And that's the birth of a new creation in God's kingdom when someone gives their heart to Jesus. Some people refer to it as a "born-again" Christian.

I remember when I publicly gave my heart to Jesus some 20 years ago as a young adult. I need to dig up that photo somewhen in the house here. Man do I love digital photos on the computer. How nervewracking it is to stand up there with every eye in the church on you! But a small sacrifice to know that you are one with Christ.

Last Sabbath I think I had the best honor a mother can have. My first-born, my son publicly gave his heart to Jesus. Matthew was baptized in a beautiful ceremony by Pastor Antonio. He's taken Bible studies for the past six months or so and as a matter of fact, it turned out that it was Pastor Antonio's first baptism as well. The Pastor had asked Matthew to write why he wanted to be baptized and read it or have someone else read it. He chose to have me read it.

Okay, now it was my turn to be nervous! In the end, Matthew decided to answer for himself and I was never more proud. He's a wonderful, sensitive and caring child. So often I wonder what his birthmother thinks/feels after the passage of all this time. Does it seem like forever and a day to her? One more day that she thinks and wonders what her first-born is doing or is like? Or has she tucked the memories away only to take them out for brief moments at inconspicuous times? For me the time has flown by. I can't believe Matthew will be ten in a few months. Some days I ache to share with her how special this young boy is and what a wonderful young man he's growing to be.

I was so glad that so many of our friends and family were able to join us. Darrin's entire family came which kind of trumped mine this time since no one from my family was there. We went back to the house and had a great lunch. The kids all had a good time and it was nice to sit and chat with everyone. Food wasn't fancy but it was tasty enough and easy to prepare. Even easier to clean up!

So cheers to Matthew. I'm so proud of you and I do look forward to the man you are growing to become.

What I'm Sewing

2008-10-17T20:29:00.003-04:00

I got a bit more sewing done this week. Last night I redid a bunch of honor patches on the sashes that I had sewn on the wrong side. The sashes are worn on the RIGHT shoulder, not the left. However, Matthew's should have been sewn on the left, since it's a second sash because he has that many honors for the past four years.

I also sewed the patches on my counselor's shirt for our Induction Ceremony this past Wednesday night. That was a real bear. First off, the patches kept migrating despite my pins, so when I was done sewing, they were crooked. Then I sewed one in the wrong place and had to remove that as well. The problem with removing the patches is that the shirt was a loose weave so I had to be ever so careful when using the seam ripper so that I didn't rip more holes in the shirt than I did. Thankfully, most of them were covered by the patches.

I actually really didn't like the shirt. I got a size up so it wouldn't be too small. Nothing like resembling a big blue sausage in front of the church. My skirt is a tad large as well since I've lost a bit of weight since I bought it. I actually really love the skirt but I guess in another 5-10 pounds I'll downsize to the navy pants. Maybe then I'll look a little more trim!

I got a wild hair and decided to sew my drawstring bags. I bought some PUL to make diapers and such from a girl in town on Craigslist. I also bought velcro and foldover elastic but I haven't used those as yet. This one print was light blue with bears and balloons. A girly print but not something I was too fond of so I decided to make drawstring bags to hold dirty diaps. I needed a couple extra so when my original diaper bag is in the laundry I still have something to put dirty diapers in. My husband has gone on complete diaper strike and hates them so I have to toe the line!

I pulled up a couple patterns on line and went to town. The first one I sewed the wrong way so it's wider than it is taller but still works. The second I started to sew the wrong way but ripped out the seams and redid it. However, I sewed two "cord" seams but only needed one since the configuration was different than the first. I tried to use a wire hanger to thread the drawstring but finally figured a safety pin was easiest. But that was only because when I was ironing the PUL, I ironed it closed in places. Who knew?

So here's a photo of the finished products. They don't function exactly what I had in mind but they'll do and I've already put them to use. They'll be great swim bags as well to hold wet swimsuits and towels and such.

Have I said how much I HEART my sewing maching? I plan to make a toss pillow cover next with some really cool brown polka dot fabric my SIL gave me. I HEART her too :)

Pregnancy and Infant Loss

2008-10-15T20:49:00.004-04:00

October is pregnancy and infant loss month. October 15 is the day of rememberance. Lighting a candle here for my angel lost on 12/10/2003. Lighting one for my sister and her sweet angel two years ago.

Words Words Words

2008-10-09T09:48:00.002-04:00

Charlotte has an appointment today with the linguistics lab at UMD. Every so often one of the resesarch departments call with a study for infants/small children. They are very interesting and aside from the schlepping around I enjoy them. Charlotte usually gets a free toy or book.

Today it's the linguistics lab and they sent a worksheet to fill out for how many words C says. I didn't really think she was saying all that much but apparently she has more words than I gave her credit for. She "talks" all the time with all sorts of things using proper tone and inflection. For example, she'll hold something up to me, say a few words and then end on a high note as if she's asking a question. Plus she sings in the car all the time. I love it! I figure when she really starts talking she'll start with sentences LOL!

Here are the words she can say at 17 months 5 days:
ouch, uh oh, dog, doll, banana, shoe, ow, fork, light, out, da da, mama, bye-bye, snack, thank you, that, this, down, Charlotte, Declan, Matthew, Mia.

I think her first word was Matthew, although, I didn't realize what it was at the time. Whenever he's around and then goes somewhere, Charlotte calls his name and goes looking for him. The other week when he spent time at the in-laws, she went in his room at bedtime calling and looking for him.

Brothers are very special :)

Friday Five

2008-10-03T14:53:00.003-04:00

Top five wacky things this week:

1. Madison adopts a worm in an acorn and intends to build a home for it until it runs away leaving Madison to sob.

2. Mia won't talk to her teachers at school.

3. Matthew asks what those bean things are that hang below his you know what.

4. Weird Halloween costumes.

5. Charlotte's all-out flail on the floor kicking and screaming temper tantrums.

Vending Machines

2008-09-30T19:17:00.002-04:00

Not all they're cracked up to be!

I got a free coupon for a rental at the Red Box DVD rental stand since I bought two box of french toast sticks and a package of Keebler cookies. Yes I spent and extra $3.49 on cookies to get a $1 coupon for a free movie LOL!

I promised the kids a movie night tonight so I figured I'd use my coupon and get them a movie. Plus, I've been wanting to see the new Sex and the City movie and they had that as well. Couldn't find it on Comcast On Demand, so there Comcast!

We swung into our local Giant store and went about the process of picking a movie all three would enjoy -- harder than it sounds. During the checkout process, I kept waiting for a coupon code thing to come up. I figured it might be after the "what's your email" phase.

I tried putting my email in but I type too fast for the machine to keep up so I said forget it. The next screen that popped up was "Your movie is dispensing" so of course the biggies had to fight over who was going to get the movie out of the machine. Just like when we take an elevator anywhere.

Turns out, under the HUGE rent a DVD section of the screen is a microscopic section where you can rent with a promo code ROFL! Leave it to me. Of course, I'm always scattered when I'm doing anything with the kids so I'll just blame it on mommy brain. As long as I return them by tomorrow it's only $2. Two for less than the price of one Comcast on Demand. So there!

The kids are pajama'd and watching Dinotopia. Well, everyone except Charlotte. She's wandering around whining because I won't open the green dot paint she's carrying around. Pizza should be on it's way soon. We'll be a bit late tonight but I guess that's okay. But only if I get to watch my movie, too!

Let The Games Begin!

2008-09-25T20:16:00.002-04:00

Survivor Gabon has begun! I love this show. Usually it's "date night" for dh and I. It's also Karate night so we usually tape and watch later. However, I can't stay up to watch a two-hour show starting at 10 so ... I'm watching it now!

The first couple nights of Surivor are like starting a new job or going to the first day of class. New people, new places, different things to get used to. It's fun to watch a show with dh and discuss. Gives us something else to talk about besides the kids LOL!

Have no favorite yet but what kind of name is Sugar? Oy. I wonder at some of the tribe-building picks and if the first challenge is of any consequence, Fang is in for it! Can't wait to see how things shake out!

Update

2008-09-25T10:59:00.003-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. It's been so, so busy!

The biggies got settled into school and are doing fine. Matthew is doing ITBS testing this week and is getting fairly good grades. As he gets closer to double digits in birth-age, it occurred to us that we should begin having those talks with him. I'm not ready to delve into relationship issues and the like just yet and neither is he but I want him to be aware of the changes that will start taking place at some time in the not too distant future.

Madison has settled into school quite well. I don't get daily reports but it seems she's doing fine. She surely has a stubborn streak about her and it really comes to play during homework leading to unnecessary worry on my part about her learning. I don't know if she's outgrowing her behavior or the diet is working or a combo of the two. I definately notice a difference when she eats certain foods.

Mia started preschool. She's still having trouble with drop off and rarely talks to people. That makes me said but most days she says she's happy at school and has fun. I know she really enjoys running around on the playground with the other kids. I do look forward to the day where she runs off in the mornings of her own free will.

Charlotte is growing by leaps and bounds. At her 15 months check up she was 60% weight I think and over 95% for height. She really is my biggest girl yet! She's into everything and really giving me a run for my money. I certainly don't remember Mia being into as much as C is. Driving me crazy! She's working on a few words but I think she's more into gross motor skills than verbal aquity. She communicates quite well for someone not speaking much and we can usually figure out what she needs after a couple tries.

I'm watching my nephew now and that's going well. He's very sweet. I'm busy with the Adventure Club at church and enjoyed the first class of 4th graders. I co-op'ed at Mia's school and enjoyed that as well. Other than working the ebay and live auction things not too much else is going on.

Oh, we are god parents to my nephew now. Very beautiful church service. Plus we had the LLL of Columbia picnic at the petting farm and visited the Johnny Appleseed Festival at another farm. That was lots of fun until Pumpkin Head scared Mia. That's three strikes so I guess we'll avoid the costumed creatures for now. Wonder how Halloween is going to go over?

Tomorrow my in-laws pick up Matthew for his one-on-one visit. I'm praying the weather is bad so they can't do the boat trip. At the beginning is a picture from one of our farm trips.

First Day of School!

2008-08-18T20:24:00.004-04:00

Well, we survived it, even with an alarm clock malfunction! We had a relatively relaxed morning until DN arrived and figured we could probably get up 15-20 minutes later and still have plenty of time.

The kids ran ahead of us into school and were already settled by the time we reached their classrooms. Madison's was a madhouse but she had already found a seat and followed the three-step directions on the board. I hugged her teacher who Matthew had for 2nd grade as well. So surreal being back in that classroom but with another child. Shew but the time do fly! I didn't really get a chance to talk with the teacher or take a picture of Madi with the teacher but we got a couple of shots.

Next we went down to the other end downstairs to Matthew's class. By comparison, his classroom was silent. There were about 8-10 kids and they all were sitting in their seats, hands folded in front and staring at the front board. The teacher was at her desk. The difference in the two classes was humorous to me. Even the third grade was full of parents, kids and commotion. What a difference a grade makes, eh?

I need to adjust pick up so I'm not sitting in the queue so long. DN cried almost the entire time. It'll get better as time goes on and people get used to the pick up and drop off routine. Matthew has 23 students with only one from last not that didn't return and no new students. Madison has a couple new students, perhaps three or four, and only one that she can remember that didn't return. Madison said she was a mean girl so it was okay LOL!

I can't believe our summer is over and it's time for a new academic year. I can't wait until Friday when they'll come home with homework packets, letters from the teacher and etc. School newsletters will be coming by email from now on and then we'll be in the thick of it. If I remember correctly, Sally Foster comes home this week or next as well. Jumping right in as they say!

Reading Update

2008-08-17T20:25:00.002-04:00

So I recently read The Other Boleyn Girl. I really enjoyed it and read the entire book within a week. Then I wanted to see the movie. There seemed to be such a fuss going around about it. Didn't have the time.

In the meantime, I checked out the next two books by the same author; The Queen's Fool and The Virgin's Lover. I think the names are correct. I didn't get into the Queen's Fool as much but did enjoy the historical aspect of it all. I learned some things I didn't know before.

Now I'm about halfway through the last book about Queen Elizabeth. It's better than the middle book but not as good as the first, in my opinion. So much strategy in the queen's court in those days. My British history is rather shabby so I'm not sure where the story is going so it's still an interesting read.

Saturday night I watched the movie The Other Boleyn Girl and boy was I disappointed. Even though I can't remember all how the book went, the movie sure took it's poetic license with restructuring events. And if I had not read the book first I would have spent much of the movie trying to figure things out.

I feel that there was just too much in the book for the movie to even come close. The movie left out so much and just scratched the surface. It didn't delve into the relationships brother George had or the reflections of Mary. I didn't feel like I got a real sense of the conflict between the two sisters or the real scandal of Anne's first marriage. They left out the birth of children even.

I know it's hard for a movie to follow a book so I shouldn't have been too disappointed but I almost felt like I wasted my $5. I sewed and ate coffee cake while it was on after everyone fell asleep so that aspect was very pleasant. I do wonder if they'll make any other movies?

One one-hundredth of a second ...

2008-08-17T20:17:00.002-04:00

I remember when I got married, just shy of 14 years ago. Which reminds me we should plan something special for 15, no?

We got engaged in November 93 and married in August 94. So we basically spent the better part of a year engrossed in the minute details of planning a medium-sized wedding. When the day dawned, it seemed we had the world ahead of us, an entire day to surround ourselves with family and friends. I put my gown on and faster than you can snap your fingers, it was all over. Such a strange feeling to be done with something so quickly that took so long to plan.

Well, that's what I thought of the other night when I watched Michael Phelps win his 7th gold medal and won by just that much -- 1/100th of a second. I mean, really, there isn't even a way to measure that in any practical every-day sense. I must have watched the replay 20 times and still couldn't fathom how they could tell who came in first. It was really amazing.

The next day I heard about the Jamacian runner who finished his run in less than ten seconds. Years and years of training, sweating, pouring out all your energy into something that is over in ten seconds! Mind boggling, don't you think? It's over before you even can wrap your mind around the fact that this is your moment in time. There's no time to relish the moment of being a contender in the Olympics. The starting fun fires and then it's over.

It's all so incredible. Some of the stories are so touching and amazing. I enjoy hearing as much about that as I do watching some of the events; swimming, diving, indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, gymnastics. I guess those are my favs right now. I watched some tennis, soccer, basketball, boxing and sabre as well. Not sure how they score the boxing. That was confusing, in deed. Seemed a little too subjective, if you ask me.

I haven't been able to watch as much as I wanted but try to keep tabs on the scores and such. Often I think back to the old times when Olympics were first organized and wonder about the atheletes, the spectators, which sports and what sorts of times and things they had. No fancy aerodynamic swimming costumes for ancient romans!

Gluteney in America

2008-08-17T20:02:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school for my older two. Hard to believe! The summer has flown by and it just doesn't really seem that we did all that much. Was relaxing but perhaps too boring for my kids? I must say they didn't complain much about being bored. So that's a good thing, in my book.

I probably gained ten pounds just from eating this weekend. Friday for lunch I treated the kids to Chick-fil-a. Then Friday evening we went to a friend's to celebrate her dh's birthday. Saturday afternoon we went to a different friend's to participate in their fund-raising lemonade stand for child leukemia and stayed for bbq afterwards. More good food and treats!

Today we had a cookout with Mia's new preschool class. Lots of good food! I think we all ate off and on for three hours LOL!

To celebrate back to school we treat the kids to a dinner out the night before school begins. They chose Cheeburger Cheeburger because we see the commercials on TV a lot. Looks fun and entertaining and a friend said the fries and onion rings were good, as well as the milk shakes.

It's a fun 50's type of place with burgers, malts, shakes, soads, fries, etc. They have formica tales and a counter with round stools. Kind of reminded me of the show Happy Days.

As you come in the door they have a huge bulletin board with a lot of pictures on it. The sign proclaims that if you eat a pounder burger you can get your picture taken with a gigantic stuffed burger with the fixings and have it pasted on the board for all to see what a pig you are to eat all that food. For the record, it's actually 20 ounces of meat, a big more than a pound.

And if that's not bad enough, they even have a "junior" edition for those 12 and under -- a mere half-pound of meat. Oy! Is that something you really want your child to aspire to do? Just today I was heard a report on the radio talking about the children that are grossly overweight and how schools now need to buy new equipment to accommodate children that cannot use what they currently have.

How are we supposed to address these issues when everywhere we turn there are advertisements for food that command "bigger is better"? Extra large value meals, prizes for eating the largest burger, all you can eat buffets, super large frozen meals.

Just to summarize, I was not all that impressed with our dinner. There was a man who, in fact, ate the pound burger. Their waiter came over with said stuffed burger and digital camera, proudly and loudly proclaiming to the entire restaurant that this man did eat 20 ounces of beef while everyone clapped and cheered. We clapped too but now I'm not sure why.

Our service was exceptionally show due to a large party that probably took up half the restaurant. We were lucky to get the waitress that had the large party so we were there for 90 minutes and spent at least half that waiting. At least the kids were well-behaved, however, no one ate much. I felt the food was okay but not something I intend to race back for.

So I keep in the back of my mind when I hear the news reports commenting on the awful consequences of obesity and the realities of eating in America.

Welcome to My World

2008-08-01T22:44:00.005-04:00

Today, August 1, marks the beginning of World Breastfeeding Week. Groups the world over are celebrating the beauty of breastfeeding this week through all sorts of activities.

I'm becoming more involved in a local La Leche League after having been a member for approx. seven years. I love the organization and its message of supporting breastfeeding mothers and their families is exceptional and close to home. I would not be where I am breastfeeding today without the support of the leaders and other mothers, nor would I be the mother I am.

I have learned so much from the leaders and other mothers over the years. I've learned so many other parenting and mothering concepts that I had never really even considered. I'm not perfect by any means, but I hope I'm at least better than I had been.

