Blog on Pause

Hi all. I'm going back and forth about keeping this blog up and running. I haven't been on in forever - life's been busy and very full. I can't bring myself to delete this thing but I'm not sure if I want to continue throwing my heart out to just anyone who happens by. I'll make up my mind one day. Until then, enjoy the archives!!!

Facebook Distraction

I haven't really been posting since last November. November!!! Can't believe it has been that long - but time slips by rather quickly with four kids, a new pregnancy, the Holidays and a bunch of birthdays crammed together. And, I must say, signing on to Facebook has distracted me from good ol' fashion blogging as well. It has been great to connect with old friends and stay a little more current with existing friendships. It is funny how I remember everyone to be as they were in high school or college or without a bunch of kids in New Jersey. There are new babies and new marriages aaaand new people I don't even know friend-requesting me. Some are friends of friends and some are people I know that I know I don't know. You know? I miss blogging and keeping up on all the little things that happen around here - the happenings that are meaningless to most readers but are priceless to me as my brain doesn't remember any details it seems. Like Frog's first smiles or quotes from Spikes from a few years back...the things that make any mother smile.

Anyway, I say all that to say, I'll be blogging more and Facebooking less in the coming days. Woo.

Quotes from the Week

On Wednesday afternoon, as I announced "Naptime!" Spikes jumped up from the playroom floor and exclaimed, "Noooo! I want Lamby to stay up!" and he gave Lamby an extended bear hug. Piggy, who is often the third wheel these days also jumped up from the floor and exclaimed, "And, I want ME to stay up!!!" Then, with a big smile he wrapped his short, three-year-old arms around Spikes and Lamby's bear hug oblivious that he had once again been left out of the loop.

Also this week, Spikes rediscovered his stopwatch when B emptied out the kitchen junk drawer. He's been timing everything - trips up the stairs, bathroom breaks, how quickly Piggy can climb in and out of his crib...everything. He loves the watch - even wore it in bath tub last night, but not before timing Piggy's bath first, "Let's time ya', Filthy...". Piggy didn't mind being named "Filthy", though usually he will only substitute his name for "Johnny" while playing or just being silly. Piggy also names other children "Johnny" if he can't remember their real name. Lamby was always "Sarah" during playtimes until recently when she decided the name "Vanilla" was a better choice. (Perhaps, B's new found love of Wheel of Fortune swayed her?) This week Lamby morphed her chosen name in to "Vanillapea" and decided this new name should also be the name of our new baby girl. As I was about to explain why Vanillapea may not be the baby's name, B told Lamby she could call the baby whatever name she chooses. So, if you all get a baby announcement that makes you laugh and at the same time reminds you of Vanna White - you'll know where it came from.

Gems in the Garbage

The poem below was in a book I found tucked in one of the many bags of garbage a neighbor left on my porch as "good hand-me-downs". I decided to toss the thread-bare bras with the non-stretchy elastic showing through the torn holes. (I don't keep underwear as hand-me-downs even if they are in good condition - a girl has got to have standards!) Oh, and all the broken toys went in the trash, too, as well as the toys that had been chewed on by their dog. "Gee, thanks."

Two gems I found were a copy of the book quoted in the next post, Meditations for the Expectant Mother by Helen Good Brenneman (1998) and a copy of The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth N. Taylor (1956), a book no longer in print and worth a pretty penny. The books somehow made up for the trash heap left on my front porch.

And, with that said, I want to say a special thank you to anyone and everyone who has generously given us their non-chewed on, in-good-condition hand-me-downs. Our children aren't running around naked because of you. Just kidding. My kids love running around naked. Got ya' again. The kids are hyper-modest, really. They most definitely get their extreme modesty from me. If they were like B...well, that's another blog post...

Song for a Fifth Child

"Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth!
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking!

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep."

By: Ruth Hulbert Hamilton
Printed in Meditations for the Expectant Mother by Helen Good Brenneman (1998).

First Fire Movie Night

We are having a movie night tonight after wrapping up a week of B being home on strike. I will miss him so much come Monday! One day we will figure out a way for B to be home more and have less stress on his body from work. One. Day.

