Goal Update and a Few Funnies

I haven't updated on goals for a while, so here goes.  :)

Remember when I updated our job chart?  We went from this (we still use it for Saturdays after all) to this:



The simplicity makes it easy to keep track of, but I'm kind of intermittent on the reinforcement end, so we've had mixed results.  I think it would work just fine if I kept up with it!  We find ourselves pretty busy on weekdays with sports, piano, dance, homework, etc, so I'm not too bent out of shape if I have to sweep the floor myself while someone practices, though I feel that I could definitely do better in this area.

Remember when I worked on some personal things like exercising and getting up early?  (it was a roller coaster!  I made it a goal a couple of times and struggled with it both times)  I have almost weaned the little one, which has made a huge difference in my energy levels (and wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be!).  He slept through the night for the first time a couple of months ago, after I'd cut back on the nursing (I know, I know, don't say what you're thinking :) ).  I have been able to get up early consistently and exercise, and it has been amazing!  I can't believe how much more I get done, too.  Somehow that has made the transition out of nursing easier (I was so worried I would be super sad when I was done nursing!).

Being able to exercise, sleep through the night, and be able to get things done around here has been a huge mood booster for me.  I'm planning on being completely done with nursing here in the next month or so (famous last words!  my loved ones are probably tired of hearing this), and this month I've been working on adding in a little more quality time with the little ones each day.  While I still don't know any better, I'd like to take the extra time I was spending nursing and spend it on the kids.  So far this month, we've been enjoying beautiful weather, so we've gone on a lot of bike rides, we've visited lots of parks, we even had a picnic in the back yard yesterday.  I'm always surprised (even though I know better) that I often feel a little harried before I spend time with the kids, with laundry and dishes and other things calling me away, but once I get started, I really enjoy myself and I'm always glad I did it.  The littlest boy has been asking me to do things "a-gether," as in, "come on, Mom!  Let's go down the slide a-gether!  Let's have lunch a-gether!" (he wants me to sit right next to him, I have to slide my chair right next to his)  So cute.

Here are a few funny things they've said recently.

E. looked at some pink clouds around sunset the other day and asked me-- "are they hot?" (the clouds)  When it looks like its going to rain, his older sister asks me if the clouds are "filthy."

E. calls the swimming pool the "swimming cool."

A. says funny things too.  One day she left a toy at a friends house and begged and begged to go back and get it.  I had so many other things going on it just wasn't too high on my priority list, you know?  Finally she said, "Mom, have mercy on a poor girl!  Can't we just go get it?  I mean, have mercy!"  That made me laugh, and it made me go get her giraffe.

E. choked the other night on something, and when he was done, he let out a breathy sigh of relief.  With big eyes he turned to my husband and said "I was...a dragon!"  Now he says that every time he coughs or gags.

The other day he told me "I need my coat.  My knees are cold."

I overheard the littlest girl having a very frank conversation with a couple of preschool friends one day and it struck me funny.  I tried to imagine adults having a similarly honest conversation and it made me laugh.  My daughter said to her friend, "you're my friend.  I like you.  But sometimes you're mean."  Her friend, not at all offended, nodded and said "yeah.  And sometimes when I come to your house I have fun and sometimes I get scared."  To which mine replied, "yeah, me too.  Sometimes when I go to your house I want to go home."

I hope you have a great weekend!  I forgot to report that my leg is feeling much better-- thank you for the concern some of you have so kindly shared!

A Grumpy Week

It has been a long, grumpy week around these parts.  I don't know if we're just adjusting to Daylight Savings or what, but we've had an unusual amount of whining, fighting, and dragging about.  I have been especially grumpy too!  My leg has been killing me.  I have had a hard time getting stuff done around the house, so it has been a huge mess (like, can't see the floor in a few rooms sort of mess, ouch, though we got it clean today).  I tell you what, I have sure been appreciating what a difference it makes to have a healthy body and how chronic pain can really affect a person's mood.  I have been a bit "snappish" all week.

I have also realized how lucky I have been so far in the sibling rivalry department.  I have two kids that have suddenly been at each other a lot over the last couple of months, and it is driving me crazy.  It seems like they are constantly picking at each other, and one in particular always ends up crying.  Fun.  It just so happens the said two offending parties also share a room, so we'll be working on that.  A few nights ago, I reached a breaking point; I thought-- I just can't do it any more.  Not one more day.  (I've also had some bedtime struggles lately-- all of the kids totally wired at bed time!)  I sat myself down, frustrated and exhausted one night, and poked around the internet for ideas about sibling room sharing arrangements.  It wasn't much help.  It seems like there were lots of people on there debating the pros and cons of room sharing, as if everyone has a choice between the two options of private or shared rooms. For us, with seven people in the family and four bedrooms, there is no choice.  Kids have to share.  The suggestions that were floating around were things like: try to match up kids ages and genders, so there isn't a large discrepancy between bed times, for example.  The trouble is, I'm splitting up two similar aged kids because they couldn't get along, and if we went for the gender thing then I'd have my two year-old in with my 12 year-old, and they don't have similar schedules.  So I ended up more frustrated than I'd started.

A few days ago, I tried to tackle my complete disaster of a house on my gimpy, painful leg, and for some reason, my littlest two decided they were feeling really needy all of a sudden.  They both decided at that moment to ask for lots of drinks, hang on my legs and ask to be held, and things like that (and they generally don't understand about my sore leg and try to jump on me and things like that, which is fine under normal circumstances, but...).  I went to my bedroom and sat among the fantastic ruins of my laundry, and started on the epic task.  The littlest boy loves to play with laundry, for some reason.  He can make quick work of a folded pile.  He also loves to throw sorted laundry (and folded laundry) as well as step on the piles.  Inside, I was screaming, my skin crawling like crazy.  On the outside, I probably looked very grumpy.  The little ones surprised me by offering to help.  Even the little boy started scrunching stuff up and handing it to me, very proudly, and I felt the irritation melting away.  They were--are-- so cute.