For some more information on international activities in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, you can visit World Breastfeeding Week.

So my closest La Leche group is doing their annual celebration at a local children's farm in September. A bit past the formal timeframe, however, it can be cooler -- to be sure. I am involved in another group and we've planned our celebration for Sunday. We're having a picnic at a local fire station from 11-2 with food, music, and a cool silent auction. Personally, I hope to score some new cloth diapers. My moose is too big for even some large diaper covers! Maybe her rise is too long?

This is an inaugural event for the Eldersberg group and should be lots of fun. J&J have put in a lot of time and effort to have a successful event. It's the single-largest fundraiser of the year. The local newspaper is planning to do an article on the event. Gotta love small-town newspapers :) The reporter covering the story wanted to interview a member of the group and somehow I was chosen.

I spoke with the reporter today and hopefully answered the questions in a manner that sounds intelligent. She sounded really nice so I hope my words don't get twisted to sound judgemental or fanatical. I dodn't they they will. She asked about how I became involved in La Leche, how long I've been a member, my breastfeeding experience, breastfeeding in public and the like. I can't wait to read the article and see what it says. Maybe if it's good I'll post a link LOL!

I'm really passionate about breastfeeding. Not only are there myriad of benefits for mom and baby (both physical and emotional) but also for the environment and society as a whole. That statisics for moms breastfeeding when their babies are born is increasing, but so much more needs to be done to increase the numbers of moms breastfeeding 6+ months down the road. A key to successful breastfeeding is support and I truly look forward to continuing to support and help breastfeeding moms and their families.

So, check out the World Breastfeeding Week website or the La Leche website to see how you can get involved in supporting breastfeeding families or attending an event.

I am SO not ready for this!

2008-07-21T23:24:00.003-04:00

So, it dawned on me recently that my children are not so little anymore. Of course, M&C are still small, but the original M&M team are slowly growing up. Who gave them permission to do this? I told them they're not allowed to grow up so fast but they don't seem to be listening!

Last week I was out with the kids and Matthew shares some information with me. Now, I thought I had a good handle on observing my children but you know, after they potty train and learn how to wipe their own butts and wash their own hair, all bets are off. So, it came as some surprise whenMatthew told me he had hair on his legs. I was like what, hair on your legs? How is that possible?!?!

Later on I checked and sure enough, he had hair on his legs! Now, really, this growing up business is getting all too real! I mean sure, you're really in the dregs when they're babies and you're knee-deep in changing diapers and cleaning up spit up. Then they start school and as a parent you feel all proud, excited and melancholy that your child has passed another milestone.

But none of this compares to when your first-born announces that their body is on the edge of entering puberty. I asked my husband if hair on the legs was the beginning of puberty and if it was I was SO not ready for this! Holy guacamole! This can't really be happening. Children don't actually grow up do they? I mean, they stay in elementary school and you always feel young because you have little children. Right? Right?

Last weekend they kids when to the in-laws. Last year when I would talk with Matthew on the phone he sounded so little and far away. So it was easy to think that he was still a little boy. But this past weekend, he sounded, well . . . like a kid. Not a little kid but a boy's who voice inching into the land of voice-change! Just another clue.

And lastly, my son has his first crush. Actually, I think it's his second LOL! A friend of mine from church has a 12-year old and my son talked about her a lot in the past year. I kind of consider that his first unofficial crush. But tonight he told me he had a secret.

Apparently, he has a HUGE crush on a little girl from his 3rd grade class. She's a very sweet girl and comes from a family of 4 girls. Just what he needs - more girls LOL! For his first crush, he couldn't have made a better choice ;) He was all embarrassed he told me and asked me to promise not to tell anyone. Then he promptly told his dad.

At bed he said he wasn't sure why he had a crush on her. I asked what he liked about her. He said she is so beautiful and it didn't know why but he just loved her. He said he has a huge crush on her. I asked if he was going to tell her and he said he didn't know.

I don't know what to make of all this. Do you have the "Talk" at age 9 and 4th grade? I can't imagine where all this would go but kids are so much more savvy these days. Yikes! When I see him from afar and interacting with his friends, I can see how he's growing up into such a fine young man. He has such a sweet spirit and I really do look forward to seeing the wonderful young man he's going to grow into :)

Allergy Update

2008-07-09T13:58:00.002-04:00

So my dinner last night went well, especially since I hadn't planned it out ahead of time. I micro-defrosted my chicken tenderloins. Half I seasoned with Shake and Bake and the other I brushed with a little Olive Oil and sprinkled some salt, pepper and onion salt. I told Madison that I was making this chicken for us and the other kids had to have something different since they were so picky.

She didn't argue but I don't think she bought it either.

I also fixed white basmati rice, fresh corn on the cob and mixed veggies. It was delish! Everyone loved what they had except Mia. But then she's like that with food and I'll worry about that later. I'll devise or find a nugget recipe that's egg, wheat, soy and milk free at some point. Until then we can eat it plain w/ spices.

I was really encouraged to get a meal out that was theorhetically allergan free. I perused the Food Lion last night and found a couple things to try. I discovered today that I can make the corn cake packet and use goat's butter because non of it had allergans in it, including the "creamed" corn.

I'm keeping lists. Lists of banned foods, lists of allowable foods, lists of things she's tried and not liked, a list of each allergan and it's derivative for food shopping. I'll make a list to tack to the fridgie to remind us and at some point I'll probably make a menu of sorts to help with meal planning. On this side of things, I think I'll be easier to fix things we can all eat, even if the same or repetitive, so that no one feels singled out. It's just not fair to sit there and eat pizza and fix something different for my Madison.

My friend J, sent a recipe for Wacky Cake she saw in the newspaper over the weekend. It's an awesome recipe with the only allergan as wheat. Since I don't have to take the wheat out as of yet, I want to make this soon. I'm sure we can replace the wheat flour with a derivative and make it completely allergan free. We'll see. I'm going to make it properly first and then with an alternate flour or two to see how we fare. I'm excited about this! Oh and it has chocolate in it so it can't be too bad ;)

Feast or Famine?

2008-07-09T13:47:00.002-04:00

I've collected some books from Freecycle over the past few months. The only one I felt compelled to read, "B is for Burglar" by Sue Grafton, I started reading and left at my dad's. Great.

In the meantime I bought some books online and reserved a book at the library. Yesterday I received three books; The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton and My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I also bought The Other Boleyn Girl which I wanted to read first but I couldn't wait so I started the Picoult book last night.

I have only read one other of her books, The Pact, and really liked it, although it was a heavy topic. This one proves to be the same. I was into it right away, however, the narrative bounces from character to character and I get kind of confused at times as to who is doing the talking. Usually this happens late at night. ;)

This morning I received a notice from the library that my book was in. Astounding! When I reserved it a couple weeks ago, I was 300 something in line. A few days ago, no earlier than the weekend, I was over 150 something in line and yet today my book is ready and waiting for me to pick it up at the library.

So now I have four books to read! Most have no time limit aside from the library book and I promised the Boleyn girl to someone else when I'm done. It's so nice to have some interesting and exciting things to read for a change. I can't get into the birth book I'm supposed to be reading for my La Leche application. I don't know if it's because I'm done birthing babies or the fact that it's a Bradley book and when I do read it, I'm just reminded that I never really had a birth like that and never will. Or maybe it's because now I have these ultra interesting books to read.

I stayed in bed until 10 this morning to read. I really just wanted 30 minutes to read but I kept getting interrupted. Such is the life of a mama! And I wouldn't trade a minute.

Feeling Discouraged

2008-07-07T21:41:00.002-04:00

It's been 3 weeks or so since I've talked with the ped about Madison's allergy issues. I've been reading boards, perusing magazines, talking with people and buying products. It's frustrating spending hours poring over ingredient labels and recipes, spending extra money on special products and then having my girl turn up her nose at them.

It's frustrating find products that *almost* fit the bill. It's frustrating that everything on the market, especially in traditional grocery stores, have soy in them. It's incredibly frustrating to break my little girl's heart time and again when I tell her no she cannot have something, and it's always the yummy things.

It's frustrating to go to a gathering or restaurant and try to figure out safe foods. It's frustrating not being able to pop into the drive-thru for a quick meal on the run or throw a pizza or nuggets into the oven for a fast dinner. It's heartbreaking when my son complains that it's her fault we have to spend so much time in the store.

It must be terribly frustrating for my sweet little girl to be denied things she's always eaten and can no longer have. Comfort foods, special treats and sweeties are now off limits to her.

I need to work on finding alternate recipes that are tastey and fun to eat. I need new nuggets, cookies, muffins, pancakes, waffles, just to name a few. I'm getting some lovely recipes and support from some friends. I found a great magazine via J entitled Living Without. I'm sure I'll find more resources as I go along. I'm also kind of mourning the things we won't be having/keeping in the house out of support for Madison.

Within a week after eliminating cow's milk, the rash was about 98% gone. So quickly too! Unfortunately, she had a flare up over the weekend so I'm not sure what triggered it. Hopefully not the goat butter because I can use that in baking. I need it! We'll just keep trucking along. She'll be off soy at least a year and probably cow's milk and eggs as well. I think those were all Class 6 allergans. That's a long time but hopefully that'll give her body a chance to get the allergans out of her system and let it heal. Then we can reintroduce the allergans after that at some point to see which ones cause reactions still. I anticipate that we'll all be a little healthier and have better eating habits a year from now.

ADHD Revisited

2008-06-18T23:24:00.002-04:00

Coming to you live from my second floor! Finally dialed in to the wireless network with an old laptop. So cool!

So anyhow, I finally got back to the ped. to talk about the allergy bloodwork results that came in. The short result is that she's allergic to over 23 things, including cow's milk, soy, eggs and wheat. She's also allergic to rye but we don't really eat much of that. She's also allergic to green beans, kidney beans and another bean, perhaps white or pinto beans. The soy, eggs and milk were all level six allergans.

I came away from the appointment with a solid plan of attack.

First we begin to eliminate cow's milk/dairy and eggs from her diet. I'm not really sure how to go about this. I mean, when I did a dairy-free diet while nursing it was "easy" as easy as any of that could be. I could eat whatever I needed and continue cooking and feeding my family the same as always. But to eliminate dairy, eggs and soy from our family's diet is going to be difficult and potentially expensive. I know they make all sorts of vegan products but they are so pricey. I'll get rice milk for the girl and I can cook with that. I'm not so sure about finding an egg substitute for baking. I see myself making a lot of things from scratch.

Second, she needed more bloodwork. Since the wheat was so high, we did a celiac bloodwork up. Depending on what it reveals will affect what happens next. But at the very least, we'll need to eliminate wheat as well. We're good for rice, potato and oats. I'm sure I can fashion things from that. I don't think she has celiacs because she's never had problems with her stomach, stools or growth pattern. But you never know, I guess. I should probably do some reading up on that.

Third, we'll meet again in early August to have a strategy meeting before she goes back to school, which is what started all this. I was hoping to be dairy/egg-free by July 1 but looking ahead, I don't think that's a realistic time frame. Dr. S said that it could take a year for some of this stuff to be completely out of her system. I'm hoping that some of it will help her eczema at the very least. At the most, it'll have a positive affect on her behavior/learning capabilities.

I knew some of this was coming, in the back of my head. But now that the reality is here, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. My original thought was to have the entire family eat the same so she didn't feel singled out. But I'm not so sure that's going to be entirely possible. I suppose I should just put it in the Father's hands and fall back on my mantra: one day at a time.

Squirrely Squirrelly Squirrels

2008-06-10T19:42:00.003-04:00

I was going to start off my blog with a snippet from Wikipedia about squirrels. However, there's a lot more information about squirrels there than I anticipated. For instance, I knew about grey squirrels, naturally, and black squirrels.

I've seen only one black squirrel in all of my town since I've been here; approx. 20 years. I used to see them frequently in the neighboring county where I grew up.

There are also albino squirrels with pink eyes. Pretty freaky looking, if you ask me. Apparently, there are also white non-albino squirrels which are not as white as their albino cousins, as well as red squirrels in England.

Squirrels like to chew on things to hone their ever-growing teeth. I guess that explains why they chewed holes in my plastic trash can lid. Aside from the obvious reason of getting at what's inside said trash can.

They are members of the rodent family which I feel makes them no better than their rat cousins. Even if they are cuter and their tails are fluffier. There is one picture on Wikipedia of a squirrel in Washington, DC that's the fattest squirrel I've ever seen. I guess not only people can benefit from the largess of the Nation's Capitol.

When I was about twelve, a squirrel started hanging around my grandparents yard. We stupidly started feeding it. The squirrel's favorite snack was not - surprise - nuts but dog treats. Specifically, "People Treats." I don't know if they still make these as a couple decades have passed since I was 12 but they were brightly colored dog treats in the shape of people such as mail men. Hence the name People Treats. The squirrel became very brazen and would climb up on the trash can and knock on the kitchen window for treats and attention. We stopped feeding it when it climbed up my arm. I guess it mistook my twig-like arm for a tree branch.

Earlier this year, we began having a problem with squirrels in our trash. Seeing as how we'd lost several lids on windy days, this was a real problem. However, it became a larger problem when they chewed a hole in the top of the only lidded can we had so they could get in the trash. I had know idea squirrels were such scavengers. Raccoons, yes. Squirrels, no.

We discovered that the squirrels had built a nest in the partially-finished ceiling of our carport. DH had a friend come and help him take the ceiling to discover a squirrel city condo going on up there. I'd like to say that that got rid of our squirrel problem but there were about 5-6 having a pow-wow in our yard today. Maybe it was the first day of summer camp.

My son received a bird feeder for Christmas from my uncle. It was a craft at some sort of event that involved wood, nails, glue and a humongous glass mason jar. It was very cute and recently we decided to hang it up in a tree for the birds, knowing that it would have been more useful in winter when food is scarce. I knew the squirrels would probably eat most of the food anyhow so whatever.

After two days, the *(^!#!%^^ squirrels had ripped the thing apart. The bottom half, including glass jar, was lying upended on the ground with seed scattered. The roof remained hanging uselessly in the tree. How sad a picture that made. I picked up the jar and put it on the table to try and repair it later on. After dinner we noticed several squirrels sitting on the table eating the seed. The kids thought it was cute but all I could think of was that squirrel butts were sitting where we put our food.

The next morning I opened the blinds and discovered that the squirrels must have gotten mad when the seed was gone. There was glass *everywhere*! Stupid @##%^Q!#! squirrels. I was disappointed at the loss of the feeder for my son's sake but now there was broken glass all over the patio. I've cleaned it up but am leary about broken shards remaining and getting stuck in little toes and feet. Hence, I insist the kids wear their shoes at all times when outside. They get aggravated when they're swimming in the wading pool but I figure some grumbling is better than trying to fish glass out of raw flesh.

To the squirrels -- thanks a lot. NOT! This is an open invitation to find a new place to play.

Summer Vacation Part II

2008-06-06T17:23:00.002-04:00

So, we survived the first week. Tried to stay somewhat on schedule.

Highlights are the freakish storm Wednesday. Downed trees and limbs everywhere. Thursday the power went out around 1-ish after our trip to the library. P's mother picked her up early so I took the little girls to my dad's for the night.

So nice not to be care-taking two toddlers. I've really enjoyed my time with my older two. We ran some errands, picked up by 2 week old nephew for a visit while his mom rested, enjoyed pizza lunch and Rita's.

Tonight I'm meeting to help plan a World Walk for Breastfeeding Celebration planned for August 3 I believe at the Sykesville Fire Station. On a breastfeeding note, I'm sick of pumping. I can see now how much milk C is still drinking from me which is a lot more than the other two did at this stage. It's okay in general but when she's away for any length of time, I need to pump. And then what to do with the pumped milk? It's not like I need to stockpile any longer. I think I'll give it to her at meal times. There's over 23 ounces and I'm not just throwing it out!

They'll be back this evening. I sure do miss them especially after spending time with Baby D. Almost makes me want another.

Almost...

Summer Vacation Part 1

2008-06-04T13:36:00.002-04:00

So far so good. We have a loose schedule so we're having fun and getting things done here and there.

P is her for this week and next so that is nice. I'll miss her when she's gone but without any babysitting this summer, we'll have the freedom to pick up and go at will. I will miss having a paycheck, though.

Funny things kids say: Mia's been talking about "Handsome" and Gretel today!

Matthew had his first official ortho appointment yesterday. They took molds and pictures of his teeth. We go back on the 24th, I think, to discuss the treatment options based on what comes back with his molds and pictures.

Our house is finally back in order. I'm working on putting away the last box of desk stuff. We still have things under the house that need to be sorted through and put away again. That's mostly just reorganization of stuff that should have already been done.

Supposed to have DN on Friday to give them a break since mom is ailing. Looking forward to that but sad that they're having such a rough road right now. Sending prayers that everyone is up to par soon!

Last Day of School!

2008-05-30T10:04:00.003-04:00

Well, that ubiquitous time has come again. The last day of school. It seems so far away and abstract in the middle of August when school begins for my biggies. Then we get through the winter holidays. Then the spring holidays. Then all of a sudden, we're putting end of the year activities on our calendar such as the annual Strawberry Festival, Adventure Club Investiture, Piano Recital, Fun Day which consisted of a zoo trip this year.

The end of the year always seems to come so fast for me as a mom. Although, I do recall as a child that those last few weeks draaaaaged endlessly LOL! My son has been waiting not too patiently and I couldn't get Madison out of bed this morning. At least it's the last one!

They came home with all their school stuff yesterday. I always forget about this part. The bits and bobs that helped them learn and grow throughout the year, finished art projects, journals, graded papers and just trash and bits of toys and junk they collected over the months.

It will be nice to kick back and relax. Summer plans include trips to the library, Rita's, pool, Grandma and Grandpa Q's camper and house, Granny and Pop Pop's house near the ocean, various playgrounds and hopefully a couple short trips to PA and VA to visit family and amusement parks. Play dates, of course and lots of time outside when the weather cooperates.