So, the living, dining, and toy rooms were cleared of clutter (read: toys, hats, mittens, and children's jackets), B started the traditional "first fire" of the year as it is finally cold enough, and after scarfing down a quick dinner we started the movies.

Piggy was on the verge of tears as Nemo was taken away from his daddy. He had seen the movie several times at Mom's - but I guess it was his first time of "really" watching Finding Nemo. Spikes and Lamby were patiently putting up with Piggy's outbursts and dramatic exclaimations. They were not so patient about the popcorn. We popped on the stovetop with a bit of corn oil and yellow popcorn over medium-high heat. B added salt, butter and a touch of sugar - perfect. Each kid had a cup of popcorn and a drink to enjoy and to keep out of Frog's reach.

Frog moved kitchen chairs all over the lower level of the house as the other three watched their movie. Occasionally he came over to the computer to push a random button then continued on his way, which included a quick walk through the living room to bite any toes hanging over the edge of the couch - usually the toes belonged to Piggy. Piggy is easy prey tonight as he won't take his eyes off the tv, even to save his toes from one-year-old brother nibbles.

It was a quiet, toasty warm evening. I love First Fires.

What tradition(s) have you started in your family?

House Projects

We've been finishing all our lingering house projects lately after B gave a very moving (and short) speech to me last week. "Let's work hard and get these projects done over the next month..." I think he was trying to convince himself (and his lovely wife) that he wants to get these projects done. Really, he does. Really.

His little pep talk to himself evidently worked as we are flying though projects that have been on our to-do list for months. I LOVE finishing projects. Especially the projects that have been on going for weeks. Ah, completion. So nice.

How do you handle house projects? Do you work like dogs and get them done? Or, do you break the job at hand into smaller portions and spread the project out?

Sweeping with Frog's help

As I was sweeping the floor on the main level, sucking up the dirt piles with the dust vacuum, I felt a slight sense of "Ah, that looks so much better..." when I heard a crunching/munching sound at my heals. It was Frog with a cracker in each hand. He had faithfully followed me around as I swept the floors eating his crackers happily as he observed my cleaning frenzy. I wonder how much of those crackers actually ended up in the little guy's mouth. Based on the trail he left all over the floor, not much.

Ever feel like you're fighting a loosing battle?

Hairless Guinea Pigs - They Exist!!!

B and Piggy have allergies. This fact has prevented me from my life-long dream of having a guinea pig farm. I've joked with B that we could buy a hairless guinea pig never knowing the rodents existed...until now!



They are called skinny guinea pigs, or skinny pigs. Amazing, huh?

Here are a few fighting over a carrot...



And, no, a guinea pig farm is not my life-long dream. But, with this new found knowledge of the skinny pig it just may become a dream of mine. Juuust maybe.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

If I can't have one at least I can watch them on youtube...



The kids loved these by the way.

Mothering Basics for Newborns

I was talking with my neighbor a bit ago about the new mom up the street who was having a difficult time with her newborn. In the course of our conversation it occurred to both of us how little mothers really know about newborns going in to the whole "new baby phase" of life. In this day and age many women are not around tiny babies until they give birth to their own. I personally avoided new babies - I mean, they were so tiny and seemingly breakable. It's like someone wanting to hand you a priceless piece of glassware or something - "Nope. I'll wait until I have one of my own thank you very much. If I break mine, it will be my own fault!"

I remember my mother saying that all things concerning my new baby would "just come naturally". That belief works great until you come home from the hospital exhausted and excited only to find out your natural instincts didn't quite kick in as you thought they would. Every good mama knows to love their baby, but when it comes down to the practical how-tos a few helpful hints would be good to know before you are up at 3:00 am with a screaming newborn.

On that note - here are a few basics that will give any new mother's natural instincts a jump start...

