Mommy Needs Coffee!!!!!!! (And some chocolate wouldn't hurt)

HA!

2011-11-22T21:41:00.001-07:00

Why Having a Toddler is Like Being At a Frat Party

2011-08-10T16:56:00.000-06:00

Cross posting this here cause it's too funny not to share:

http://www.suburbansnapshots.com/2010/06/10-reasons-having-toddler-is-like-being.html

OMIGOSH! Soooooo true! Keep reading the comments as well, they include more gems people have added to the original list.

I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THAT YOU SHOULD READ THE COMMENTS, soooo many are true!

Could men handle pregnancy?

2011-05-03T11:41:00.003-06:00

If an add is blocking it, go here

Re-posting

2011-04-30T01:49:00.001-06:00

Leanna's been looking through old posts again........the ending for this one made me laugh! So I thought I'd post it again:
Monday, February 13, 2006

comic relief

I sit, rocking the baby to sleep. Justin slumbers quietly on the couch. Tom watches tv. Leanna breaks the peace and relative silence, running over to me and yelling excitedly, "Mommy guess what! I was counting my toes....."

At this point I begin laughing hysterically and Tom begins grinning. I can't stop laughing, it just strikes me funny that she was sitting there, counting her toes. And she's so excited about it! She goes on to show me that she has seven toes-Tom prods for more information and she shows him how she counts them. (One, two three, four, seven!) and then she counts the other foot(one, two three, four, five!), the first foot just mysteriously has seven toes, I guess. This kid's been counting since 18 months, but the practical application still eludes her sometimes. Then Tom asks her what comes after two million. She gives him one of those, Oh Daddy! looks and says, "I don't know. You guess."

Sweetness, peace, and ELO

2011-04-29T12:55:00.001-06:00

Sitting here, Lorelei's sleeping in my arms......I'm just a puddle of mush-she's smiling in her sleep. So sweet and warm, all cuddled & curled up in my arms. She smiles a lot. I'm on an ELO kick right now, they have a lot of mellow stuff that can help put a baby to sleep. (They also do the opposite, with stuff like Don't Bring me Down, Do Ya, Blue Sky, etc. that are very upbeat so that's good for when she's awake) I figure the music can help drown out the background noise here.

We're at a point now where she very clearly knows me and her Dad. Not sure if she recognizes the kids yet, maybe Leanna. The amount of love and adoration she was just born into-she's so lucky in that respect. I can't buy her the latest toys or clothes, take her on great vacations, and yeah it makes life hard-but good lord, is she surrounded by love. That has to count for something too.

Everything will be more expensive!

2011-04-28T12:01:00.000-06:00

Just what we need!!
Food, gas, coffee, chocolate.......now diapers & wipes! The price of everything is going up!

Men's Undies, etc.

2011-04-26T18:08:00.000-06:00

First, a 2009 article:
Guys, if you want to know where the economy is headed next, look in your underwear drawer.

"By extension, pent-up demand means underwear sales should be among the early risers when growth returns and consumers feel confident enough to shrug off "frugal fatigue," says Marshal Cohen, the chief industry analyst with NPD Group, which tracks consumer behavior.....While economists now track sales, hemlines served as an oddball indicator for much of the previous century. In tough times, the experts muse, hemlines drop as an expression of conservatism, only to rise again as the markets hit go-go mode. During the late-1990s boom, the hemline indicator was supplanted by a midriff meter, as more women bared their stomachs as the popularity of tech stocks (and Britney Spears) peaked.. "

Now:

Shares of Hanesbrands, Warnaco, Limited and Maidenform are thriving, and two analysts see higher underwear sales as a sign the economy is recovering.

Although I heard somewhere that you should buy underwear now because the price of cotton is going up.

Also, I just like this sentence:

Even during the 2008 downturn, "the underwear area was very strong," Eric Beder, retail analyst at Brean Murray Carret, told CNBC Thursday."
: )

Comparison

2011-04-24T19:15:00.000-06:00

Justin

Leanna and Justin

Timothy

Jacob

Lorelei

Missing is Leanna's baby pictures-I don't have one on this computer. I took Justin, Timothy, and Jacob's pictures off the blog (I wasn't blogging when Leanna was born).

The Best Easter Egg Ever!!

2011-04-24T18:44:00.000-06:00

Superman!