Last year at this time I was petrified because I had a new baby and was going to be home all summer with four children. It turned out to be a nice summer and I'm really looking forward to it this year. I think the kids will really entertain each other (and fight LOL) so perhaps I can do a few of my own things. Plus I can send them all to the grandparents for a couple days at a time and get some much-needed mommy time.

I plan to have a loose schedule that they can help devise that includes some learning time with their workbooks, arty time, outside time, reading, quiet/rest time, tv, games/computer and the like. I'm afraid if I don't do that then we'll all just sit around loafing. I need to be proactive and keep a bit of a schedule and plan weekly outings.

I also want them to learn two skills this summer. One of my choose which includes Madison learning to tie her shoes and Matthew learning how to fold and put away his laundry. I want them to pick their second learning goal themselves. Matthew's piano teacher is offering summer lessons this year but I told him he could take the summer off if he chooses. I think everyone is ready for a break!

Here are their school pictures. I never intended to buy the spring pictures but they came out so nicely how could I not. And how could I tell my children that I wasn't going to buy their pictures after they sent the package home in book bags. Those picture people are squirrly!

Happy Summer, everyone!

The Great Flood

2008-05-05T14:18:00.005-04:00

We had a very interesting week of last. Tuesday we had some new tile laid in the kitchen, about 75% of it. It wasn't anything special, just some cheapy peel and stick to have a nicer looking floor for C's birthday party on Sunday.

DH came to bed about midnight. I was up off and on with the baby because she was sick. About 2:30 I went to get a drink of water and heard a strange hissing noise from the kitchen. It sounded like the ice maker when it fills the tray only louder. Turns out the water line to the ice maker snapped clean and was dumping water for a couple hours.

Water everywhere on two floors of our home! Two hours before dh had to leave on an overnight business trip! Oy!! We spent about an hour cleaning up and dh making some phone calls. I went back to bed but it took quite some time to get to sleep. DH delayed his flight and came back the same night.

We had water restoration people here for six hours. We have eleven blowers and two gigantic dehumidifiers going. It got really hot in here but they said that means it's working. So now it's cooling off so I suppose the drying process is near complete. I can't wait to get the equipment out of here.

They were supposed to return this morning but were running late and I couldn't wait. Now they are scheduled to come tomorrow. Damage includes flooring and a removed wall in the kitchen, carpet in the den, pad, drywall and ceiling in the basement along with some other holes cut into the drywall. All in all, we didn't lose much personal property so that was good. We'll see how the estimation and repairs go.

A couple pictures to remember our flood.

Wednesday

2008-04-23T08:31:00.006-04:00

Sometimes I like to do this to remind myself of how much I actually do in a day, even when it seems I get nothing accomplished!

Nurse C
Shower
Breakfast
Whiney preschooler and infant
Answer breastfeeding questions
Scan emails/boards
Start blog ;)
Make Home Depot list and discuss w/ dh
Fruit salad for LLL
Rescue baby from preschooler
Make snack for preschooler
Dress baby
Dress preschooler
Get myself ready to leave house
Attended LLL in EB and helped
Changed diapers x2
Helped w/ potty x3
Made lunch
Nursed baby x5
Ate lunch
Update calendar
Work on layout
Clean up and sooth bleeding baby
Work on banking basket
Make snack
Go to hardware store
pick up recycling trash
Pick up kids at school and drop off carpool student
collect and go through Mail
Go through backpacks
Oversee homework/piano practice
Afterschool snacks
finish Cleaning fridge and put back together
balance bank accounts x5
Fix and serve dinner
Feed the baby
Take a walk
Played two hands of Uno w/ M
Two baths (biggies)
Read some LLL stuff

Okay, that's it. I'm going to bed soon. Tuck the kiddos in, do my Bible study, crossword, read for LLL and catch some TV.

Is that enough for one day? Tomorrow is bring your child to work day. The kids are going to spend each a half day with each parent. DH - goodness I love him! He was concerned that the kids didn't appreciate that what I do around here is my job, i.e. work. They still don't get it, but I'll enjoy me some slave labor tomorrow :D

New Creation

2008-04-12T16:35:00.003-04:00

Jeez it's hot today! Okay, so it's in the 70's. However, our a/c appears to be on the fritz and it's 81 in the house. Feels cooler outside. Think I'll take the kids out after dinner.

My new digi class began a couple weeks ago. It's called Digi in Deep and it's hosted/created by Jessica Sprague So, I'm currently on Day 4, which is the first Thursday. Today I received Day 13 email LOL! I'm so far behind. In my favor, Lesson 1 had 10 parts so it took me longer to finish. Also, each part was a bit complicated. We're really exploring some of the features of Photoshop and it's so cool.

On Day 4, the lessons are called "Cre8" and it involves making 8 pages with a common theme; a mini-album, if you will. The assignment was to make eight pages using a specific set of materials and each page was to contain a quote of some sort, instead of a photo. This project scared me but it's only 6x6 and I actually decided to do mine of meaningful Bible quotes like: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. So, I'm excited about that. I made the cover page and one inside page thus far. I'll post when I'm done with it. Hopefully, I'll get somewhat caught up before the end of class. It's a four week class.

They're also doing an organizational class for ACDSee which I hope to take but that will have to be later this summer or whenever they have it again. An additional task this go around is to do something inspirational and then either use the scrapbooking technique or create a layout about it or do it. I chose organizing my photos on the computer. We'll see if I get that done, as well LOL!

I mean, I can't even keep my blog up to date, even though I think of stuff all the time. Too bad there's not mental telepathy into your computer. I'd have blog entries every day haha!

Well, I don't know where the toolbar is right now for posting pictures. Will come back later.

The Pact

2008-03-10T19:46:00.001-04:00

I love to read. I've been hoarding books from freecycle like I have all this time to read. Recently I picked up a Jodi Picoult book called The Pact - A Love Story. I was roped in right from the very beginning. I really liked the writing style and the story was easy to read and follow for the most part.

I'm used to reading fiction and novels that don't require much brain power to follow. A lot of times I'm reading before bed to relax so not always in tune to a complex story line or subject.

I found myself picking up this book more and more other times and bringing it with me in the car for reading while waiting in lines and such. I sped through it pretty quickly. It was easy to read but due to the subject matter, it was not an easy read. It really started to get under my skin in a thoughtful way and caused me to dig deep and think. I don't usually have this reaction to books.

It was sort of refreshing to spend some time thinking of a book as it relates to my personal self/family instead of just thinking wow that was a good book. This particular book centered around two teenagers and their families and dealt with teen suicide.

I've really started to think about the time when my children are teenagers and how we will all relate with one another and as a family. I didn't feel comfortable being open with my mother and as a result don't feel especially close to her these days. I want a much closer relationship with my own children and want them to know they can come to us anytime they need for whatever reason.

I don't want one of my children to go through an earth-shattering experience and not be able to find solace and comfort in my arms as they did as babies/small children. I want them to always know that their foundation is built at home and as such they can be open and find solutions here rather than outside or depending only on themselves. I don't ever want to say, "I had no idea" or "I never saw that coming."

With everything in the world today, it must be a real challenge staying connected to a teen. It's very scary to me to think about, especially with some of the personalities of my children. In my uneducated opinion, I would think it's a combination of parenting and the child themselves. I pray that as I go through each day with my children, that I'm building that close foundation stone by stone and not pushing them away by eroding something bit by bit. Perhaps it's not something you really know until later on.

I have always strived, at least mentally, to be that better mother to my children. I know it doesn't always come through but after reading this book, I really consider my actions/words before acting upon them more more than I did before reading this book. My thought is "Is this going to uplift them or undermine them?" When they are grown will they come back and say, "Remember that time ... that's what the root of it all."

I'm far from the perfect parent and some days, I just don't have it in me to consider every single action or word. Also, it's so easy to over-analyze everything and then be unable to do anything. But when it comes to some of the fundamental or big issues such as ethics, safety, love, etc. I try to really focus on what my response should be.

Last night Matthew asked me why God made him. My automatic, without thinking, response was I had no idea. But really I did have an idea after I thought for a minute. I told Matthew that God has a special work for him on this earth, some of which he began when he was an infant. Really it began upon conception. I don't know what the future brings for him or any of my other children, but they're pretty special in my book and I have the awesome privilege of guiding them through life. It's a heady responsibility but I can't imagine it any other way.

Snow Day!

2008-02-23T20:29:00.002-05:00

Friday was a snow day. I had mixed feelings but it turned out to be a pretty descent day. No babysitting kids so I could get up at my leisure of sorts. The kids were up so I tried to grab a shower before dh left for the day.

Madison and I sat down and read a book together called Fish Out of Water. It was ala Dr. Suess style of sorts but didn't really rhyme. I would read a page and then she would read a page. She did very well. Then we did three or so pages of math and finished up a packet from two weeks ago. Now we can start on last week's packet.

Charlotte took descent naps. Around lunch time I decided we needed a feel trip to Chick-fil-A for lunch. We went through the drive-thru and came home so the kids could "picnic" in the living room. After that we picked up a bit and after that the timing got a big hazy.

We made homemade microwave popcorn thanks to this recipe at www.allrecipes.com I found this on Angry Chicken blog. Got some good stuff there. The kids really enjoyed making the popcorn and I presume it is that much healthier than the store-bought type.

Then I helped Matthew with his "I am God's Kid" poster. We can finish that tomorrow and then work on his other God's Kid projects and his book report which is due around the 27th. Which reminds me I forgot to get the poster board. Darn.

While the kids watched television, ate popcorn and drank hot cocoa, I finished the girls' sundresses. I'm pleased as punch with them and will post pictures with my sewing a sundress entry coming later.

We had sandwhiches for dinner and dh got home in time to take them to church. He took all four but the older two went for Adventure Club to make sandwhiches which the Pathfinders were taking out to distribute in the city this afternoon.

It was a nice lazy day and I really enjoyed spending some time with them one-on-one.

Doctor, Doctor

2008-02-20T08:37:00.003-05:00

Give me the news. I've got a bad case of ... visiting you!

One of the things they don't tell you is that the more children you have the more often you visit the doctor. Also, the older you get the more you visit the doctor.

I remember back in the day when I would visit the doctor once, maybe twice a year. Now we're at some sort of doctor at least once a month, or so it seems.

When I was pregnant with C, between the diabetes, AMA and general visits, I was going to the doctor one to two times a week at the end of my pregnancy. Good gravy, I never wanted to see a doctor again. Not to mention most of the appointments were down in the city and required me to pay for parking.

Now, it's just other stuff. So far this year:
January - one well child check up
February - one well baby check up, one physical
March - two well children check ups
April - one child's allergy
May - one well child check up, one child dermatology

That's almost $200 in co-pays right there. Too bad the medical threshold is a tad too high. We'd probably qualify. I think we qualify for 2007 though with the delivery and subsequent hospital stay.

So, if we all stay healthy, hopefully that'll be it for now. Aside from the fact that I need to get my hip check out, the skin spot as well as my hearing. Can't wait to get this all out of the way.

Diary of a Sundress

2008-02-19T20:47:00.011-05:00

I was walking through JoAnn's one evening after Karate class looking for some clear thread in order to sew patches on the honor sashes without needing to constantly change thread color. My friend J kindly told me about this rather clever invention.

On the way through the fabric section I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. Sundress material. And not just any material, but it already had the rouching and came in such cute patterns. Really, the only sewing that would need to be done is for a side seam, a bottom hem and some sort of shoulder strap.

BINGO!

The perfect project for this sewing novice. The store was getting ready to close and I wasn't in a frame of mood to actually shop for sewing projects so I vowed to come back. Frankly, I never thought I'd make it back because I do that a lot!

On a whim, I decided to return to JoAnn's while Madison was at a birthday party. It was excellent being out alone. I was somewhat overwhelmed in the pattern department so I skipped that but came home with the black and white polka dot fabric with red ladybugs and red 1/8" grosgrain ribbon for shoulder straps.

I washed my fabric and was ready to go. But my fabric wasn't. Either I didn't buy enough or it shrunk more than I expected but in any event, I no longer had enough for two dresses. So when I had a chance, back to JoAnn's I went for an additional piece. I was prepared this time. Brought it home and washed it right up. From there, I began working on Madison's dress.

I wasn't sure whether to sew the side seam or the hem first. I sort of thought perhaps it didn't matter as long as both got done but then I wondered if there was a proper order to ensure a nice outcome. After some research I found out to do the side seam first. After working with Madison's dress I began to think sewing was over-rated. I hate getting poked with pins. Ouch!

After some trial and error, I finished the side seam and hem. I worked with the 1/8" red gosgrain ribbon I had purchased for the straps at the recommendation of the counter lady. What a mistake. I had a really hard time working with that ribbon. It was difficult to tie and it didn't stay up on Madison's shoulders. I made the difficult decision to stop and get some different ribbon.

I returned to JoAnn's for a third time! After some careful searching, I found the perfect black ribbon with white polka dots and it was much broader. I was giddy with excitement! Back home. Fast forward a few days to snow day Friday which was really just some ice that melted by lunch time. I spent untold time taking out the red ribbons with my hand seam ripper and sewed on the new straps.

Voila! Instant sundress. So cute! Madison loved it and I must say the shoulder straps looked marvelous and fit so nicely. She wouldn't take the dress off LOL! I ran back to the kitchen to start Mia's. Hers went much faster and I was really pleased with the outcome. It's rather too long but I didn't want to reconstruct the entire thing. I figure she'll grow a bit before spring and perhaps she can wear it next year as well. I rolled the entire hem so I can let it out later.

So a lot of time, effort and a bit more $ than I intended to spend but the girls are happy and so am I. I do believe I'm going to go back and buy another amount of the blue fabric which has flowers and butterflies and make two more. I'm thinking of making a third for the baby but I haven't quite decided yet.

The Replacements

2008-02-19T18:51:00.002-05:00

So, if my life were a mini-drama right now, it would be called the replacements. So many things are breaking down I don't know what's coming next.

First, the mouse stopped working. One night I stayed up late into the evening working on checking account stuff and it worked fine all night. Well, okay, so it didn't actually work fine. It had been sort of wonky for several days which I contributed to battery issues and replaced them. However, I did notice there was some battery leakage, but hey it still worked so it was all good, right?

Apparently, it wasn't. When dh tried to use the computer the next morning it was a no go unless you happen to know all the keyboard shortcuts. Which we don't.

So we hurried up and got a new mouse. Can't run a home without a functioning computer in my view!

I think that was a Sunday or so. Fast forward to Friday. At 5:30 am the alarm starts to sound. DH does his usual snooze thing. After a while I open my eyes as it looks rather bright and it's about 7a. DH usually has the kids out the door on the way to school about 8a so this was not good. I do believe they made it on time.

The big problem was that the power went out sometime after the alarm started sounding. It's like the coldest day of the year and we have absolutely NO power. BGE claimed it would be back around 10:30. So I trucked off to the LLL Breastfeeding cafe with the little girls. After spending 45 minutes trying to find it, I give up and head to the mall. I stopped at home quickly first to see if the lights were on. No and the BGE truck didn't appear to have any activity around it.

Long story short, the electricity came back around 2ish however, the computer monitor didn't come on. Oy! Again, computer problems. This time I had a typing job that was due so this was not good news at all. This was also the reason I couldn't find the breastfeeding cafe which was at a new location. I couldn't remember the name of it and I couldn't look it up on line or check my email LOL! That'll show me to wait until the last minute.

A lovely friend has loaned us her old monitor. We went from a nice, streamlined flat screen model to the old honking huge style. I have NO room on my desk to work which is *really* irritating but it's really nice having a monitor at all. We'll probably just end up replacing the computer soon. Perhaps when we get our surplus from the government. Sometimes it's a real benefit to have four children.

Next the following weekend the dishwasher wouldn't turn on. So we did an extensive search for a new dishwasher. Several days later we had one all picked out and then the oven went out. So I revamped my search for two new appliances.

Now this was very exciting because other than a new washer several years ago we have not had any new appliances. Who knew you could get so excited over appliances? It will be so nice to cook a meal properly without under or over cooking it. It will be just as nice to open the dishwasher and take out clean dishes rather than dirty ones.

Those should arrive next Wednesday.

The van's been in the shop as well. I was stuck without it for two days last week. That was a real joy. Hopefully that will be in good repair for a while. In the meantime, DH's interior driver-side door handle snapped off a couple weeks ago. You either have to climb over to the passenger side to get out or you can lower the window and open from the outside. However, this means you have to keep the car running. I find it a complete pain the rear and try to avoid using it at this time. I don't know how he stands it LOL!

So, now I just wait for another shoe to fall. Between stuff breaking down and all the doctor visits it's a wonder we're not in the poor house right now. Awfully close but still hanging by a string.

Scarydoll

2008-01-30T14:35:00.001-05:00

Munchkin got this dolly for her birthday. It's rather cute as long as she's quiet. But when you make her mad, watch out!

Update Time!

2008-01-30T13:10:00.001-05:00

So, my daily PT charting didn't work out. But I'm happy to say that my girl wears big girl pants all day now with nary an accident! (did I say that out loud? knock wood!) She did a great job and seemed to pick up where we left off so it wasn't like starting from scratch. Within two or three days, she was 99% initiating potty time herself. Now she just takes herself off and I just have to follow up on the poopies. I'm so proud of her. Hopefully, she'll start waking up dry and we can do big girl pants at night also. I'm just not up for changing bed clothing in the middle of the night right now.

My big boy got his green belt in shotokon (sp?) Karate last Thursday. I was so proud of him! The class did a bunch of group activities while three Sensi looked on and then they called up different students at different times to demonstrate what they knew. It was really neat but Munchkin was afraid of the loud hus shouting. Luckily, dh showed up so that worked out.