1. When your baby eats (bottle feeds and/or nurses) you have got to burp the baby. The tiny guys often fall asleep while eating which can make "getting the bubble out" a little more difficult but trust me a belch like a grown alcoholic is in there somewhere just waiting to escape. My best luck was to stop the feeding for a moment or two when I heard or felt the baby swallow an air bubble. If Baby freaks - and he will - then, finishing the feeding first. Just burp him before he falls asleep. You want the air bubble to remain at the top of your baby and not work its way down toward the baby's bottom, if you know what I mean. You can put Baby in sitting position on your knees or put him up on your shoulder and gently pat until the burp comes out. Air will come out one way or another - if you get it out as a burp it will save you from having an upset newborn with an upset tummy. And, by keeping the tummy free of air bubbles your baby will have a good feeding and will be content - at least for a little while! Don't be alarmed when what appears to be half of what you just fed your baby comes out with the burp. This is scientifically called "spit up" and it happens to the best of babies. My first baby had "projectile spit up". Really, it was puke...all the time, all over the place, constantly. We should have entered him in some sort of spitting contest as a babe. Seriously. (Sidenote - always bring yourself and hubby an extra shirt when going out with your new baby. Spit will fly even in public. And, if you have a puker, invest in some good quality dropcloths and a couple garden hoses and you'll be just fine.)

2. Swaddle your baby snugly in a lightweight baby blanket to help Baby feel secure and warm even with all his wiggling and stretching. During the ninth month of pregnancy the little guy was trying to tear through your skin and now that he's "arrived" he'll be trying to get out of your perfectly swaddled baby blanket. Don't fret. There are dozens of special baby swaddling blankets on the market now. They have baby pockets that even the most determined wiggler can't worm his way out of. But, any thin, baby-sized blanket will work. I have personally survived four newborns without any investments in special swaddlers so it can be done. The goal in swaddling is not the ownership of the latest baby blanket fad, but to simply keep little hands and tiny toes from flailing as your newborn sleeps. Newborns twitch a lot as they rest and they can easily startle themselves. And, newborn don't like to be startled. Yes, save "peek-a-boo" for a few months and swaddle your baby instead.

3. Another basic I discovered as a new mom was walking. The fresh air would always calm my babies and my frazzled nerves as well. The sunshine, a warm breeze and some much needed change in scenery gives Baby new things to view and sense. With two of my babes I lived near the ocean. A walk along the boardwalk, with the ocean air and sound of the waves would put the baby out like a light. And, it helped me get back in shape, got me out of the house and boosted my energy. Then, I moved to the Midwest and have had fussy babies ever since. Just kidding, they have walking here too. But they are severely lacking in the "wave sounds" department.

4. Singing, humming or even just your voice works wonders when a newborn is being fussy. Talk to them! Have a little chat. Include them in your day through a bit of conversation. They know your voice from the womb and will even search for it in a crowded room as a tiny newborn. With each of our babies we loved watching them turn their heads to find us as they listened for our voice. You can sing anything - make up songs with their names or stories as they get bigger. I sang a special song for Baby Sophia when she was small and she still remembers it at age four. It still calms her when I sing it to her! I try singing to my husband, but it doesn't have quite the same effect, so you have to start young. Why not start with your newborn?!?

5. Movement is another must do with newborns. If all else fails and you have an upset babe on your hands...then get moving, sister!!! Use a baby swing, baby bouncy seat or even yourself to create a rhythmic movement that will eventually calm Baby. While pregnant my babies would be moving all over until I started moving. They'd become still and rest when I moved about my day. As newborns they will continue that pattern and calm considerably with a little movement. Slings are great to keep Baby close, secure and provide a little movement. Heck, strap Baby on your person, go for a walk and sing as you do and you'll be doing all the basics at once! Then, if your little one is still fussy...use my final basic...

6. Dada, or Daddy is the best basic of all. As new moms we need to let the new Dads get in on the action. Dads can connect with their boys or little girls in a very special way and you need a secret weapon when its past midnight and you've been up all the night before. Babies go through phases where one parent is favored or has the special touch that quiets them. It doesn't mean you aren't a great mother, but it does mean you have a great partner when Dad is able to flex some baby muscle and help in calming your little one.