2011-04-24T18:22:00.002-06:00

Superman class prank

Easter Eats

2011-04-24T13:53:00.002-06:00

Very short list of tradditional Easter foods and why we eat them.

a few links....

2011-04-21T23:23:00.000-06:00

A few links:

An article on Mythbusters being the best science show on tv precisely because it doesn't claim to be one.

One on web photos revealing where you live, work, etc.....and there's an app for it too

One on the gov't asking why iphones are tracking you since June 2010.
"Apple's iOS 4 operating system is secretly compiling its customers' location data in a file stored on iPhones, 3G iPads and every computer that users use to "sync" their devices. According to the researchers, this file contains consumers' latitude and longitude for every day they used an iPhone or 3G iPad running the iOS 4 operating system — sometimes logging their precise geo-location up to 100 times a day. The researchers who discovered this file found that it contained up to a year's worth of data, starting from the day they installed the iOS4 operating system. What is even more worrisome is that this file is stored in an unencrypted format on customers' iPads, iPhones and every computer a customer has used to back up his or her information.".........Of course, all smartphones track users — anyone who's ever approved an app request to use his or her current location should have that figured out. The big reveal here is that Apple stores that information on devices, unencrypted and for an entire year."

Very True!

2011-04-16T16:04:00.001-06:00

Monday-beautiful weather

2011-04-14T21:28:00.000-06:00

They planted some seeds with Grammy since it was so nice outside.

Jacob enjoyed the feel of the dirt, he buried some cars and trucks in the backyard.

My Mom made some healthy soup-so I'll have something more nutrious to eat that I don't have to make myself.

I made 2 batches of lemon bars-gone as of yesterday!

Monday was such a nice day, perfect for being outside. Today too really, but I'm behind on posting. The kids ran around, I got some baking done, and it was just nice to feel warm!
Tonight was chocolate chip cookies, at Tom's request.

Drilling, reading, slinging!

2011-04-14T12:37:00.000-06:00

Helping Daddy make a workbench

I couldn't resist a picture of this-she's got the baby, the dog, two stuffed animals and a book all snuggled together in the chair!

One of his favorite topics ever-garbage trucks!

All curled up in the sling! It's actually starting to fade now-we've had it since Leanna was nine months old.

Turkish Delight

2011-04-12T14:29:00.001-06:00

For anyone familiar with C.S. Lewis' works, I found this:

Turkish Delight

Why not make your own Turkish delight this Christmas, maybe as an extra present from you to you!

Ingredients:
1 lb. (450g) granulated sugar
quarter pint (150ml) water
juice of one lemon
half an ounce (13g) powdered gelatine
1 level tbsp. cornflour
2 tbsps. icing sugar, sifted
pink food colouring
few drops of rose water
Cooking Instructions:

Soak the gelatine in half the water
Pour the remaining water into a saucepan, add the sugar and heat gently while stirring until the sugar is dissolved
Add softened gelatine and stir into the syrup
Simmer gently for 20 minutes then add the lemon juice
Pour half the mixture into one of 2 wetted, small square tins, tins should be small enough for Turkish delight to be one inch thick
Add 2 drops of pink colouring and a few drops of rose water to the remaining mixture, stir well and pour into the remaining tin
Leave for 24 hours in the fridge to set
Mix the icing sugar and cornflour together in a polythene bag
Dust hands with this mixture and pull Turkish delight from the tins
Cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) strips and then into cubes
Toss the cubes in icing sugar mixture

Just more recent pics.....

2011-04-10T19:37:00.000-06:00

LOL

2011-04-10T12:11:00.000-06:00

A new book How to Crack an Egg with One Hand by Francesca Beauman collects some unorthodox words of wisdom for parents.

In 1861, Mrs Beeton issued instructions that breastfeeding mums should knock back two pints of stout a day.

William Cobbette suggested that parents should sing loudly while they give their infants an ice cold bath for an hour every day.

Others might prefer the approach of the renowned philosopher John Locke. He said it was possible to increase the strength of a newborn by holding slices of steak next to its bottom and pouring wine over its head.

Bath

2011-04-09T13:11:00.000-06:00

Before and after bath, just another cute baby moment. She loves the water.
Jacob's fascinated with his sister's big belly. It's a normal newborn thing, but he's just amazed.

What to do with dried cherries?