Last week Sissy and Munchkin began ballet at a new studio. Munchkin is in the 3-4 class and loves it. Right now there's 3-4 kids in the class, including one of her little friends so that works out well. Sissy is in Ballet 1 for the first time ever and even do barre work. Someone else we know is in that class as well so it's fun knowing someone at each class. I really like the new dance place.

Charlotte is doing great. She's saying mamamam now and loves the jumparoo and playing on the floor. I haven't been successful at getting her motivated to move yet. Previously, my philosophy had been I can wait on the mobility but I don't want her to be behind either. I'm going to start working with her to at least get the synapsis in her brain going that she's supposed to be doing these things.

I picked up my first real sewing project. JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts had sundress material on sale. I chose a black, white and red ladybug pattern to make matching dresses for the older girls. I hope it goes okay. The rouching is already there so really all you have to do is hem them, sew the vertical seam and add shoulder straps. We'll see how it goes LOL! I post completed pictures.

So to end for now, here's a picture of my newest little ballerina.

PT Day Two

2008-01-16T10:41:00.001-05:00

Three to four pees and two accidents. Me thinks we're going the wrong way! H was here so I think perhaps she was too distracted to pay attention to the signs because I know that she knows them. Today is Day Three. So far so good, knock on wood!

Back in the trenches ...

2008-01-15T14:03:00.000-05:00

Potty training, take TWO!

So when Mia was 2, she took a supreme interest in the potty. Too bad I was pregnant and had no energy to foster that.

Now, by mid summer she seemed open to it again so we decided to go for it. We stocked up on panties, training pants, plastic pants and candy corns. We we cold turkey right into panties. I used plastic pants at night and on errands. But my girl did great! We even went to the store in panties alone. She'd have maybe one accident a day, two on a bad day.

Then one day the stomach flu hit our house. It was awful, to say the least. Poor Mia had a horrible case of it and couldn't control anything at all. That was the end of the potty for her. I couldn't even get her to wear her favorite Dora panties. Poor little thing.

Now it's time for take two. I told her over the weekend that on Monday, the day after her birthday, she'd wear panties again. Grandma Lea bought her two matching sets of Dora Panties/undershirts. So yesterday after the grocery store we came home and I cajoled her into panties. Then she put the undershirt on over her regular shirt. Too cute!

She did great and only had one accident. She used the potty without any prompting. Even the first time. She said, oh I have to go potty and did. She did want to put on her pull ups after her accident so I put them up. We'll use them for night time until such time as she gets closer to being more dry at night. I know we should go cold turkey for nights as well but I really can't get up in the middle of the night to change wet sheets, pants and nurse a baby on top of it.

On a side note, Mia has been sleeping all night in her bed more and more these days. Kind of makes me sad because she's snuggily with invading your space. However, our bed is too small for that many sleepers and it's a good thing for her. She even goes to sleep on her own without someone laying down with her. Woohoo!

Next stop the baby LOL! Keep up the good work Mia, my beautiful birthday girl.

Tough times in Matthew's class

2008-01-09T22:16:00.000-05:00

A bit after we had gotten home from school this afternoon, Matthew volunteered some shocking information.

He has a classmate D and several months ago he mentioned that her mother was sick, although, he didn't seem to know what was wrong with her. I filed it in the back of my mind and didn't think much of it since then.

Today he said that D's mother died last night. I was so shocked and saddened. How cruel to lose your mother at eight years old. I called his teacher and talked to her a bit about the situation. She took over 30 minutes of class time to talk with the students and share their feelings. They looking up information in the Bible and prayed. They're trying to best figure out how to help D as a class when she returns to school.

This is a situation you never really think about addressing when your child skips off to their first day of Kindergarten.

A second issue is that the teacher shared with me that one of the other student's mothers is getting ready to have brain surgery. My gosh. It's the mother of one of Matthew's best little girl friends. They've known each other since babies practically. We've not spent as much time together at church since the children are older but she has worked in IF clinics in the area so we kind of had that little IF bond thing going on a bit. Plus they're just nice people. I'll be praying for her tonight as well.

Lastly, there was a new boy that started up at this school brand new for third grade. Matthew noted that I would be attending a different school next week for a test week and might never come back. This is a friend that Matthew has spoken of often. We met his parents at back to school night and they all seemed very nice. I would suppose that they feel the school isn't such a great fit but I'm biased and think how could it not LOL!

I always have lofty ideas that each new year is going to bring wonderful peace and harmony in all things. But it doesn't really. In our minds as humans it's an opportunity to set a firm time for a new start but in the grand universe, it doesn't really mean a thing at all. January 1 is just another day as the earth spins on its axis and turns around the sun.

Not a very uplifting blog but I'm feeling kind of sad tonight. The stark reality of death and a life cut short takes the spark out. But it also reminds me how fragile and fleeting life can be so I hug my kids and husband a little closer and thank God fully for each day that we have together.

New Year's Resolution

2008-01-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

My my, perhaps my resolution should be to be a more regular blogger. I totally spazzed over the holidays. I still don't have my holiday cards out LOL! So if you're wondering where your holiday greeting is, it's on the way. And if you're going to ask me about where the letter is, forget-about-it!

I see my readership doubled since November. I'd love to hear from my readers, especially if there are any regulars so drop me a line sometime :D I realize I never posted that template for scrapbooking. I hope to get that done this month. I found a couple more inspirations so I guess I'd better get a move along. I haven't scrapped anything either. Perhaps this will be the month I get myself together, organized and ready to do some scrapping!

I don't know if I'll play catch up but things are going well. I wrote the following for a breastfeeding site I frequent but felt like sharing it here.

A lot of breastfeeding moms pass through here. Some for a day, some for a week, some for months and some for years. If I had a dime for every time I've read a post from a mom who feels guilty about not being able to breastfeed or that they have failed or are a failure when things don't work out, I'd have a bankful of money.

I was reading my Nov./Dec. issue of New Beginnings the other night and read a passage that was so very meaningful to me. And I thought I have to share this with others I know. The quote is actually from a book called "Defining Your Own Success: Breastfeeding After Breast Reduction Surgery" by Diana West. Now this is written in regards to women who have physical problems with their breasts and milk production but I think it's apt for the general nursing mom as well.

Diana West writes: "Defining your own success means looking beyond conventional definitions of breastfeeding success and determining for yourself, according to your own needs, abilities and unique circumstances, the true value of your efforts ....You must view your experience with a deep appreciation of the mothering and lactation abilities you do have rather than feeling deprived of what you cannot have."

I think this speaks volumes as so many of us look at it as our own short-comings or failures and what a fresh way to look at and value the time and efforts we provide our children no matter how you define "successful breastfeeding."

I think this carries over into life as well. I know for myself I'm always thinking and focusing on things I don't do well. Perhaps I need to turn it around and pat myself on the back at the things I do well or the small victories each day. I think I'll make my new year's resolution to be at the end of the day I should reflect on my day and think about at least one thing I did that day that I'm proud of instead of bemoaning all the mistakes I think I made. Other than that I wasn't planning to make a resolution other than the same as always as everyone else: lose weight, get organized, etc.

Happy New Year!

Elf Yourself!

2007-11-21T15:20:00.000-05:00

I was directed to this cute website today!

Here's my crew as elves for the holiday season :D
[url=http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9559257093][B]my elves[/B][/url]

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9559257093

On a separate note, I survived the week of having 7 kids! Woohoo! It was kind of fun and the kids had a really fun time. There's still 1 extra here but she's kind of quiet. I'm trying to get the house picked up a bit before tomorrow. We're having dinner with my dad and family then some Black Friday shopping.

Trying to decide whether or not to get Madison a Nintendo DS Lite for Christmas, or perhaps her birthday. But they have the bundles on sale now. Gonna bake some cookies from a mix and finish the laundry and get the baby food frozen.

I made my own Monday and C LOVES IT! I gave her some bannana bread this afternoon at the park and she liked that too. Guess she's a foodie like her mother haha!

Latest and Greatest

2007-11-17T18:15:00.000-05:00

Well I've been a busy beaver in the digi-scrapping arena. I completed two more layouts from the Jessica sprague class and two Christmas cards. They both might be do-overs but we'll see. Let me know what you think.

ETA: I took the layout off because apparently, I already posted it. The card templates came from Firefly Creations. Very cute! The redpaper on the horizontal card came from Jannidee Designs, the white paper from Amy Teets and the papers on the Christmas tree card came from Kate Pertiet.

Found It

2007-11-14T11:29:00.000-05:00

Still in my camera LOL

sorry it's sideways

Little Miss Lotte

2007-11-14T11:16:00.000-05:00

I've taken to calling Charlotte Lotte in my head. When I say it out loud it doesn't quite fit but I'd like to have a small nick-name for her.

Yesterday was her 6-month visit. She checks out well for the most part. 16 pounds 7 ounces, 28.5 inches long and 43 cm head circumference. The perctiles are as follows, respectively: 60%, >95% (I think the dot was above the tallest line) and 35%. She's got the biggest head by far of the 3 girls and I think is the largest at this point. I can't quite remember but she just seems chubbier LOL! I figure she'll thin out when she gets to moving about.

What else, let's see... she rolls periodically but not on a regular basis. We started foods almost two weeks ago. So far she's had commercially prepared sweet potatoes and squash. I found a rough patch on the back of her leg at peds visit yesterday and the ped thinks it might be exzema from the foods. I'm to prepare fresh only for now and thin it with breastmilk. Hopefully the patch will go away. I do believe C's skin is the same type as Madison's so I wouldn't be surprised since Madison had it as well.

She got two vax but the ped threw me for a loop. We had agreed to give her body time to heal from the infection at birth so we set six months as the time to begin vax. Well, yesterday ped said she'd prefer to wait until two or three years. I'm so on the fence with this issue. I may have to return to work next year so I thought it wise to get started. Plus Matthew and Madison bring all sorts of stuff into the house from school as do the children I babysit. We're going to draw a titer at the nine-month visit and if she has immunities we'll not have to repeat those.

Mia got a flu vax, but we're only going to do the first dose. She's got a very poor diet and seems susceptible to everything. If she were still b/f I would have skipped it but she hasn't in over a year now. Wow, that was a fast year.

All in all, doing well. I have to set an appt. for Madison for the white bumps under her eyes and Charlotte goes back in February for her nine-month. Here's a picture for your viewing pleasure. I think my dear friend from UK sent this. I owe her a couple pix. Oy!

Okay, I couldn't find that one. Perhaps I neglected to take it so instead here's one in her Christening gown.

A New Layout

2007-11-14T11:09:00.000-05:00

I'm behind in my Jessica Sprague class. Week 4's lesson was posted Monday (how sad is that?!) and I just finished Week 3. And let's not forget that I haven't downloaded all the freebies, nor have I done any of the challenge projects. All in good time, my dear!

So this was a two page spread. I kind of wonder how it will print out since the middle cuts right into a picture. I might tweak it some to avoid that. I've asked on the message board over at JS website. Can't wait to read the insight all the wonderful scrappers have. It really seems to be a happy bunch.

And my little surprise for anyone that cares -- I created my first freebie! Yep that's right me LOL! I was inspired by something I'd seen recently and ran right over to my computer. It actually didn't take that long but I want to tweak it some before sharing. Not really sure anyone will pick up on it but we shall see. I probably should test it myself before posting. So I'll have to do that later. It's not necessarily a style I'd use myself but I've seen a lot of others take to it. Check back in a week or so if you're interested :D

The Jury is Out

2007-11-13T11:24:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to visiting the new Trader Joe's they opened in town a couple weeks ago. The littles and I went yesterday. I've been waiting months and so excited as I've heard such wonderful things about the prices and quality.

So, I wasn't WOWed. I liked it but it has its pros and cons.

What I liked. The fruits and veggies seemed really fresh and good quality. They had a nice selection of milks. They have all sorts of things we use, i.e. fruits, veggies, cereals, packaged goods, baking goods, meats, lunch meat, cheeses, etc. They even had scones and tea bread. I'm going to ask my friend about these and see if she's tried them. She used to go to the other TJ that's way down the road. Although, I would imagine the baked goods would vary from store to store. They also had some nice prices. Bagged salad for $1.99, the butternut squash was cheaper than at Food Lion, fair price for deli lunch meat even though it's prepackaged and the milk was decently priced as well. The free balloon was a hit as well as the free samples. Although, the free samples were cranberry-based so a bit too tart for my munchkin.

What I didn't like. It's a small store so I'd never be able to get everything in one stop. A lot of stuff is really pricey or smaller packages, i.e. the applesauce cups were $1.79 which is cheaper than Food Lion brand and probably better quality. However, there were only four to a package instead of six. Perhaps it would even out. Most of the packaged goods I saw and household supplies were a lot more. There's not as much variety. I suppose if we had a small family, i.e. 4 people instead of six, I could probably feed my family full-time on the nice organic stuff. However, that is prohibitive, especially with meats and such. Also the veggies were pricey, over $3 for a couple of cucumbers. Albeit, the ones at Food Lion are not always good but at least they're less expensive.

Like I said, I'll try it a few more times and might try to get at least my milk, eggs and whatever veggies are on special. The people were nice and friendly and if get there at the right time, I can park on the side and not have to walk through the parking lot.

On another note, I tried playing a game with Mia yesterday; Candyland. Perhaps she's a bit too young yet. She'll be three in January but didn't quite grasp the concept of the game overall. She moved her gingerbread man to the appropriate colors most of the time but didn't quite get it when you had to move back or got stuck in a bog. I'm hoping to get a few other games for Christmas for her that might be better. Candyland can get long sometimes.

I'd like to get Hi Ho Cherry-oh. She loves to count. I'd also like to get the duck shape game and the new Candyland game. I need to spend more interactive time with her and I don't much like playing toys. At some point Charlotte will be old enough to play with her and they won't want me around LOL! On one hand I look forward to not being so needed but on the other hand it's so sad to see my babies grow up so quickly. I know I can't wait for some days (like yesterday) to be over but other times I wish the clock would slow just a tad.

I must be mad ... Oy!

2007-11-09T18:02:00.000-05:00

I love that ... oy! Picked that up from my friend A! LOL. So, someone approached me about watching her two children during T'giving break which is week after next. Our kids go to church school and for some reason they get an entire week off. Probably because they don't get some of the other holidays like Vets day (???) and the Jewish holidays off.

Anyhoo, I asked my Friday charge two weeks ago did she want me to watch her dd that week because generally I take her in on days off school. She said no she had family in town so I told the other family I could watch her children (6 and 12). My Friday charge was a no show last week so this evening the mom tells me she would like for me to watch her dd that week as well.

Here's where the OY! comes in LOL! At least one of the three is 12 so she doesn't really need babysitting, just a place to be that's not home alone. It's interesting but a lot of the families I meet at our church school do not leave their youngish children home alone, even though they could. I was a latch key kid by 12 but I also didn't have any younger siblings living with us at that time that my mom had to find a sitter for.

So anyway, it'll be 7 of us all day Monday. The two siblings will only come for a partial day Wed. and Thurs. And in the end I count it as an answer to prayer because that's money that we really need right now. It will really help, especially with Christmas around the corner. I keep forgetting that God tells us in the Bible that we are more important than the sparrows and hears our prayers. I worry incessantly about finances when I probably should let God carry that burden more often. Even this month I took in more than I thought and was able to make a tidy payment on the medical bills. When we were both working it would have been a pittance but considering our current situation, it was a nice payment and for that I'm thankful. It's a nice way to start the Sabbath with a reminder that God is keeping our family in His hands every day.

Thanks be to God.

Good-bye summer

2007-11-09T16:19:00.000-05:00

we miss you already. I can't believe it's November and time for Thanksgiving almost! The kids get a full week's break that week.

Why I Miss Summer:

I miss warm days.
I miss leaving the front door open.
I miss sunlight.
I miss dashing out without worrying about coats, hats, etc.
I miss sandals.
I miss shorts and summer tops, capris.
I miss getting out of the house in 5 minutes.
I miss opening the windows when it's not too hot.
I miss walking around the lake and playing outside.
I miss the long days.
I miss summer fruits and veggies.
I miss ice cold drinks and ice cream.
I miss swimming in the pool under the sunshine.
I miss walking outside and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face.
I miss the cute little summer dresses for little girls.
I miss putting a diaper and shirt on Charlotte and that's enough for around the house.

I dread winter this year and the lack of natural sunlight. Perhaps it'll be fine. I just don't like the dark days and I don't like the cold, it's painful! However, it is nice to snuggle in on a cold winter's night with some popcorn, a movie, blanket and hot cocoa (or even a cold coke) and spend some quality time together. Right now I'm finishing up a taco dinner, the house is closed up, it's cozy and smells delish. It's also quiet since two of the girls have fallen asleep before dinner. Unfortunately, one of them is not the baby LOL! Wonder how bedtime will go tonight. Hmmmmm.

Insurance

2007-11-09T15:10:00.000-05:00

Every year or so I explore the different auto insurance companies to see if we can save some dough on car insurance. We were with Nationwide for years and years until I found out we were paying substantially more with them plus they had crappy claims.

I think I've gotten close to ten estimates. I even got one from Nationwide because I received a letter in the mail from my previous agent saying their rates have come down. I got a rate online from them for $775.00 every six months which is about $150 more than what we're currently paying. About 20 minutes after getting the online quote the phone rang and it was them :rolleyes: Sheesh. Glad I let it go to voice mail.

The next time they called I answered and told them their rates were too high. The gentleman kindly told me that if I get the quote directly from an agent, it would be less. Okay, I told them to call back so they called back when I was trying to get the kids ready for bed. I asked if they could call back today instead and they asked what time. I said after 9. Yep, you guessed it. 9:06 I received a phone call. I asked them to call back this afternoon which they did.

So I spent ten minutes on the phone talking with the agent to get a "better" rate than online. The agent's rate was over $900! For two cars for six months. That's more than we're paying for three vehicles right now. No, thank you.