And, you knew this was coming - add your own "basics" to my list. What worked well for you with your newborn? Or, what bit of advice do you wish someone had told you the first time around with a tiny baby? I especially love the "Duh, I should have known that" sort of helpful hint so if ya' got any...add them in the comments.

Lunch Time Conversation

"Wouldn't it be silly if we cooked with the microwave and heated up food in the oven?" Spikes asked me as I prepped our leftovers for lunch.

"Yes, that would be backwards. Wouldn't it be silly if we typed on the phone and talked on the computer?" I asked him without going into a lengthy explanation of texting and the like.

"Yeah, (paused as he thought for a quick moment) that WOULD be silly!" He said with a giggle.

I continued, "...or what if we washed our clothes in the bathtub and took baths in the washing machine?!?" Spikes and Lamby laughed then Piggy, who was quick to steal a little spotlight for himself, exclaimed, "And this will be funny - if I poop on you guys!!!"

Potty talk dominated the conversation after Piggy's insightful...declaration.

Mouse in the House

Early on in the summer B told me in great detail about the family of mice that had made their abode behind our patio step. There was Mama mouse and several baby mice that, to B's amazement, had traveled down our gutter and ran in guinea pig fashion (one after another) to their newly formed nest against our house. I told B we needed to relocate our little neighbors before the fall or they would move inside when the weather cooled. Agreed.

Well, it's Fall now and the mice are no longer behind our patio step. Nope. They evidently moved into our basement. Michael protested to sharing his space with a rodent(s?) and demanded we get a mouse trap. I think the gnawing sound was freaking him out in the middle of the night. After finding proof of the said mouse (chewed books that I've had every intention of reading since bible school) we bought a live mouse trap and placed it downstairs just prior to our four day getaway to Columbia this past weekend.

Upon returning home we discovered mice "pooh" along the perimeter of each room in our house, the letter "z" from the kids spongy alphabet set had been partially eaten and one little boy dress shoe lace was nibbled on but no mouse in the trap we had left in the basement. The mice made themselves right at home so last night we baited the trap with peanut butter. Before I had even re-tucked the sleeping kids in bed I heard the trap rattling like crazy. I grabbed B and we got downstairs to check the trap. I should explain that B, good homeschooling parent that he is, told the kids we would keep the mice. AH!!! I asked for a guinea pig - not a mouse! Our Plan B is to catch the mouse family and relocate them to a field or somewhere far, far away. For now, we are collecting the family members one at a time or at least attempting to do so.

Back to my story...

We raced downstairs and then like idiots we thought we could dump the mouse into a tupperware toy container that had a lid. I stood poised with the lid half covering the container top as B opened the trap. A big, fat, gray mouse jumped clear out of the container, splatted on the floor and disappeared into our living room with lightning speed. After searching and listening to Brian retell the events of the mouse escape a half dozen times we re-set the trap and went to bed.

I woke up this morning with B mumbling he was going to be late for work. He had spent considerable time with the mice. Yep, we have more than one. B managed to dump one mouse from the trap into a container. He said it was rather animated with lots of jumps and chattering sounds. B thinks it was the mouse we caught last night as it was big and super jumpy. (Or, maybe all mice are like that...) As soon as he set the trap back on the floor another mouse shot right inside. B decided to deposit this new mouse in with the lively one he had just contained. As he popped the lid open the mouse that had been chattering at him leaped onto his arm, ran up his sleeve and bounced to freedom. Well, at least we had one. A baby mouse. I'm guessing the crazy mouse we caught (twice) is the mother. The baby was more quiet and nervous so B was able to plop it into the container without a problem. That is until the mother mouse came at him out of no where, attaching herself to his face...okay, not really, but isn't that what you expected??? I find myself watching over my shoulder this very moment. That mama mouse is big! I was shocked last night that we had captured such a big yet small animal that had been living in our house - eating and pooping right along with the kids. How creepy!!!