And then today I met a single mother with five kids who has to work two jobs.  She said she and her kids share a two bedroom house.  Ouch.  I suddenly felt very, very guilty for wishing I had the luxury of sticking each of my kids in separate bedrooms and locking the door!

So, bottom line, I have it great.  Really, really great.  Sometimes it is easy to get hung up on the little things and forget the big picture.  I chose these kids, and they are the best choice I ever made.  I am really thankful I have them around, for so many reasons.  Even if every day isn't perfect, I would choose them over again every time.

I have some funny things to share with you soon!  Also, I know I'm crazy, but while I was in the writers groove I just decided to write a children's fantasy novel.  It has been fun.  I love that I can involve my kids this time around.  My oldest two beg for more, which is a good sign, so I've been trying to pump out a chapter or two each day during nap time, when possible.  It has been a fun creative outlet and good for bonding, too.  They also have surprisingly great ideas and always make me feel like a million bucks-- they've been very enthusiastic.  Have a great weekend!

Halloween

Morning-after candy coma.

I think the kids had a great Halloween, in spite of a near-bomb because I was feeling terrible!  I had surgery a week ago Friday and I have been in a lot of pain.  It was a crazy week for a post-surgery mom of 5, with two Halloween piano recitals, dance carpool, preschool, Halloween parades at the school, music class, and the like!

Day after Halloween was so beautiful!  I had to go out and take a few photos.  I love watching the leaves change, but there is something extra special when your very own trees do it.  So fun to watch.

 A last minute pumpkin (literally carved in the five minutes between dinner and trick-or-treating.  I love it.  It has a lot of character.)

 My husband made a "pumpkin patch" for dinner.

 The beautiful girl in the photo above made these adorable costumes for the kids' animals.

Goodbye Halloween!  See you next year!

Candy Coma

I hope you had a fantastic Halloween!  We still have sugar coursing through our bloodstream over here.  I pretty much let my kids eat as much candy as they want for a day or so, then I regulate it a bit for a few days.  At some point

Crazy Home Photo Shoot and Other Goings On

I have been wanting to take the kids photos for ages, but the littlest one got a black eye (his sister got him with her elbow when swinging) that lasted forever (okay, just a few weeks, he bumped it in the same spot when it was almost better!).  Our schedule is a bit busy at the moment, we have something going on after school nearly every day.  And our hot water tank has decided to work sometimes, and not other times, so there were times when I couldn't give anyone a bath.  Sorry, too much information!  We finally got around to doing photos a week ago, but I got out the door a few minutes too late and so we had to just jump out in a spot that wasn't where I'd planned to take photos, and it got dark so fast I wasn't able to take very many.  I didn't get a single picture with everyone smiling or looking at the camera, darn it.  Oh well.  Turns out one at the first of the post is one of my favorites.

 Frisco, Colorado!  So beautiful.  Now I want to go back and spend some time there!

 This is where we stayed on the scrapbook retreat-- it was so refreshing.

So many of my most favorite, inspirational, funny, kind ladies in one spot.  I am so lucky to count them as friends!  (and some other favorites not pictured here!)

 I heard noises one night after the kids were supposed to be in bed.  When I went upstairs I found them dressed in black playing "ninjas."  Nice.

My favorite time of year!  I got to look at these gorgeous mountains while I wrote my book-- perfect inspiration!

One reason I wasn't around last week like I meant to be (hall of shame, I'm so sorry), is that I had surgery on the varicose veins in one of my legs.  I'll update you soon.  (it hurts!  but I think I'm going to be glad later when my ginormous purple bruise finally stops hurting!)

Love to all.

Raising Emotionally Healthy Children

I should just stop saying sorry for being around less than I meant to be!   I had surgery on the veins in my leg yesterday, which went well, though I'm a bit sore today.

I did some research for a character in my book and I learned some really fascinating thing about how certain child-rearing practices affect people into adulthood.  I read a book by Alice Miller titled The Drama of the Gifted Child.

A Little Update

I was going to post twice this week, and here I am.  I can't stop fiddling with my book, as terrible as it probably is.

The kids have been home on vacation this week, so we've done some fun things together; we visited a Planetarium, the pumpkin patch, and several parks.  We've had a good time.  :)

There are some funny things my kids have said recently, here goes one of them (I thought I'd been storing them up, and I just can't remember!):

One day we were getting out of the car and my oldest son (12) said to the little boy (2), ruffling his hair affectionately (and rhetorically, I might add), "are you my minion?"  to which Emerson replied in a tiny halting voice, "we're.....all.....minions."  We laughed so hard at that.  :)

I wish I could remember the rest, sigh.

One day I filled the bath for an older child and then went downstairs to work on the dishes.  I could tell by the sounds filtering down the stairs that Emerson had gotten in too, which was fine with me since he was with said older child and the sounds of the two playing were so happy.  I didn't even think too much about it until he came squishing down the stairs fully clothed!  He even had his rain boots on, which squirted and squished out water with every step.  His held his little arms away from his body, his clothes hanging on him heavily while he dripped a puddle on the floor!  I laughed so hard about the boots-- they were hard to pull off when full of water!  I didn't get the best photo, but here it is:

And you get to see my nice clean floor to boot.  Just to make you feel like you've had a vicarious adventure today!  I hope you have a great weekend.  I have more photos for next week.