Now I just need to compare everything and pick the lowest one. I think I can save $50 a month! Woohoo!

Too tired to blog.

2007-11-07T21:50:00.001-05:00

I was going to write tonight but dh commandeered me for special projects. Thanks honey! So now it's almost 10 and I'm way too tired. Perhaps it's the time change. Remind me to write about why I miss summer and Charlotte's newest. Oh, there's also her Christening and my latest layouts, if I haven't post the l/o already.

Nighty-night.

New Layouts!

2007-10-31T14:20:00.000-04:00

Here are my latest additions from the www.Jessicasprague.com Now We're Rocking class I'm taking. It's a smokin' class and I LOVE it!

Stress Revisited

2007-10-31T14:11:00.000-04:00

So last year I sold a breastpump on ebay. It worked and had a ton of "free" stuff included. I got a good price for it and was happy to pass it along to someone else. Little did I know what I was in for. The chick who bought it claimed it was broken and filed a paypal claim against me. I fought it tooth and nail but lost. I was pissed to stay the least. I sent something in good faith and paypal didn't back me up even though the buyer had no proof and wouldn't furnish the ID # or pictures to ensure she didn't bait and switch. Furthermore, she didn't even attempt to file with the PO.

So she had to send it back to me and received a full refund. What she sent back was not what I sent AT ALL! It was completely busted! Plus, she did not return any of the parts. So in essence, she received over $50 in parts for free. This all created a huge amount of stress for me. I hate confrontations of any sort and they create a lot of worry and turmoil. Paypal said I would have to file a police report and although I wanted to teach this chick a lesson, I didn't want to bother the police with something this small.

So anyhow, I moved past it though it still rankles me from time to time and I always have a bit of anxiety when I ship something off. The past week I've been cleaning out my email account and ran across all the emails I saved from this drama. Boy the stress flew on my shoulders as quick as that! I still get all bunched up inside thinking about it. I'll probably be one of those person who dies early because I bring all this stress on myself.

I am so glad I am past all that now -- what a difference a year makes. But man, if I ever run into her I'd like to beat the snot out her. I reported her to ebay. I wonder if I would get in trouble for listing her name here and telling everyone to avoid her like the plague?

And in thinking back on a year, I recall with fond? or maybe not so fond memories my first trimester in pregnancy. What I did enjoy was after dropping the biggies at school and doing a couple things at home, I was back in bed around 10 or 11. Mia would take her long nape of the day (like 2-3 hours) and I'd watch Ellen, Runway Moms, and other birth related shows. I'd stay in bed until around 2 then get Mia lunch and we'd pick up the biggies from school. It was a great schedule.

Now it's anything goes :D Today we ran some errands and then stopped at the park where I was snubbed. Oh well. You know I don't know why people have to be like that. Whatever.

The Stepsister

2007-10-28T19:36:00.000-04:00

So I spoke with the stepsister three weeks ago as she had "scrapbooking" type questions about making her own wedding invites. She was going to have them in the mail that week and I should have mine by the end of the week.

Never saw an invite. So I figure one of three things happened. A. She never intended to send me one but wants me to know she's getting married and we're not really invited. B. It got lost in the mail. or C. Since she's so busy with three children, oh my gosh, that she hasn't done them yet.

I kind of think we're not going to get one. On the one hand, I wouldn't care that much really because I didn't particularly want to go and have to spend money for a gift on someone who treated my family and me so poorly. On the second hand, somewhere it kind of hurts a tad not to be included in a "familiy" event, especially since I know she'll lie to everyone about why we're not there and probably say something really mean about us like she's done before.

I guess time will tell. It's a shame that I was close with her extended family all these years because it would be really cool to have another sister. Maybe she's changed her ways. Something must have changed for a guy to stick with her for this many years and want to marry her. I still keep waiting for the phone call that she's pregnant. LOL

The Bassinet is Gone

2007-10-28T17:54:00.000-04:00

and it's okay. I've been sort of grieving the passing of C's baby days and thought I'd be more upset about letting go of her baby stuff. I was certainly sad enough when she stopped using it, especially since she won't sleep in her crib and has stopped sleeping through the night LOL.

My BIL in called the other day to tell us that his wife was pregnant. This is dh's brother. I know they've been trying for at least as long as Charlotte's been born, so quite a while.

I am so excited. I haven't been this excited that someone else is pregnant in probably a decade. Sad commentary of events but the ravages of infertility made it difficult. That doesn't mean I wasn't happy for my pregnant friends but I can't say I was truly excited for them and certainly I was downright jealous.

Now, however, I mostly feel our family is complete. In any event, we really cannot afford another child, my body probably couldn't carry one and our home definitely has no room for one!

So after Charlotte was getting too big for the bassinet I asked my dad if we could store it at his house. Normally, I would have just sold it on Craigslist or Pennysaver or something but since my dad and his wife just bought it for Charlotte I felt bad about simply selling it for a cheap price. But we also don't really have room to store it.

It's only been a couple few weeks, perhaps three or four that we've stopped using it. And K is only about 13 weeks along but she seemed more than happy to come get it and store it in their basement instead LOL!

She looks great and isn't showing at all yet. But I think that's how it usually goes with the first one. After that you're stretched out and show sooner, in my opinion. Heck, with Charlotte I couldn't fit my shorts before I even knew I was pregnant. I thought I was just getting fat and started exercising more. How's that for a laugh for someone who's known or not known they were pregnant long before the end of that vicious two week wait.

K is very excited. M, her dh, is very excited and we're just ecstatic for them. They are rather laid back and seem to have their priorities straight. I think they'll be great parents. K said she doesn't have any mom friends in the area so she'd probably have lots of questions, want to go shopping and the like. I'm happy to oblige LOL!

The plan is to shoot all our outgrown baby stuff to them as we finish with it. They are NOT finding out the gender (or at least not sharing it) until the birth. So we have a long way to wait (May) regarding all our pink things from C but that's okay. Again,she offered to store whatever and if they have a boy or they don't use it, they'll send it back here. Did I say how excited I was?

DH teased and told them they had some time to get their basement ready for the 'rents. That got a good laugh. So I guess we won't be buying any pink or blue but that'll give us a good excuse to buy something after the birth.

Wishing you well, K. :)

I'm so excited!

2007-10-15T16:54:00.000-04:00

I signed up for Jessica Sprague's Now We're Rocking online course for using PSE for scrapbooking. I haven't told dh but I can't wait to get working again. In all honesty, I should probably run through the first course Up and Running beforehand to refresh my memory since I haven't done anything since the class ended last month. The cool thing about her classes are you have permanent access to the lessons and materials so it's a great investment. Plus you can watch the tutorial videos anytime you please. I really like her as an instructor. Yahoo!

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

2007-10-15T10:28:00.000-04:00

October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. The commemorate, light a candle today, October 15, at 7:00 pm to remember those who have lost a beloved child before or after birth. I've met many women in the past couple of years who've lost infants or whose babies have been born just too soon.

My own loss happened very early on, approx. 10 weeks gestation. I don't think anyone but myself even remembers. It was the first time I got pregnant without medical intervention. It was a very planned and wanted baby conceived shortly after dh's birthday and due on FIL's birthday. Seemed meant to be.

But what was really meant to be was to find out a couple days past my birthday that the new little life had left so swiftly and to physically let go of the pregnancy just before Christmas. It was a subdued holiday and we spent the month of January that following year just hunkered down together.

But every Halloween I remember that one Halloween I was pregnant for such a short time. The month of December never passes that I don't recall what happened those few years ago. July passes and I recall that we could be celebrating an additional birthday. I see friend's children who were born around that time as we would have shared pg and I always wonder what my child would have been like. Would I have had a boy or girl? For some reason I think boy. What color hair and eyes? What type of personality and temperament?

And then I look at my beautiful daughter, Mia. If things were different she would not have been here and she's wonderful. It's so strange how life works out sometime. With my melancholy personality, I can't help some days to think how different things would be right now had that pregnancy gone to term but it wasn't meant to be. What's meant to be is what we have now and it's a full quiver! I think the Lord for my many blessings.

Please light a candle tonight at 7:00 to commemorate all the lives that were much too short.

Cup of Milk

2007-10-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

Here's my funny story of the day.

Yesterday dh took all four kids out for the day. Woohoo! I went back to sleep at 9:30 and slept until the phone woke at 1:00. I can't remember the last time I had that much totally un-interrupted sleep. It was great. Unfortunately, I paid for it last night and today but it was nice while it lasted.

While dh was gone I pumped over five ounces of milk. Woohoo! Even though he was gone 9:30 - 5, you'd think I would have pumped more. But anyhow, I only have two four ounce bottles and dh had one to feed the baby. So when I filled up that bottle and wasn't finished pumping, I poured the milk in a sippy cup, put the lid on and stuck it on the top shelf of the fridge with a sign attached.

Today I had to run to the store to get some ground beef at the last minute for dinner. I left the kids in the basement with dh and his helper as they were working on the basement. I was gone about 30 minutes and when I got back the cup of milk was sitting on the counter.

I thought perhaps dh had taken it out to feed the baby but he was busy working and the baby was fussing. SO I took the cup down and asked who took that out of the fridge. Mia tattled on herself. She drank my pumped milk! Only about an ounce tahnkfully. I asked if it was tasty and she said; "No, it wasn't tasty, mommy."

ROFL! I could only laugh. I knew she wouldn't like it LOL but I found it funny that she drank it and didn't like it even though she breastfed for over 18 months. I'm sure she doesn't really remember but it's funny nonetheless.

She did it again.

2007-10-14T19:26:00.001-04:00

My stepsister called Friday night. The phone said private number but I told dh to answer it anyway. Sometimes my stepdad calls and he's listed like that. Remember she's getting married in December.

She's doing the invitations herself and saw stamps online with wedding verses/poems, etc. She knows I scrapbook so wanted to ask if I new a place locally to buy stamps. I told her what I knew and we chatted.

And behold ... what words come forth out of her mouth barely five minutes into the conversation??? What you ask, you don't know? "I'm the mother of three children."

Let me shout with my megaphone that the holy mother is on the phone. All bow down to saint mother who is crown of all because she's the mother of three , count 'em, three children -- all boys! Give the woman an award I tell ya. Ugh.

What's funny is she said this after she told me she had a child-free weekend. Gee, I wonder what a child-free weekend feels like? Let's stick her in a home with four kids seven days a week! I bet she gets one every other weekend! Must be nice and I really had to hold my tongue to not say anything LOL!

Okay, so I'm sorry to be so bitter but it just gets under my skin so. She's not the only one to have children and she didn't even raise but one really, the one that's biologically hers. Try four! I love my children dearly and this is nothing on them. Just her attitude and it's incessant. Every other sentence is I have three children. Yeah, so what's your point? Maybe I'll say that next time and see what she says.

Up and Running Again

2007-10-10T15:55:00.001-04:00

Well, after two weeks, I think we're all back up and running. I don't feel 100% but so it goes. We took C to urgent care the other week when her finger got snipped with the nail clippers. I didn't think that thing would ever stop bleeding. She was fine LOL!

After Mia's stomach flu we returned to the trenches for potty training and it hasn't been pretty. I got pretty fed up yesterday when she pooped her panties, sat around in it for who knows how long, then dropped some on the carpet in her quest to pee on the potty. So she's sitting there on the little potty with her poopy pants around her ankles, poop smeared from waist to ankles and all over the potty asking for candy corns because she peed in the potty. Sigh. I'm not sure where to go at this point. She's asking for pull ups or plastic pants so she doesn't have to use the potty. It's not that she can't, she's just choosing not too and I'm getting tired of playing clean up crew.

Mia's gotten very precise with who's things are whose. I.e. when flipping TV channels, there are shows that are hers, Matthew's or Madison's. During the day, she will only watch shows that are hers. Same with other things we see; she'll give them labels as to whom they belong. She also says the word 'yes' a lot. Better than 'no.' LOL! But it's cute when you ask her a question and she comes out with a resounding 'YES' instead of 'yeah."

I'm beginning to wonder if Madison has some sort of learning disability. I need to get my thoughts together and make a talking point sheet for teacher conferences on the 22nd. I'm really quite troubled by what I'm seeing and I'm not sure if it's acting out from not being able to understand/handle the information or if she just completely has her own agenda. I took an adult ADD "quiz" the other day that someone posted on another website I visit frequently. I scored 75 I think and the scoring recommendations indicated I should seek help for anything over 70. Perhaps that's been my problem. The strange thing is I'm way beyond what type of person I was as a teen and early 20's. Maybe that's because back then I really didn't have that many things to juggle or take up my time. Or maybe I've changed?

Matthew is doing great in school but he claims it's boring. Not sure what to do with that. He doesn't like going to karate either. He complains about it a lot but seems to be doing well. We've been trying to do bedtime talks with him so he gets some attention. He's still getting stomach aches which bothers me. I'll be investigating that as well. His piano is being moved to during the school day in November which will be great for intramurals if they have them. He missed out on soccer for the fall season but they play indoors so I hope they have another session. I know he really wanted to do that.

Charlotte is growing by leaps and bounds. She plays with toys now, grabs her feet and rolls around when she chooses. I think she's a tad behind on the rolling because I didn't give her enough floor time. She doesn't talk as much as before but she still makes sounds, goos, smiles and such. I put up her crib yesterday afternoon, sniff sniff. We had a fairly interesting night. I think she ended up in my bed around 1-ish. It's not so bad except Mia still comes in and the fact that I fell asleep nursing Charlotte and woke up sometime later with her still attached. Not really wanting to go there! I hope she gets used to her crib. I got a cute polka-dotted sheet from Target I like. My dream bedding is by Caden Lane but it's $450 for a set so forgetabout it! I did buy the crib sheet for $30 when I went to check out the bedding. Why did I feel obligated just because it was a small shop and the woman was so very helpful? Now I have to take it back. What would possess me to spend $30 on a stinkin crib sheet? Even if it is stinkin cute LOL! But not that cute.

I think I covered all the kids. We closed the storage unit, put most everything away, sold it or gave it away, finished up the electricity. DH and M were supposed to do the floor and hook up the toilet this past Sunday only to find out that the crappy contractors didn't do the job properly. DH got some hardware to hopefully fix it otherwise we have to tear out the wall - AGAIN. What a so not worth it project. I could grouse about this for several more pages.

But I'll close for now with photos of the crib transformation and a group shot of the kids we're sending out west to a friend battling childhood cancer. Tata for now!

A Better Trade?

2007-10-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

Before I begin, I went up at 9:30 to see if dh would like to run to McD's and get us special beverages, my treat. As if it's really my treat since I don't really work LOL! He was sound asleep and looked as if he had been so for quite a while. Back up the truck, jack! When is it MY turn? He spent 4 days in bed last week because he was sick. I don't get to do that. And now he goes to bed at 8:30? The least he could have done was let me know so I could have focused on the ever growing pile of dishes instead of the checkbook. Both are equally important, however, the children can't eat breakfast off a newly reconciled checking account statement. Ah well, I'm sure he'll love the mess when he gets up tomorrow and has to deal with it.

So going back to the trade thing. Typically, I balance the checkbook, juggle the money and pay the bills. It's become increasingly stressful to the point of practically causing me panic attacks. I can't stand it and I walk around with my stomach in knots ALL the time. I'm thinking I should have gone with dh and put the kids in public school this year. I'm probably cutting my life by a good decade with all the stress and worry I burden each day.

The aforementioned dishes are usually handled by dh because I simply can't stand them. I absolutely abhor repetitive tasks. Yes, this includes most housework but that's the way it goes. I'd rather clean the bathroom than do the dishes, yes it's true. So I clean the bathroom and dh does the dishes. I asked dh last night would he mind switching the dishes for the checkbook. I figured the 20+ minutes he spends on the dishes could be spent on the checkbook instead. Maybe he won't get so worked up about it as I do.

I don't plan to be completely hands off but I keep screwing it up. Plus maybe if I have to "report" to someone else I won't be a spendy. I have gotten better in the last couple of weeks and really think about my purchases. I need to especially reign in the fast food and groceries department. Then I need to figure how to squeeze in winter clothes for the children without going broke. We'll see what happens. Likely, I'll be spending the next month showing dh the ropes. Or at least my ropes. He's perfectly capable of balancing a checkbook and paying bills but I need to bring him up to speed. Should prove interesting.

Thank You

2007-10-01T09:57:00.000-04:00

Okay so I lost the sure thing bet LOL! I bet my son that the Yankees would beat the Orioles Friday night. I logged on at 10p and it was 9 to 6 I think Yankees up and the 9th inning. I felt bad for potentially taking my son's $. Turns out I owe him! And he didn't let me forget it, either LOL!

At Sabbath School this week they were learning about being thankful. So, the teachers had each child pick someone to write a thank you card to. Both my children picked me. How humbling is that?

Madison wrote "thank you" in her first grade scrawl on the inside and drew some pictures. I need to ask her what they mean.

Matthew wrote some lovely things inside his. It says: thank you mommy for your helping with homework. showing me how to read and spell. you showed me how to pray. I Love you. you also helped me to eat, walk, jump to talk and love. Matthew.

I was moved to tears. Most days I feel like a horrible mother with little patience and not enough time or attention to bestow on my children. I'm short-tempered and quick to shout. Even through all that, my children are thankful for the things I do for them. Again, how humbling.

Week in Review

2007-09-28T21:51:00.000-04:00

I see it's been a while, dear Diary (oops I mean blog). Haha! Life sure takes dramatic turns from time to time. I think of blog postings from witty sayings, astute observations on life and funny things my children do/say. But more often than not, they go in one side and out the other before I can even contemplate sitting down to write something. Such is life.

Last weekend I felt kind of stomach fluish and took it easy. DH had a yard sale that didn't do as well as we expected but was still fairly descent, especially after I sold the George Foreman grill. Wahoo! Sunday dh took the kids to family fun day with the Adventurer Club. I slept 1/2 the day and it felt WONDERFUL!