Today we've been observing the baby mouse. The kids smashed Honeynut Cheerios in the air holes for him to have a snack along with the blob of peanut butter Brian left for him. The mouse is cute. Remember, I am partial to rodents....just not ones roaming freely about my house eating educational toys and dress shoes. Tonight we will set the trap again to see if we can catch Mama and to see if there are any curious siblings we need can contain as well. I think we may set a live trap on each level of the house just to increase our odds.

Any guesses on how many mice we will end up with??? I'll keep you posted.

Oh, and my desire for a guinea pig is all but gone. Rodents chew on everything and poop everywhere!!! I already have kids that do that - why add more to the mix, you know?

The Spiral Notebook

I am a thinker - not a deep thinker or anything, just a thoughts person - like a lot of thoughts, different and seemingly unrelated thoughts...that's my mind as I diaper children, feed children, bathe children...you get the idea. I enjoy thinking believe it or not. And, I love to contain my thoughts and organize them if for no other reason than to free up some space in my head.

The single most amazing tool I use to capture all my many thoughts is the spiral notebook. I slap a date on the top line or mid-page depending on the end of my last entry and away I go. By the day's end I have a mess of arrows, circles, bolded text and blurbs of important-for-the-moment thoughts that occurred during the course of my day. In time I've noticed themes emerge - proof that my mind isn't as random as it seems. My themes fall into pretty simple categories like homemaking, homeschooling, organization, creating/crafting, routines, God, the kids, memory keeping and memory making and, of course, my beloved B. I'm pretty passionate about most of what I blurb about in my notebook. I have my mind on these themes, or passions, and by keeping my mind on them day in and day out I'm continually developing in those areas - or at least I like to think I am! If I read a good book, I take notes about what stands out to me. If I have a good conversation with a friend I may write out a quote or two that struck my heart. The kids amaze me almost daily - and I write it down. At the end of a notebook I have a month or more of my life, from shopping lists to conversations with my four year old to review and consider. I can see what has remained important cover to cover and what has faded in value from one journal to the next.

So many people can't ever determine what they are really passionate about or what their life's calling is to be. I tend to believe our passions are very much wrapped up in who we are rather than what we do. Once we know who we are, the doing has a way of catching up. For instance, I knew before I had children that part of who I am has to do with mothering and being a wife. My family role was and is a large part of my personal identity, but that doesn't mean I automatically became a great multi-tasker or housekeeper overnight. With the deep seated knowledge that, "Hey, this is who I am" came many hours of thought and pouring over books as well as watching other mothers love their families. Then, the doings of motherhood started to take shape in my life. I knew who I was as a wife and mother before I was able to do all the stuff that goes with such a passion. I have a long way to go still, but I have come a long way as well. Lots of passions in life happen this way. The heart is very much there and fully alive but, the skills need to be nurtured and developed to truly live from the heart.

My greatest enjoyment in keeping my spiral notebooks is when I have time to weed out the distractions that filled my mind (the to-dos, the calls to make, the shopping lists) and highlight the themes that have become or always were passions of mine. The cheap, thin notebooks help me keep my perspective on what really matters in my life, and when we're nearly out of toilet paper. Amazing.

Happy Birthday, Frog

The celebration of all things Frog was today. My motherly plans of a Martha-Stewart-like birthday was gradually reduced to dinner out, purchased cupcakes and a couple debatably educational toys for our soon-to-be-toddler. Frog covered himself in his cupcake, chased his older brothers with his Curious George balloon and has finally fallen asleep in my arms. One year has produced the most amazing baby boy. With his signature chubby cheeks, reddish fine hair and meandering, arched-back walk not unlike that of a cowboy ice skating for the first time (picture it...piiicture it), Frog is unique as our fourth baby and yet he blends among his siblings as well. He is curious like Spikes, easy going like Piggy and whines with determination like Lamby. (Frog has recently adapted his whine to an "ahhh" moo-like extended sigh. He follows me room to room until I take notice and scoop him up.) Frog dances, spins in circles when excessively excited, and reaches out with a few words of gibberish when he needs a toy or more importantly, a cracker. He says "Mama" and "Da" and already attempts to tattle on his siblings with a few more sounds he conjures up, such as "ffff" "pifff" "sssss" "babababaaaaah" and "eeeess", usually used in combination with severe pointing and wiggling of the fingers in the direction of the offender (read: Piggy). I hope to remember Frog's first smiles for years to come - he tosses his head aaaaall the way back and flashes all six of his baby teeth while creating fat dimples in his chubby cheeks. There's nothing better this side of heaven. Happy Birthday, Fat Baby - my one year old boy!

One down, One to Go...Again

So, Jack is potty trained pretty well - no accidents since Saturday and he's dry through naps, no stickers required. I still diaper the kid for bedtime as I need to steal as much sleep as possible during the night time hours - I say that as all the kids are asleep and I'm blogging. Eh, anyway, I have a dry and clean Jack this week thankfully and wouldn't you know it, Isaac has hit a wonderful bed wetting phase. I know bed wetting is something all parents are suppose to stop and analyse the kid, the kid's surroundings, and so on. I honestly just think the little booger gets cold when he gets up at night to pee and the stubborn thing (don't know where on earth he gets it from!) tries to hold out until morning. He lasts until usually the wee wee (pun intended) hours of the morning then springs a leak. The commotion of a naked Isaac waking me to ask for underwear and the shuffling of bedding that his leak causes usually wakes Noah, who in turn wants to eat, then B's alarm goes off and I'm awake. Tired, awake and looking at another pile of smelly bedding to wash.

I've tried cash rewards (a dime a night for a dry bed and a dry little boy) and I've tried candy and lots of it. I've tried peer pressure (don't ask) and I've tried sister pressure ("I never pee in my bed," Sophia boasts to her brother as we haul the smelly bedding downstairs to be washed again). And, I've tried the cheerleader approach and the disappointed parent approach - both with the same results...a wet bed. So, I wave my white flag - surrender!!! Tomorrow, B is going to buy those bed wetting underwear that are advertised constantly on TV these days. I'm sure they are mad expensive, but with the money saved from Jack being OUT of diapers we can swing it to put my, ahem, five year old IN them.

Poor guy. He's such a good boy. I know this must be difficult for him as he loves earning an easy dime and consuming large amount of chocolate first thing in the morning. I just hope to God (seriously) that he won't be in these things for years. Either he'll have a college fund or he'll have bed wetting pricey pants, but we can't do both. Really it isn't about the money, I just want the boy to sleep at night and to be comfortable, to have restful sleep and all that good stuff growing little boys need - and to not add heaps and heaps of wet smelly bedding to my laundry pile each morning before dawn, that would be nice, too.

Potty Talk

Okay, so, Giz's "lazy parent" comment on her blog got me thinking about Jack and the toilet. Since he's the third kid an' all I could be potty training him now rather than waiting until three or so as I did with Isaac. I've been throwing the idea out to him for a while and today, after a week of pep talks (fair warnings), we began potty training. I won't bore you all with the details, but we had potty successes and potty failures...um, several. We were due to make the all important trip to the toy store for the highest reward of toddlerhood - the "poopy prize" - this evening, but Brian worked some unplanned overtime so the toy store trip will be tomorrow.

It's so funny how I forget the actual potty training process - what do I do again? You'd think by the third kid it would be second nature or something. Today, I said good morning and put his butt in underwear, reminding him of all our pep talks throughout the week. "See, no more diapers! You are a big boy in underwear!" - spoken in fake, super happy mom voice. Jack stood up, looked over his shoulder at his bottom then shot a famous Jack scowl my way as he crossed his arms, "Put me in a diaper! I don't want to wear these underwear."...and so our wonderful potty training experience began. Yippee.
By the end of the afternoon Jack was more on board with the process. Stickers (and lots of them) helped, as did M&M's and putting Cheerios in the toilet. Of course, now he thinks there MUST be Cheerios in the toilet to use it, but that's a minor detail we can work out later. (Why not keep a box of Cheerios in the bathroom, really? I have Cheerios everywhere else in my house...on the floors, under furniture, stuffed in partially opened doll mouths...What's one more room?) Stickers also helped with Isaac and Soph. Adhesive Supermans (Supermen?) and Doras rewarded them for distracting Noah while I supervised Jack's reluctant deposits in the potty. In fact, the kids even offered to clean up their toys for MORE stickers. I went through roughly 800 stickers in an hour and have a sparkling house from top to bottom - who knew they could alphabetize and arrange by size, shape and color?
Day One of potty training ended with sticker-covered children, a pile of foul smelling bedding and clothing size 2T and one mad little Noah who was sick of being distracted by his older siblings. The plan, as if I really have one, is to potty train Jack and wrap up the weaning process with Noah (he bites) ASAP. Then, with only one baby in diapers, I hope to switch back to primarily cloth diapers. The diaper money saved will be wasted on extras and suburban junk we don't really need and/or go into our heavily guarded emergency fund.