DH came home sick and didn't get out of bed or eat for four freakin days. I know how much he does around the house and with the kids. I know I'm lucky that my dh is involved. I know how much I appreciated it before he got sick but now I appreciate it even more. I thought I was going to have a breakdown, seriously. Taking care of four children plus a sick dh was a little much. Plus I wasn't really sleeping. No one else to get up with a crying baby but me, myself, and I. No one else to get everyone up and dressed, breakfast eaten, lunches packed, pick up kids, fix and clean up supper, homework, piano, baths, stories, bedtime, etc. etc. I'm so glad he's healthy again and not just for selfish reasons.

C ended up with conjunctivitis. I really liked the doctor who saw her at the night-time clinic but we were there for two freaking hours. C was ready to have a conniption because she couldn't lay down and go to sleep in her bed. I didn't feel well myself and was tired while we were left in the siberia of the exam room for 30-45 minutes. Gotta love those pixar movies - NOT! No good mags, etc. If I had known I would have brought a book or something. Anyhow she's better.

I've been freecycling the yard sale leftovers and almost everything is gone. Trying to sell the TV, van and sewing machine. I thought people would jump at a TV for $20. Perhaps not. I was shocked it didn't sell at the yardsale. In the past, stuff like that sold at the beginning. Oh yeah and the train table too. I had 3 people hot to trot and then never heard from them again. I guess I'll relist.

DH's company was sponsoring a fall event tonight. Yankees vs. the Orioles. I bet ds a dollar that the Yankees would win. Haha! He was like I guess I'll be paying you $1 LOL! I was supposed to go but didn't want to leave C that long or worry about pumping milk. Plus, I thought it would be GREAT for ds to do something special with dh. He was so excited. Apparently, he knows more about baseball than I thought.

So, then, I had to do something special for the girls. We went out to dinner in a real sit-down restaurant which is a treat. Madison didn't know that Bob Evans was cheating LOL! We got that same slow waiter we had at Father's Day but thankfully service was much better. Madison had to use the toilet twice which meant hauling everyone to the toilet. Mia spilled her drink on the floor. At least it was under the table but my shoes stuck to the floor and came off when we tried to leave LOL! I *really* wanted a hot fudge sundae but by the time dinner was over I was too tired to fool with it. This old man walked by and hit C's carrier with his cane. I didn't realize what he was up to and wanted to haul off and knock his block off. He was actually very sweet and was so impressed that she was kicking her legs and making the seat rock LOL! But if I had $1 for every time someone asks if it's a girl or boy sitting in a PINK carseat, I'd be rich I tell you. I know it used to be a nickle, but you know I have inflation to think of! The girls were fairly good but don't think I'll be doing that again for a looong while.

Oh, Madison came home from school Wed. after piano and informed me that she had a boyfriend named S and that they kissed. This could be a post by itself but dang she was awfully pleased with herself. She's only SIX! Going on 16 as her teacher said. I spoke to her teacher about it the next day. Perhaps they didn't even kiss but something that she made up but it needed to be dealt with. Oy vey! The next day she got in trouble for being in the bathroom stall with 2 other girls. Who knew what they were doing in there LOL! Girls will be girls.

Matthew cut out of karate early last night. Said he wasn't feeling well. Stopped to get medicine and was soooo impressed with the store. It was just a Giant but it was so splashy, neat and tidy. Even the fruits and veggies were in baskets by type. And it looked fresh too. The only disappointment was the donut section which was pretty much cleared out. He said his throat still hurts today so I hope he's not going to get what dh had. Dh did say he throat didn't hurt, though. They were taking ITBS tests at school all week and finished today with snacks and a movie. It was nice only dealing with one kid's homework for a bit. Madison needs so much assistance with hers and she never gets her work finished in class because she's too busy fooling around or taking too long to color the pictures. Then we have to finish it at home.

Oh, Mia's new favorite word is yes. Before when you'd ask her a question, she'd answer yeah. Now, it's yes but only if she means it of course. It just sounds so cute and decisive coming from her. You know how when a toddler learns the word NO they seem to find all sorts of times to use it. It's like they invent excuses or create scenarios just so they can use their new word. Well, that's what Mia's been doing. It's kind of fun because when I ask her questions now she'll actually think first before answering and I'm getting a lot of yes's instead of automatic no's just because.

Charlotte found her feet this week. She loves playing with them so now instead of seeing her laying flat and kicking her legs, you find her curled up playing with ther feet. It's too cute! I'll have to post a picture after the camera comes back. Also, her eyes turned brown. Several months ago, when you looked at them in the sunshine, they looked brownish but weren't really changed as of yet. But now, in any kind of light they are hazely-brown. Looks like they'll end up being a similiar color to mine. I prefer blue eyes for some reason but now it'll be interesting to see what her hair does. So out of four children, one has blue and the rest brown. Out of six people in the house, four are girls and two are boys. Out of six people in the family, two have blue eyes and four have brown. Out of six people in the house, two have brown/dark hair and four have blonde/light hair. Interesting, no?

I finally called back

2007-09-18T19:56:00.000-04:00

And before I forget, I talked to my step-sister the other night LOL! I was going to call her Sunday evening but she beat me to it. Turns out she's getting married. Two days after my birthday. Ugh. Why in the heck someone chooses to get married at Christmas time I don't know. We don't have enough time to get done what needs doing and I don't really feel like buying a gift and going to a wedding for someone I don't really care for.

She was all happy happy lala of course. But I swear, she acts like queen mother. The first sentence out of her mouth was I'm getting married. Then she was like, well you know as the mother of three kids....

PULEEZE, FREAKING PULEEZE LET IT GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're talking to a woman with four children, two of which are under three. I don't want to hear you talk about being a mom of three when the youngest is 6. Plus they are only there part-time. So anyhow. I'm not queen mother by any means but I don't talk about it all the time to everyone in hearing distance. Anyway, so that drama is all done until December rolls around.

Weekend in Review

2007-09-18T19:41:00.001-04:00

First, I'd like to say thanks for the comments. Love those! Athena, I love the pastel colors too. I should post a picture of the new flower print :D

Saturday night I talked dh into going out to dinner. That was great. We went to Olive Garden and it was yummy. Salad, bread sticks, bruchetta and ravioli. MMMMMM!

Sunday I planned to go to a baby shower but Mia woke up early and threw up so I sayed home. We got SO much accomplished. Most of the laundry was washed and dried, we organized some of the basement and the yard sale stuff, totally cleaned out Madison's room. She now has one basket of toys and her dollhouse stuff only in her room. That should help when it's time to clean up. She now has the cleanest, neatest room in the house LOL! DH started the same thing with Matthew but it didn't have the same results. We've been trying to encourage the kids to sell some of their toys to make room and earn some money.

By the same token, we have to guard the yard sale stuff so that it doesn't end up back in the play areas LOL! It felt good to get so much done. We had Taco's for dinner and that was good too.

Monday was a low day for me. I tried to tell dh how I've been feeling but he wasn't really tuned in. Oh well, maybe I'll try again another time. If I admit something is wrong then I'll have to do something about it. And that scares me more than just dealing. I decided to spend the day out of the house yesterday but that didn't go so well. My saving grace was the stroller was in the van I was driving when I got to the circle mall. But the line at TCP was too long so I didn't even finish all my errands there. Kind of a waste.

Went to the grocery and Mia had an explosive diaper. She said she pooped a minute or two before I was done shopping. I smelled something so I looked down and green was getting ready to ooze right out the top of her pull up. So we trotted over to the restroom where it took me ten minutes to clean her up. And then I didn't have a clean shirt so she gleefully told everyone we passed that she was naked LOL! Today she had another so I laid her down to change her and stuff just oozed everywhere. I was like a volcano oozing down the mountain. Yech. I guess it's better than changing 20 diapers of diarrhea a day but still. I'll be glad when this is over. And to top it off, Charlotte has the goopy eye.

I picked up the kids and then between 4-6 I had to unload and put up the groceries, help Matthew study for his plant test and do other work, supervise piano, help Madison with her homework. We never made it it to piano. Supervise Mia who gets into all things and keep after the baby. I think the baby slept through most of the evening so that was nice. I also had to cook up dinner. It was a lot and I couldn't figure out how to stagger myself.

It just always feels like I hear I need I need I need I need and it's overwhelming, I tell you. I think I would like to have someone take care of me for a change. I love my dh dearly and wouldn't change him for the world but he's not really a "caretaker" type of husband, iykwim. My scrapbook class is over so I kind of miss the emails but not the pressure to keep up with the class. Of course, my other extra obligations are less, i.e. storage organization, etc. but there's still tons of other stuff to do. Like fold and put away a week's worth of laundry for a family of six including stomach flu clean ups.

Oh, I had more to write but I can't think of what else right now. I'm trying to live auction, Craigslist and ebay some stuff before the yard sale. I'm not very good at gauging what will or will not sell on ebay so that's always a crap shoot. I sold one thing that so far has covered the fees so at least I'm not out any $ just time. I expect my dh's toys to go for something so at least we'll get those out as well. September is no-listing-fee month up to like $9.99 so that's been some savings. I just can't wait to get rid of this stuff. I put up an auction of a couple dozen items for $1 or less but no one's biting. I'm not sure if my stuff is that bad or people just expect name brands all the time. Or maybe it's me. My self-esteem is just that low LOL!

Dr. Pompo's Nose

2007-09-18T19:36:00.000-04:00

Tuesday is library day at my childrens' school. Last week Matthew brought home several books and a movie. Madison's class did not get to go because they wouldn't be quiet in line (she said).

Going to the library is one of their favorite past-times. I'm not sure if it's the new books or new video. They can check out several books and one video. Luckily, most of the videos are educational.

One of the books Madison brought home today was "Dr. Pompo's Nose." If you haven't read this, I highly encourage you to check it out. Very cute!

The characters are carved pumpkins with their stems as noses. They have eyes carved out and mouths as well. Dr. Pompano finds a "nose" (a pumpkin stem) on the ground and each pumpkin that comes along adds an idea of what the stem actually is. A nose, a horn, a stem, etc.

Madison loved it and it's a funny little story.

Blew through that one

2007-09-15T21:45:00.000-04:00

It's a little cool here tonight so I went searching for warm pj's for C. Imagine my surprise when the 3-6 month sleeper was too small!!!!!!!!!! Well I should say too short. She measured 26-1/2" at her 4 month pedes visit this past Monday. That's the 95% percentile and 2" longer than Mia was at the same age. Madison's records are unfindable at this time to compare and Matthew was still in Korea at that age. She's also 13 pounds 7 ounces which is about 50% percentile. Mia was 13 and 5-1/2 at the same age. I could have sworn that C is chubbier than either of the other two girls but apparently not. With a good two inches, she'd be considered slimmer. I pulled out a couple Gymbo sleepers in 3-6 earlier in the week which proved to be too small as well but I just figured they ran small like their leggings. I guess not ! Ach. Anyhow, I'm off to find the box of 6-9 month clothes.

Oh and here are a couple more layouts I've done. The orange layout uses Jessica Sprague's festa papers and my new technique from her class making a hexagon-type photo collage. It's late and I forget what it's called. The other one is where we learned how to use templates which was R*E*A*L*L*Y cool!! Sooooo easy! I was doing it all wrong before. Anyhow that layout is using a Jen Caputo template and paper pack by Janidee Designs. Oh and probably a couple others from the class doing different techniques. Enjoy!

Hair, Hair, Everywhere There's Hair!

2007-09-15T11:26:00.000-04:00

They don't tell you about all the weird things that happen to you when you get pregnant, like the dark line down your belly, leaky boobs, skin that stretches in places you never expected, hair that grows where you never expected, and so on. Most I can sort of understand as the body grows and expands and the hormones do their thing so you grow a lovely wee bairn in your belly.

But the strangest of all is the hair growth. I don't quite get this one. While pregnant my hair grows at astronomical rates. It grows faster, thicker and more of it grows until it's very thick. I have thick hair anyhow so this makes it even more. I find it difficult to find a barrette to corral it all.

So, I'm sitting around enjoying all this wonderful, luxurious growth of hair for three whole months after the baby is born. First, I'm sitting around wondering how my baby got to be so big already! Second, one day I wake up to take a shower and find a fistful of hair in my hand! The first time it happened I really freaked out. I had no idea this was a postpartum condition and thought I was ill!

So, it's been over a month and I'm tired of the shedding. I brush my hair before I shower to get out as much as possible and I still pull out a couple handfuls. It's always on my back and arms simulating a buggy feeling. The baby gets strands from time to time. So, if anyone has a clue as to the purpose of this, I'd love to hear it!

And from time to time I grieve that we decided not to have any more babies. I LOVE babies and since Charlotte's a fairly good baby, i.e. sleeping pretty well through the night LOL, I contemplate wishing we could have another.

And then I slap myself.

The old adage "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it" goes through my head. When dh and I got married we talked about four children. But a while after #3 came along I decided that was enough. Or should I say we decided. Financially it's a struggle and I just felt I didn't have anything left to give after that. We were so busy with school and activities.

Then BAM #4. What a surprise that was. I love the little dear with all my heart; I love each of them enormously. I can't imagine what life would be like without each of them. But dang it's a lot of work. Mentally, I'm spent by about 4:00. Then there's just so many more things to do in a day. I feel so beleagured I almost say I want to go back to work. But I don't really want to do that.

I kind of wonder if I have some bit of depression or PPD? I should probably find out but I'm afraid. I should probably tell DH. I'm just not the happiest person on earth right now even though I have a lot to be happy about. I wish I could go away for a while to regroup or have a whole week at home by myself to just get things accomplished. Maybe if I got everything in order then I'd feel better? That seems silly though. I kind of feel like if the house isn't spic and span all neat and tidy it's going to drive me crazy. I LOVE a clean house of course but it's somewhat cluttered is all. Maybe this is why my grandma's house was always so perfect. Maybe it was the only way she could think clearly.

I'm way overwhelmed right now.

Happy Birthday DH!

2007-09-15T11:19:00.000-04:00

Today is DH's birthday. He's 42. Wow, how did we get so old?! We met when I was 20 or so and he was 23/24. Something like that. It was back in 1989! Seems like forever ago! Almost 20 years we've been together. Amazing, isn't it?

I wanted to try and plan a little get-together for him but he made it difficult. First he picked an activity that wasn't exactly geared to a bigger group of people. Then, he decided to work today and do his birthday thing tomorrow. However, tomorrow I have a baby shower to attend. It's from 1-6 or 12-06. Seems like a long time for a shower so I want to check and see what the format is.

That does require a phone call to someone I don't know. Heck the majority of the baby shower will be people I don't know and it scares me to death! Anyhow, enough about me.

So I think we'll do steaks on the grill Sunday. Tonight I'm making tacos but I'm not sure what time he will be home. I will be glad when he actually gets paid for this work instead of paying back work we had done. Not that it was a bad trade at all.

I got dh's pressies last night but got the wrong size on one. So, I will probably give them to him and exchange them later. It was purchased at Wal-Mart and I really have no desire to go there on the weekend.

So, a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful DH. Couldn't ask for better, IMO :)

In the Trenches

2007-09-10T22:15:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm deep in the trenches this week!

Potty Training Update:
Continues to go well -- woohooo! I think we used 2-3 pull ups all weekend (and not because we didn't change her LOLOL). Yesterday we went cold turkey after changing from the night-time pull up. A few accidents here or there but she was open to wearing the panties and using the potty in exchange for candy corns.

Last night was panties and plastic pants. Worked great! Mia got up this morning and asked to use the potty! This is breaking news, people!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was slightly wet but managed to make it to the potty. We went to the doctor's for C (another blog), picked up a freecycle item and headed to the grocery store. I decided to forgo the plastic pants and my girl was wearing shorts and panties! No diapers, no plastic pants, no pull ups, yahoo!

I had her use the disgusting public toilets, although the bathrooms at this particular store are relatively clean. She made it home no problem but pooped while I was bringing in the groceries. And other than an accident right after her nap, that's been the only accidents today. In fact, she has actually been telling me herself that she wants to use the toilet which is a huge score in my book. If I have to initiate every potty break, then she's not really using the toilet. Since she's beginning to initiate then I'm really comfortable that she's getting it and is ready to fully train.

I will hope to report by the end of the week that she's done. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but why not set the bar high and if we miss, at least we tired.

The other trench is the never-ending basement project. It's mostly done but it's done to the point where we closed our storage unit yesterday. Two months shy of a complete year. What sucks is they pro-rate going in but not coming out. Part of me wanted to at least keep the lock on until the end of the month so they couldn't re-let it. Bad, I know.

So there's boxes all over and a mess everywhere but we're slowly making progress. We have a freecycle pile going, a yardsale pile started and my verrrrry slowwwwly shrinking live auction and ebay pile. I threw a bunch of stuff up last night. Toys and a couple baby items. I also intend to list dh's old palm and Thundershift 500 (with his permission of course). He's also got an old train but I don't know if it works. Those Thundershifts are going for $20 - $50! My handle is nurturingmom2 if you want to check it out.

Again, by the end of this week or next I hope to have all the boxes sorted out and put away. We only have a small amount of storage space right now so we can't keep every item that's ever been given us no matter how sentimental. DH's motto is "When in Doubt, Throw it Out!" I'm a packrat by genetics so I have a harder time getting rid of things, especially if they have an emotional attachment, like my grandmother's music boxes. She's deceased and the music boxes are probably worthless in monetary value. I used to collect them but haven't even displayed them since Matthew came along.

Anyhow I'm sure this is getting rather long so I'll close for now. Will probably be a bit until I post again due to said basement project. In the meantime, I leave you with my newest digital creation ala Jessica Sprague's Up and Running class.

Adventures in Potty Training

2007-09-07T19:19:00.000-04:00

So I decided that my 2-1/2 year old should potty train, potty learn, toilet train, whatever they're calling it these days. Hard to stay up on all the terms that are PC in the world of child rearing. I have enough trouble keeping track of my ownself and what belongs to me LOL!

So, a couple friends have trained or are training their dd's. One is the same age as Mia and just recently trained. The other is 17 months and training. I feel like I'm doing something wrong! But seriously, I know I'm not and Mia is perfectly normal. I am just tired of changing so many dirty diapers and paying so much for diapers. They are so pricey.

I know a lot of it is up the the child so you kind of have to go with the flow. Mia got really interested in the potty just when she turned two. However, in my impregnated state, I was unable to keep up with her interest which petered out at some point. Now she's kind of off and on but I've seen evidence that physically she's ready.

I asked my one friend what she did and they "ran out" of pull ups. I thought that's a great idea. I planned to do that last week, however, the running out of pull ups coincided with a lot of weekend activities out the house. Not a good mix with potty training. I figured we'd have several days of wet clothing. So we opened the last pack of pull ups.

Starting yesterday, Mia began asking for underpants. She wore them last night and also to bed. We put plastic pants on her for sleeping, good thing too! Today I think I put pull ups on her for the LLL meeting and we've been using training pants or panties since. We managed to get one poop and one good pee on the potty and a couple accidents.

The first accident I didn't realize she'd had but I did find a lovely puddle of "water" in the kitchen. Mia was dipping a basting brush in it and painting our front storm door. I spent a few minutes trying to figure out where the water came from. But while talking to daddy she proudly proclaimed she pee'd. That was my lightbulb moment. Ugh! Basting brush went in the trash.

So I'll continue with the underpants and hope that she's mostly trained in a few days. I'm afraid she'll relapse if we don't stick with panties or get confused. My great potty training tip is this. If you use a potty chair, keep a layer or two of tissue in the bottom. This way when they poop, the clean up is much easier. I have a queasy stomach so cleaning out a poopy potty is yucky!

Keep up the good work, Mia Mee.

Total Avoidance

2007-09-03T20:52:00.000-04:00

I've been avoiding returning a phone call. This call is from my stepsister and she left a message saying she "has news." Well, why don't people just leave the dag-gone message instead of creating all this mystery? In her case, I can only imagine it's because she wants to trumpet something over me. There's a tad of bad blood there although she chooses to ignore it when it's beneficial to her.

I've been walked over and dismissed by her too many times to even count and so I chose to extricate myself from what I considered a toxic relationship. We even lent her money that was never repaid after twenty-five bazillion promises to do so. And now I think she's conveniently forgotten she owes us $300. That was $300 we didn't have but lent in faith. Moral of that story, never loan to family or friends.

It had gotten to the point where the only time she called was because *she* needed something. My children were born, had birthdays, holidays, etc. no acknowledgement from her. I didn't even bother calling her after Charlotte was born. I figured either my stepdad (her bio dad) would tell her or I'd call her as I did many others after I got out of the hospital. I don't think I actually had her # with me in any event.

She had the nerve to be offended, or pretended to be, that I didn't call her straight away. Well, my daughter was in the NICU you dumbo. Perhaps, when you found out you could have called to see if we needed anything!

Now she met this guy and he's got two kids and she's got one. Every time you talked to her you would think she was mother of the year because she has three freaking kids. Well, okay, they're not really all yours and you don't even always have them all at the same time due to visitation. But you had to endure 20 minutes of how busy she is with three children like she was the only one to ever have three children. So I told my dh that we trumped her now because we had four.

I haven't heard from her in four months. No congratulations card, no nothing for Charlotte. I swear it's like this child doesn't exist to some people. I guess as the numbers grow so does interest LOL I just really feel like she's going to tell me she's pregnant and I really don't want to hear that. I'm sure she'll brag about it was this or it was that and lay it on really thick until I want to explode.

And I don't even know why this even bothers me. We obviously have surmounted infertility to some degree. Did I feel like mom of the year because I was the only one in the family to have four children? Now I won't be the only one? Although, I'd beg to let her have 4 or even 3 all together all the time with no visitations on a regular basis. It doesn't even compare.

I wanted to call and ask her dad some carpet/flooring advice anyhow so perhaps I'll let him tell me and then I'll decide whether or not to call back. Truthfully, I hardly ever call anyone these days because it's so crazy all the time. By the time it settles down enough to think about calling people it's like 9:00 at night LOL! I wish I knew why this upset me so. It just really rankles me for some reason that she might be pregnant. Perhaps it's something completely different. Maybe she got a promotion or is getting married or something. I guess I'll find out sooner or later LOL!

New layout

2007-08-30T10:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was an absolutely horrible day. Everything went wrong. To top it off, Matthew's intramural soccer games are on Wednesday afterschool, conveniently when piano takes place. I *really* wanted his piano to be during school and now he misses out on soccer. Also, I'm missing a dinner because it's during the week. I'm sure there will be other times to meet with the new mommy friends I made. It's not really that big of a deal but I got so many little straws heaped yesterday that the back just broke.

We sat through a 90-minute "presentation" on windows. Why can't these companies just come in, measure and then give you your price? To be honest, the guy was a terrible salesperson so there was no hard sell really but it's just the process. Plus, like those next-day carpet places, they seem to jack the prices up just to give you a "discount" if you sign with them that same night. We're just collecting estimates.

The carpet is done .. yeah! Now we need to paint around the baseboards for the stairs, touch up the bazillion places they scuffed and readjust the closet doors which no longer work because the carpet is too high. I don't really recommend this company. I was not very happy with the workers.

So, following are before and after pictures of my basement, which still need some work and my layout following the scrapbooking class I'm taking on www.Jessicasprague.com. Leave me a comment if you like it!

A note on the basement pictures. Our basement is small so it's hard to get a good general picture. I chose the ones I did because it shows the pole in the middle. The HVAC used to be by this pole and we moved it along a wall that goes under the stairs. We also added a closet and bathroom. The bathroom remains partially unfinished in that the fixtures and flooring are not done, but the plumbing is installed and the first part of the electric. We'll finish it up at some point. At least now we can close our storage unit when we get it emptied out. Where to put everything is another problem. I'll probably be spending a lot of time on freecycle. I guess if I haven't used (or missed) something in almost a year's time I obviously don't need it LOL!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2007-08-28T09:25:00.002-04:00

Today is my 13th wedding anniversary. Boy we sure have come a long way! When we got married, we were living on the top floor in a penthouse suite in downtown Baltimore with a cool view of the Orioles stadium. I drove to Silver Spring to work full-time and dh worked for the company that owned the building in which we lived; hence the penthouse apartment with a 60% discount! I think he was working part time as well.

We had no kids and I was in college part time working towards my Associates in Science, Business Management. No kids, no responsibilities, nothing to do on the weekends but whatever we wanted. Stay up late, sleep in even later, eat whatever, whenever we wanted. Take off for a weekend trip, no problem!

Boy times have changed.

Three weeks after we married, we moved to a house in the burbs we later purchased. Bennies included a driveway to park right next to our house instead of a garage across the street and free washer and dryer!!!!!!!!!!!! It also came with more to clean and yard work -- blech! Life happened while we've lived here and we're now the proud owners of a minivan and parents to four kids. Whew! There was a time we didn't think we'd have any children so it's truly a blessing.

DH is fantastic and I couldn't have ordered a better father to my children. We've had our ups and downs and it's hard to stay connected a lot of the times but we're truly committed to each other and work hard to keep things together. No that it's all that hard but it just takes some extra efforts with all the other responsibilities and things going on.

This past Saturday my SIL babysat all FOUR kids while dh and I ate dinner at RUB in the city. The food was either very good or so-so depending on what you order. I recommend the brisket and dh recommends the Lemonade ;) Stay away from the banana "pudding" which isn't pudding at all. It's more like pureed bananas with cinnamon and vanilla wafers. Not too tasty. I think they were a little short-handed in the service department but over all not too shabby.

Tonight my stepmom offered to come down so we could spend time together on our actual anniversary. Not sure where we're going yet but I'm leaning towards The Cheesecake Factory because I want some chocolate cake :D Personally, I opted out of the overnight for the kids. Charlotte is our anniversary surprise from last year LOL! And while we love her to bits, we're not ready for another "gift" of that nature.

So here's a shout out to my wonderful hubby. Love you dear and look forward to many more years together :)

My First Comment

2007-08-28T09:25:00.001-04:00

Woohoo! I love comments :) Thanks T!

Grandma Got Lost

2007-08-24T19:47:00.000-04:00

My grandma has dementia. She's had it for several years but it's really been telling these last one to two years. She spent the last two weeks at my uncles new home and since she's been home, she's really discombobulated and her routine is all messed up. For someone who lives on routine and depends on it to function because of memory problems, this is a really bad thing.

Yesterday she drove herself to the hair dresser or her weekly appointment. Now, the doctor told her some time ago it was probably best not to drive. And basically she doesn't except to the hair dresser and grocery. The family down there felt that was okay. My thought was perhaps you all should figure out another way to get grandma to her destinations.

I'm always hearing about old people venturing off and getting lost, dying after being exposed to the elements too long in bad weather. So yesterday she got lost coming home from the hair dresser. This is a place she's driven to on a weekly basis for YEARS! It was so scary; she was lost for over an hour. They finally took her car away. Hurrah!

But I still worry. If she's gotten this bad, how do we know she won't go fetch the mail and forget where she is? Will she catch something on fire because she's forgotten a pot on the stove? This is really hard. She's getting to the point where she may need to have more care than what's being provided. I'm not down there to deal with it. My uncle used to live across the street but he's moved due to his job. That leaves the lady that stays with her and my mother. I guess it'll have to do. I'm wondering if my uncle will take her to live with him?

My uncle and my mother don't get along because they're both cut from the same hard-headed, stubbon as mules cloth. My uncle is just like my grandad was in that there's no other opinion but his own and if you try to have one you're just plain wrong. And to that effect, there's only one right way to do things and that's his LOL! That's off topic anyhow. I'm worried about my grandma. She's more of a mom to me than my own mom and helped raise me for many years. I usually don't think about it much since she's not close by but it's going to be hard to say good-bye to her and it's happening bit by bit.

DH was in the doghouse!

2007-08-24T19:24:00.000-04:00

My dh is a pretty good sort of fellow. He's a wonderful provider and an excellent father. He helps around the house with everything, I'd say, except cleaning the bathroom. Dishes, laundry, changing beds, vacuuming, mopping, he does it all. With the kids, bedtime, baths, errands, meals, drop of at school, again he does it all. Can't really complain all that much.

Except for last night.

He accused me of spending too much time on the computer scrapbooking, i.e. goofing off. See, after dh comes home from work, it's usually time to get the kids ready for bed, which he does. So I do some computer work or other stuff. This week the kids have taken an extra long time getting settled down he's coming down later than usual. On top of that, I did spend extra time at night, i.e. after 9p working on the scrapbooking lessons and doing some layouts using the techniques I learned in the on-line class I'm taking.

When he comes down from the kids bedtime, I'm scrapbooking. It's like 9:30 or after. It was irritating him that he was up there dealing with the kids instead of doing something more productive while I sat downstairs and played. There's a couple flaws in his theory, though. First, I made sure I had all the other chores done that needed to be done that day before I began scrapping. Second, I wasn't spending as much time doing that as he suspected because I did other stuff first. Third, he still would have been upstairs with the kids even if I had been doing something more productive.

So we hashed it out in a nice way last night. It was a productive chat. But his reaction doesn't help my guilt over doing things for myself these days. I feel guilty because he works hard all day and then comes home to deal with the kids before he even eats dinner. Then he stays up really late doing his things. But he says he enjoys that time with the kids. I'm not sure how I'd feel if the situation were reversed. I think I'd be the stereo-typical male -- wanting to come home, put my feet up and relax while the wifey gets dinner on the table LOL!

I do spend more time on the computer than I should. I'll admit that. It's a hard addiction to break. Almost as bad as my addition to coca-cola! But at least when I'm scrapbooking I feel like I'm doing something for the family and not just myself. DH thinks it's unnecessary in any event. His opinion is that I should just throw them in albums and be done with it. Our ideas about time efficiency and which tasks take precedence doesn't mesh for the most part. And that's okay.

I was trying to explain to him that as a mom who stays home I have no identity outside of the home. It's just Denise Mom or Denise Wife. I have nothing of value to talk about except how many times Mia uses the potty or what errands we ran or what we ate for lunch, etc. It's very depressing some days. I need an outlet. And if I'm not able to get out of the house to join a club, use a gym or have a job, then what's wrong with joining an online community, making cyber friends or working on scrapbooks? He just doesn't get it and never will. Some people don't and that's okay. I get it and I enjoy it, especially since I'm so shy in real life, and that's okay too. Some things we just have to agree to disagree.

Again, we had a productive chat. I always feel emotionally closer to him when we have these chats without the fight, of course. We should really have them more often. I mentioned that perhaps we should have "meetings" from time to time to assess what type of goals we have as a couple and a family and individually and how to best meet these goals. We can discuss our progress and perhaps if we are meeting goals and such on time then it won't matter if I spend an hour or two scrapbooking in the evening. Relationships are so complex.

Back to School Night + this and that

2007-08-23T21:17:00.001-04:00

I LOVE back to school night. It's so much fun to talk to the teachers again, see the classrooms and visit the rest of the school. I'm so used to things staying the same and knowing all the teachers. This year there are a lot of new teachers and new things happening. I still find it strange that I have first and third graders!! We also picked up the yearbooks for the previous year and I can't wait to dig into those.

Madison had more troubles at school, if I haven't already blogged about those. Talking again and cutting hair. Oy! In Matthew's class, there's a small spot on the board for discipline. It appears they get their name written for misbehaviors and then tally marks for repeated offenses. Then they run laps based on the number of tallies, i.e. 5 laps for one mark and 10 laps for two marks. After that they go to the principal's office. My whole point in mentioning this is that when I first glanced at it I thought it said "slaps!" What a hoot. I took a double take because the last I heard, there was no corporal punishment. And even if there was, my son would not be part of that.

A potty training funny. Mia likes to run around al fresca and I let her because she's more apt to use the potty. With two in diapers, 1. I hate paying for that many diapers. My free diaper source has dried up. 2. I hate changing that many diapers. To be fair, Mia needs very few diaper changes but still. I did discover that the regular pull ups (Pamper's brand) have the same number of diapers as the comparable size diaper packs Mega size for the same price. However, I can get $3 coupons on the pull ups vs. the $1 coupons for regular diapers. Plus they have Dora on them, Mia's fav! To me they're all just diapers.

With Mia, if she's got nothing then she'll use the potty or ask for a diaper to go. At this point I forward her to said potty. We tried panties the other day and she just peed in those as well. The point of this long story is that Mia asked for a diaper so she could poop. I thought she just had to pee so I said go use the potty and she's like hurry mommy poopy coming. Instead of arguing I picked her up to carry her to the potty and she did indeed have a poopy coming. What a lovely site that was. Thankfully, we made it to the potty in time. That reminds me I should clean the potty.

I went to the mall and found some pants that sort of fit. There was a choice between two sizes which shall remain nameless. The smaller size was a tad tight but it's my goal to lose the last of the baby weight by the end of the year. The larger size was just a bit too roomy for me. I wish they had the middle size. I think I have 15 pounds to go. In the mirror it doesn't seem so bad but it photos I look fatty fat fat.

I got an email from Home Depot today. They don't know we have a new Lowes I intend to use instead. Anyhow, the title was free shipping on tools and computers. Yes you read that right, computers! I opened it and indeed Home Depot is selling computers. I know that computers do have hardware but I didn't realize they came under the confines of a hardware store these days. So funny.

My addition to coca cola is absolute. I must break it. That's my new challenge. Matthew and I continue to have our bedtime chats. He really enjoys his time with me and it's rather relaxing. Charlotte was holding a toy and chewing on it today. She was also trying to rollover. Growing so big so quickly. Sigh.

I'm off to try another layout before it gets too late. I stayed up til 11:30 last night oy! Here's what I made today outside the class. Night. I had other stuff to blog about but it's getting late and this is getting long.

Here's My Mid-Week Challenge

2007-08-22T17:18:00.000-04:00

Here's my digi class midweek challenge. I wish all l/o were this easy as pasting a picture and doing a couple techniques. I'd be caught up in no time ;)

On other fronts; I went to Eldersburg for LLL this morning. I was the only attendee so I got to catch up with my friends/leaders a bit. No real "burning" questions! Called and make a carpet appt. for next Wed. When I talked to the woman last week, she said she'd try to squeeze me in that week but if she couldn't then she'd have me in this week. So I called Monday and left a message. No return call. Today I called again and she scheduled me for next week. What's the deal? I am not sure I recommend them based on timing. It's been almost a month since we ordered the carpet and were told it would be in in a couple days and installed shortly thereafter. Everything else with this project has taken for-e-ver so I don't know why I thought this would be any different. Of course, that means I get another week to hold on to my $ LOL!

It's been really cool here, only 64 today. I think I'll take my last remaining GC and find some pants that fit tomorrow. Hopefully I won't lose my diaper bag this time! I was hoping I'd have lost more weight by now but I seem to have hit a pleatuea. Doesn't help any that I keep eating fast food, chocolate and drinking coca-cola. Man that stuff is addicting.

I just caught my two-year old coloring on the stiars with marker. Her face is covered also. Oh boy! On a good front, she's used the potty several times today. I guess I should find some dinner here. I hate cooking. I don't mind preparing it but I hate thinking of stuff to fix. Tonight is Adventure Club sign up and tomorrow is back to school night. Fun fun!

Digi Layout

2007-08-21T22:30:00.001-04:00

I signed up for a digital scrapbooking class at www.JessicaSprague.com. It wasn't very expensive and started yesterday. So far I just finished lesson one and love it! There are four lessons, one a week. Here's my first layout :) I could sit and do this all night. Now that's a scary thought!