Extreme Makeover

Sheesh. Time slips by almost undetected these days. I wake up - usually to a whine, a yell or a foul odor...or a combination of all three - then after much needed diaper changes I whisk the kids downstairs to dine on a mildly sugary breakfast and I embark on my day of productivity (all pre-planned the night before). Go me! Usually by noon or so I settle for survival over productivity and set my aim to complete at the very least ONE task on my to-do list. Sometimes I get that one task done. No, really, I do. Sometimes.
This week a neighbor moved from our street and left me with a bit of mother-to-mother advice on her last afternoon in our circle. "You have four kids, you need to get over that." "That" being ownership of a home that isn't in shambles. She'd come by to borrow the telephone, like the whole phone complete with wires and everything, and noticed my slight panic as I scanned my disaster zone of a house that afternoon. Oh, why do people only come over when I decide to live dangerously and say yes to the restless natives, I mean, my children? "Why yes, you may use that mattress left on the floor by our semi-live-in-guest-uncle as a gymnastics mat. Yes, you can bounce toys off it, and each other off it and YES you may play with play-dough, eat pancakes drowning in syrup and use unwashable markers ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Yes, you may have all your toys down from the shelves, pretend you are a marching band and parade over the fresh carpet-like layer of toys AND the crackers Noah left behind on the floor. Yes, you may even eat the newly formed cracker crumbs. Yes, the pillows can be pretend islands scattered across the kitchen floor, I mean, ocean and look, the syrup mess helps them stay in place as you jump island to island! Wonderful! Yes, you may bring EVERY bug you find in the backyard inside the house to be your pets and yes, clothing is optional today and diapers are as well! Sure, eat candy for lunch, pull the files from the filing cabinet at lightning speed to make "rain" and don't forget to empty the bottom two pantry shelves as well. Yes, yes, yes!!!...Wait!!! What do you mean someone is at the door? Quick! Stomp on those bugs, pick up those islands and put on some pants!"
Why do mothers fall in to the two extremes: "hyper-clean mom" or "to-hell-with-the-house mom"??? With four kids it seems that many guests expect my house to be a trash heap while others think that with each baby delivered I'm endowed with more superpowers to juggle homemaking responsibilities, child-rearing and more with great ease, all with a couple hours of rest each night. Well, here's the truth - in our house we ebb and flow. We have good days and bad days - and we have a well, lived-in home.
So, yeah, before that phone was returned to my house the kids were bathed, the house was spotless and smelled of green, eco-friendly cleaners mixed with a garlic/lemon roasted chicken. The kids were lined up in order by height and were reciting memory verses and mathematical equations as I opened the door to my former neighbor.
"Get over it..." NEVER!!! (read "never" with first finger pointed high in the air and much enthusiasm). I will never get over doing my best! Some days my best is getting through the shower, but other days I can pull off an outing with all four kids, prepare a three course meal (I am married to a food-driven Italian!) and still manage to get to bed with a clean kitchen. "Best" is relative to the day, (and let's not forget, the children) but still totally attainable. I think a better term would be diligence, right?
So, what kind of mom are you??? I'm in the middle - not too hyper and not too hellish either. I used to be hellish...oh, the horror! I've never been able to reach hyper-clean status for more than half an hour and even then it was debatable.