Madison, My Madison

2007-08-21T15:02:00.000-04:00

What is there to be said for you, little girl? Twice you've cut your own hair. The latest time being in spring when you gave your bangs a buzz cut. They still haven't grown back completely.

The first day of school you got in trouble for talking and got separated from your friend. Yesterday you cut your hair once again in class this time and hid the hair in your desk. Today you nearly cut your friend's hair.

I think this is going to be a loooooooooooooooooong school year.

Happy Adoption Day1

2007-08-21T10:12:00.000-04:00

Sunday was the celebration of when we became a family. The day dh became a dad and I became a mom. Eight years ago on Friday the 13th, we got the call that our son was coming home from Korea! So on August 19, 1999, around 6:00 in the evening, we welcomed Lee Myung Suk home to America. The wait to adopt seemed forever, although, it was a rather short period of time.

January 1999 dh and I took a 15 anniversary of meeting trip and spent the weekend in Annapolis. I love that place. The weather wasn't the greatest but it's where we made a life-altering decision. We quickly filled out the paperwork to adopt, returned it to the agency in February and by August we were holding our son.

Adopting is a complete roller coaster ride and we had our shares of ups and extreme downs. A couple times we weren't sure it was going to go through at all but our story had the happiest of endings.

So now, every year we celebrate our "Family Day" together by doing something special. Usually that entails a trip to our local airport (not the one Matthew flew into) and a meal out. We drove out to BWI after lunch and spent a couple hours hanging around and visiting the Observation Deck. I really like the Observation deck if you have cause to be spending some time there. They have airplane parts to check out, fairly comfy chairs, huge windows to see planes landing and taking off and a play area for kids. It's also fairly quiet. It has restrooms but they took out the snack shop so come prepared.

I think we spent as much time visiting the snack shops and restrooms as we did in tne Observation Deck. We all had a nice time and well worth the $8 parking fee! DH was especially excited about the planes for some reason and took several photos. I think he was more excited about the planes than my son LOL! Mia kept asking when we were going to the hairpo so we kept explaining we were in it! My little cutie. We're trying to be frugal so decided against dinner out but then decided to pick up Chinese on the way home LOL! Everyone found something they liked, aside from Mia, and it was a nice day. A friend and her ds have birthdays that same day so we talked with them as well.

Since then, we have added three more children to our family and have a full house or quiver, so to speak. We are truly blessed with abundance.

Crisis Averted!

2007-08-19T19:26:00.000-04:00

I took my oldest daughter to a birthday party this morning. I nursed Charlotte shortly before I left.

I left an empty bottle for dh and instructions on the frozen milk bags I have in the freezer. I think I have about 10-15 two ounce bags of milk. I don't pump often but I try to keep a bottle of fresh in the fridge and when a few days have passed, I freeze it and start again.

Anyhoo, when I got home, dh said that C had drank one of the bags of milk and then he had an additional one he took when they went out so I opened the fridge to toss it in. It was already half defrosted so no other choice. There sitting in the fridge was my entire bag full of the other frozen bags of milk! :eek: I almost had a cow in that kitchen I tell you!!!!! Anyone who pumps milk can feel my pain, right ladies?!

I checked it over and they seemed frozen still so I threw it back in the freezer. Even though it wouldn't really matter if the milk thawed and had to be trashed It mattered to me. That's a lot of work!

Shew!

Something truly funny

2007-08-17T20:15:00.000-04:00

Sometimes my dh comes up with some good ones. While I was hunting for freebies, I happened to run across a man scrapbooker through the blog of Ikea Goddess. I can't recall his name or blog at the moment but I found it rather humorous. He looks like a manly man and did manly man things, according to his blog, like mow the grass. But he also scrapbooks and creates freebies! I can't get over it!

Anyhow, so I was telling my dh about because to him certain activities, such as scrapbooking, ballet, gymnastics and the like, are just for girls. His response was that "who better to know what a woman wants than a man." A busted a gut. Perhaps it was funnier in person but sometimes you just have those easy and fun moments with your spouse and it really is wonderful.

Just one word...

2007-08-17T20:05:00.000-04:00

chocolate. I do love my chocolate.

And cocoa cola.

Now I'm going to read a few pages of Lean Mean Thirteen, download some scrapbooking freebies, Bible study and go to bed.

2007-08-17T09:46:00.000-04:00

MYSTERY SOLVED!!!!!!!!!!!!

DH told me this morning he found the roast. It was still in the grocery bag nestled amongst the Home Depot bags on the kitchen table. He said it was disgusting, all defrosted and drippy. Thankfully, it did not drip out of the bag.

I'm just glad dh found it. :blech:

On another food note, we opened a new milk today. I poured the last bowl of Cocoa Pebbles (breakfast of champions, you know) and took a huge bite. Unfortunately the milk went the way of the roast. I just bought it Monday but didn't realize it was dated 8/15. Milk usually lasts way longer than that but perhaps since it was organic milk it doesn't last much past the due date. Dh fed it to the kids and they ate it. Didn't they notice the funny taste? ew.

Oh, and I found the remote. It was deposited in the VCR where you put the movies

Have you ever lost a roast?

2007-08-16T12:22:00.001-04:00

Maybe this is a hint to become vegetarian LOL! I remember taking a roast out of the freezer yesterday in a blue grocery sack. I thought I set it aside to put in a dish so it doesn't defrost all over the fridge like the last time. What a nasty mess that was to clean up!

I promptly forgot about the roast.

Today I was looking for said roast and cannot find it. First it makes me irritated because I've lost a not so cheap piece of meat. I usually buy on sale but it's still a waste of money. I'm thinking I tossed it in the trash by mistake but I would think I would have noticed. It's not in the fridge, it's not in the freezer. My dh claims he did nothing with it, nor has he seen it.

My only other conclusion is that Mia carried it off somewhere. I so hope not. I can just imagine the smell and mess of that one. Today she lost my TV remote. Wonder what else will get lost besides my mind?

First Day of School Revisited

2007-08-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

So, follow up to first day of school. Matthew loved his new day and can't wait to start again. Last night I suggested little bedtime chats. I used to do this years ago and it's now time to start again. Matthew needs the one-on-one time just to have it and it gives him a chance to tell me what's on his mind or share things I don't get a chance to listen to earlier in the day. I learn so much and he really feels cherished and loved.

Second, Madison and her little friend are split up already...for talking :laugh: I find this hysterical. A) that a child that came out of quiet ole me got reprimanded for talking too much (in class no less) and B) that it's only the first day. I asked her who sits next to her now and she couldn't tell me. Apparently, the teacher didn't move the friend to a different desk, just had her move the desks apart. I think perhaps she'll have a seating chart soon LOL!!!

So exciting -- I loved reading the materials that came home today and I wish all teachers would do that. It's really important to me to know what's going on in the classroom.

First Day of School!

2007-08-15T17:46:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: that is NOT a bugger under Mia's nose in her photo. It's a scab from wiping her nose so much.

I found this first day of school to be far more emotional than even the first day of K

Madison was very excited and didn't look back once we crossed the threshold. The teacher had some items on each desk including a nice-sized stuffed bear. She was too distracted at that point to even listen to simple instructions from the teacher LOL!

She picked out a desk right next to her friend, Megan. However, she chose a desk in the back of the room. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Then they had name tags on the teacher's desk. I did not see Madison's name, however, there was a tag for "Madi." Now I presumed this was for my daughter, however, we have never called her that, only her friend Megan called her that.

It was indeed her nametag and the teacher said she used the records from last year. Teacher said she'd be glad to call her whatever we wanted but I deferred to Madison and she said Madi. So, Madi she is for the year. I thought last year's teacher called her Madison so it seems odd to me but not a big deal.

In the note home from school, it stated that they were going to have snack time between 9-10 am and we could send nutritious snacks! In addition, Madison said they have nap time! I am astonished. I hear wonderful things about the teacher so I hope she has a good year. Oh, and the teacher even took a photo of each student with their parents

I asked Matthew to wait for us to go to his which he grumpily did. He has a teacher new to our school this year. It was fun to see which students have returned and which are new. They have several class pets including lizards and real live snakes! His teacher seems really nice and greeted everyone in our family and encouraged moms and dads to take pictures. Once we got him in there, he was off talking to his friends and meeting new friends. They get actual school books this year and letter grades.

Matthew was sooo nervous and very grumpy last night so we had a little talk and I hope he felt better about starting class. Piano starts next week and I really hope they get daytime lessons. Matthew said he enjoyed his first day very much and talked about the class pets and new friends he made. He sounded really positive and ready to return tomorrow. I was a little worried. Here are a couple pix. My camera funked up this morning for some reason and the pix are hazy. Bummed about that but we got some cute shots.

And last but not least, Mia wanted her first day of school picture taken too. I *heart* her :)

Reflections on a Monday

2007-08-13T20:21:00.000-04:00

So frustrating. I feel like we're slowly being financially buried alive, one grain of sand at a time. Or perhaps it's a cupful.

- Watched my friend's dd and she was late picking up which made us late for the dentist.

- Signed up for a digital scrapbooking tutorial at Jessica Sprague

- Mia left food and made messes all over the house -- including stripping naked and proceeding to pee on the floor. I'm fairly certain she's more than ready to potty-train since when I yelled stop at her, she quit in mid-stream.

- Matthew needs a tooth pulled and received a referral to the orthodontist.

- Comcast is giving me the runaround on a strange charge on my bill

- Carpet should arrived Wednesday and be installed end of this week or sometime next week. Hopefully, we'll get the storage unit cleared out before we incur another charge.

- Got lots done on my to-do list

- Took a walk by myself after dh came home for 25 minutes. It's nice outside.

- I had to use the charge card for groceries today. I'm really afraid to look at my ending balance. oy.

- Thinking of my friend today and thinking I should have called to see how she's doing. She got bad news this past Friday.

- Rescheduled Charlotte's research gig until Thursday. Now we can meet my late friend for a lunch playdate tomorrow.

- Mia had her first cleaning today and did wonderfully!

Matthewisms

2007-08-12T21:07:00.000-04:00

Well, Matthew says the funniest and/or most interesting things sometimes. He must be very introspective at time.

During Sabbath School yesterday, he noted that Queen Vashti (to King Xerxes) was beautiful but only on the outside. After she was cast aside, Queen Esther took her place. You can read about Queen Vashti and Esther in the book of Esther in the Bible. Matthew noted that Queen Esther was not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside as well. If only we could all remember that it's more important to be beautiful on the inside.

Next, during children's church the teacher was talking about Noah and the ark. She told the children about the animals that were in the arc - two of each kind, male and female. Clean animals (i.e. those we eat that are cloven hooved and chew a cud, were placed in the arc in groups of seven. Then there was Noah, his wife and their sons and their wives. After the flood receded, the animals and Noah's family went forth and multiplied.

Matthew asked where all the people on the earth came from. The teacher stated that Noah's sons had children and they had children, etc. Matthew was quick to point out that Noah's sons were related so how in the world could they have had repopulated the earth. The teacher was quick to move on in the lesson LOL! What an interesting incite from an 8-year old.

Tonight's dinner philosophy was that if you like dandylions in your garden then you don't have to weed because they're already weeds. This was in response to a conversation we were having about growing tomatoes in posts as opposed to growing them in the ground. I thought that was really funny.

Once he asked how Charlotte came out of my stomach. Madison was quick to point out that she came out of my bottom before I could formulate a response to that questions! Perhaps I've watched too many Baby Stories and the like! Cheers to you, Matthew the Great Thinker!

Domestic Goddess

2007-08-08T17:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I had typed up this really nice blog entry and poof it was gone thanks to Comcast. I'm about ready to kick them to the curb. Ugh! ETA: Okay most of my draft was saved. Here's how I began:

Domestic Goddess, I am not! But I do like homey activities. Today I am getting out the sewing machine. First I need to sew patches on the kids' honor sashes and M1's patches on his Karate uniform. He's only had it like 1/2 a year now.

So far, I've got the foot pedal connected, took out the instruction booklet and lifted the presser foot. If it goes well, I want to sew a moby wrap-type sling and make the kids some winter pajamas. I also want to sew up some home-made wipes from flannel blankets and perhaps try my hand at ... (pick up below where it talks about my projects LOL).

So, I never claimed to be a domestic goddess but I do enjoy my time at home. While the kids are away, I decided to try my hand at my "new" sewing machine. It's actually brand new in the box but I've had it since Christmas. I always planned to use it sooner but with the pregnancy, birth and kids home for the summer, I never got around to seeing how it worked, etc. Now that I've spent some time with it, I'm more comfortable sewing with the kids around even though they'll likely get into all my stuff.

So I put on my iPod and listened to ABBA, Johnny Cash, and Lilly Allen while I alternated sewing, feed and dancing with Charlotte. My top thread kept getting caught underneath which I need to figure out. I realized I change top threads anytime I want without worrying with the bobbin which is great since the honor patches are all different colors. I was trying to get finished before Charlotte woke up and ran out of music and bobbin with two left to sew and someone bozo knocked on the door.

I thought it was my friend J but it was one of those "teens" selling magazines to earn points or whatever to go to Hawaii. I got burned by these types before so no dice. They guy seem truly surprised that I wouldn't buy anything. I couldn't buy anything if I wanted at this point. I replaced my bobbin and finished my sewing in silence. I had cleaned up before I realized I wanted to sew the patches on M1's Karate uniform. Oh well, perhaps tomorrow. I also want to make a moby-wrap type sling, cloth wipes from flannel blankets and maybe even cloth diapers. That last project is a stretch and it would probably be more beneficial to buy them online.

After that I rebooted everything so I could get back online. One thing I like about Firefox is that if it unexpectedly shuts down, it has a restore session feature so I don't have to figure out which websites closed on me. Here are the fruits of my labor today (before and after):

Junk Fooding It

2007-08-07T14:12:00.001-04:00

Well, it's been a long summer and to culminate it, my MIL sucked it up enough to ask for the kids -- all 3! After much going back and forth with dh, we okayed the trip.

So today at 11, the in-laws picked up the 3 olders and took off! I hightailed it out of the house to run my few errands of the week:

return videos to the library
bank to open savings account for baby and return money to savings
post office to mail live auction package, announcements/photos and buy stamps
Wal*Mart to pick up diaper liners

It was sooooooooooooo hot outside! Like a furance. The humidity is the pitts.

While there I thought I might get a treat since the kids are gone and I don't have to share ;) I ended up buying two boxes of my favorite cereal, plus I had a coupon, two pairs of school pants for M2, back of assorted snack pack chips for school lunches, soda, Crunch & Munch, oh and a pack of M7m's.

Then I stopped and got lunch, a milk shake and a gallon of sweet tea at Chick-fil-A. Gotta love that sweet tea! So I'll save the store treats for later or tomorrow. I'm sure the soda won't last past this afternoon or evening.

I can fix a supper that dh and I would like but not necessarily the children. I want to try and get most of my work done today so I can pal around the next couple before the biggies come home. We'll see as I'd rather take a nap ;)

Alas, the baby crieth!

Men Are Definately From Mars ...

2007-08-06T20:13:00.000-04:00

or at least my man is. My man doesn't get me. And I don't know if he doesn't get me because he just doesn't get me or if it's just because men are obviously different creatures than women. He always wants to solve my problems. Well, sure, I do seem to have lots of "problems" that seem to need solving. And perhaps I complain too much so he feels the need to solve the issues to avoid listening to me expound on them.

What he doesn't seem to realize is that as a woman, I like to talk about things, hash them out, thoss them out and see what comes back. As a woman, I like to vent, whine, complain, share my innermost thoughts with someone who loves me unconditionally.

As a stay-at-home mom, with a couple side jobs, I don't always get a lot of time to chit chat during the day. My time is filled with changing diapers x2, nursing, making meals, nursing, cleaning up meals, picking up toys, nursing, playing referee and did I mention nursing? We seem to do a lot of that but truthfully, those are some of the sweetest moments of my day. I can't say the calmest because being in charge of four children is not in any way, shape or form, calming!

We have playdates from time to time which I really enjoy. The kids have fun and I get a mommy connection. I rarely get to enjoy a telephone call. Most people I know are working during the day and busy in the evenings, as are we. Dinner, bath, bedtime, etc. And when I do get on the phone, the kids start badgering for something, they have something they just have to share at that moment! or they start bickering. In any event, there goes the phone call.

So that leaves my poor dh to listen to my woes, my joys, the highlights (or lowlights) of my day. Although, I must admit, giving a rundown of our day seems pretty lame. I feel insecure thinking I have nothing better to share than the fact that my two-year-old peed or pooped in the potty, what we ate for dinner or a rundown of what chores I accomplished during the day. Truth be told, I'm a list person so when I accomplish a lot on my list in the day, I love to crow about it to someone.

Case in point, my son (who's 8) offered to present the mission story to his Sabbath School class this upcoming Sabbath. I told my dh that I was glad he volunteered for this and his response was "why." Okay, so I tried to give a few reasons nothing that I feel it's important for the children to feel comfortable talking in front of people, getting up in front of class to talk and the like. I am *painfully* shy and have been for as long as I can remember. I don't want my children to be crippled in this way.

So, instead of having a discussion about how proud we are of ds and his accomplishments, it became an introspective of why I'm the way I am and how I could improve myself. Man, talk about downtrodden. Nothing like a wakeup call of this nature to shoot an arrow right through your self-esteem. I just try to remind myself that he thinks he's helping me. I didn't want to make the conversation any more heavy than it already was so I dropped it.

But it just served to remind me that whoever coined the phrase "men are from mars and women are from venus" really hit the mark.

First Post

2007-08-06T17:39:00.000-04:00

Just a trial run. Not sure what I want to do. Myspace, blogspot, etc. Time will tell, I am sure.