Tomato Hornworm Rescue

We rescued a tomato hornworm from the garden last night. A quite creepy looking caterpillar that will eventually turn into a hummingbird moth. I objected to keeping the strange worm until we learned that wasps lay their eggs on the backs of hornworms. Brian saw an egg covered worm last week and was disturbed once again with the weird bugs found in the Midwest. We figured it was a caterpillar with lots of babies about to hatch - hundreds of hungry babies that would eat our tomato crop while we visited family over the weekend. Well, those eggs belonged to some mean little wasp and the hornworm was sadly the first meal. To save our new friend from a similar fate we dropped him into Isaac's Bug Habitat before bed. "Why would God make those wasps hurt those little caterpillars when they turn into a beautiful hummingbird???" Isaac asked this morning while watching "Thorny" munch on a tomato plant leaf. Yeah, so today we will be learning the difference between a hummingbird and a hummingbird moth. It will be a sad day in homeschooling if Isaac believes birds come from caterpillars! And, I must say I am happy that Isaac named his new pet "Thorny" as opposed to other similar names that could be given to a said caterpillar with a red horn.

Oh, and the picture above is not of our beloved Thorny but rather from this great informational site, VegEdge. Here's the link if you're just dying to learn more about hornworms: http://www.vegedge.umn.edu/vegpest/hornworm.htm.

Homeschooling Beginning

I'm gearing up for the start of our kindergarten year with Isaac. Our first official school day will be the Tuesday following Labor Day weekend. I am excited and hopeful that I can't screw this up as Isaac knows his ABC's and 123's fairly well already. What more is there???

Honestly, I've put a lot of research into our lessons and choice of methods. It is amazing the variety of styles we can choose from! Hopefully I'll have time to post about our lessons as we go along. I lean way more to the unschooling approach with more traditional methods mixed in to add some needed structure. I like portions of the Charlotte Mason approach and I pulled some aspects of Waldorf school styles into our eclectic homeschool as well. Monica is letting me borrow her My Father's World curriculum so I might use that for our bible lessons or even for Jack and Sophia (thank you Jenny for that brilliant suggestion!) to do a sort of pre-k thing for them alongside Isaac.

We have two good homeschool groups in our immediate area and a few more in surrounding areas. I'm going to shadow a friend this Friday to check out the one in our city. The groups offer classes for music, art, drama, science, dance and more. There is also a reading club and an open gym I heard about just recently to give kids a chance to do the sort of games all children learn in grade school - you just can't grow up without a red ball smacking you in the face during a game of dodgeball, you know? The groups also join together to have a kindergarten graduation and other ceremonies as the kids go up in grade levels in addition to holiday parties and concerts.

Brian and I want to make sure the kids have the best of both worlds - meaning we want a more tailored education for them and the special memories that we feel every child should have, like the first day of school, or shopping for new school clothes or decorating a Valentine's Day box and delivering handmade cards. My favorite memories of school were the hands-on lessons like acting out the meal shared between the pilgrims and Indians - excuse me, the Native Americans, or searching for the pot of gold candy on St. Patty's Day. I also value the challenging projects that I'd somehow pull off like a ten page essay paper or a difficult science project. Educating at home with the support of our local homeschool groups will be a good balance of all the things we want to provide for our kids and hopefully will help us avoid the things that frustrated us about public education as we grew up.
So, we'll be starting with kindergarten and go from there.

Also, I will be writing about all the crazy things that have been bouncing around in my head a little more freely now. I've read a couple amazing books, celebrated Sophia's fourth birthday and had a great time not floating on this past weekend's float trip. Much to write about, lots of good pictures but dinner won't make itself and Brian won't make it either so I have to sign off.

Oh, and welcome all you long, lost friends from Facebook! Was high school really THAT long ago?!?!?! And, weren't we all in the Bahamas like yesterday??? You don't realize how quickly life is going by until you look up one day and see your four children and husband from New Jersey staring at you wanting dinner and clean underwear!