2011-04-09T12:59:00.000-06:00

We were given two bags of dried cherries-I didn't find a whole lot of recipies, but I did try this one for Cherry muffins. Jacob's been picking out the cherries, and I think the older boys do also about half the time. But I do like the base recipie for muffins, so I've been using that one instead of the recipie from Joy of Cooking.

Length of Gestation

2011-04-09T11:45:00.000-06:00

Today I found anthropologist, scientist, & humanist Ashley Montague's theory which makes a lot of sense to me. He said that Humans have an 18 month gestational period-9 months inside and 9 months outside. This theory fits in with what I've read on human infant development and research on things like skin to skin contact. I don't think it should be used as yet another way for Moms to feel guilty (if you have to work or have outside commitments the baby won't be held as much by the Mother) I hate when people do that. It's not productive and it keeps people from even trying to use the information. I think we should take from this the idea that humans need to gradually adjust to life outside the womb-and this adjustment period is meant to include as much touching and holding by (primarily) Mom and hopefully the father and other family/friends as is possible. This is normal, and ideal.

Excerpt from the article:
"Us human moms also don't have nearly as many natural instincts as other mammals -- we kiss our newborns which is similar in instinct to grooming, but much of the stimulation to the nerves that animal grooming provides is actually done with our labor process. So the skin-on-skin bonding time, and breastfeeding, and closeness between the human mommy and the newborn is our way of mimicking a lot of mammalian reactions.

We're hardwired to instantly want to comfort our babies and our breasts even tell us right away when a baby cries that WE need to go to them and feed them and comfort them. We're not designed to be separated from our babies, ladies! In fact, there are some cultures where babies are literally never allowed to touch the ground until they're 8 months old, which is around the time babies can crawl around independently, and also become aware that they are a unique entity and not an extension of you.
That time, 9 months old or so, is when Montagu says human babies are considered full-term by all physiological standards. By the end of the first year, the baby's brain has more than doubled in size and is approximately 60 percent of it's full adult size, and baby humans are finally about as capable as newborns of other species. About the only other animals that have such "premature" babies are kangaroos and other primates, who if you remember, carry their infants non-stop for long periods of time. Many monkeys continue to breastfeed, even without solids, into their second year, some into 4-5 years."

This is what I'm shooting for........

2011-04-06T12:36:00.000-06:00

Seriously, this is so sweet, I could cry (I'm also in a hormonal post-partum state though). This is the kind of sibling behavior I'm hoping to establish!

Tips for being a Welcomed New Baby Visitor

2011-04-05T12:41:00.000-06:00

I just saw this, and not surprisingly, could relate. 6 Tips for Being a Welcomed New Baby Visitor

It's mostly moot for me, I don't know people who make food and come over with offers to help,(except my Mom! she does help-this is not posted as criticism of anyone. Just something I can relate to right now) but in theory these people exist, and this list is a good reminder. I think I would add to the list that the new Mom has been waiting a very long time to meet and hold this baby, and so has the new Dad, so squabbles over who else gets to hold the baby and in what order, only add to her troubles during a very emotional and exhausting period. Sometimes when you hand the baby to someone, it does not reflect your belief that that person is #1 on the list to hold the baby, it merely reflects the fact that they were standing next to you starting you down with an intensity that could melt plastic! (Ok, so this part is actually something I've experienced).
LOL.

Another use for the Boppy Pillow

2011-04-03T12:55:00.000-06:00

The boppy is so versatile! It can be a seat, helps position the baby for feeding, can help hold them up for sitting, can help sibling to hold hte baby in their laps, and can be used as a pillow too!

(Poor Jacob with the excema spots on his face, he keeps picking them open. Lorelie had newborn rash and Jacob looked at her and said, She has excema too! But it's not excema, although the doctor tells me they actually look the same under a microscope, there is no corelation with the rash and developing excema later.
Pink pimples ('neonatal acne') are often caused by exposure in the womb to maternal hormones. No treatment is needed, just time. They can last for weeks or even months on a baby's skin.

Erythema toxicum is another common newborn rash that looks like mosquito bites or hives. Its cause is unknown, and it resolves without treatment after a few days or weeks)

More substance!

2011-04-03T12:38:00.000-06:00

From the useless knowledge widget on my sidebar:

The largest cell in the human body is the female ovum, or egg cell. It is about 1/180 inch in diameter. The smallest cell in the human body is the male sperm. It takes about 175,000 sperm cells to weigh as much as a single egg cell. Hence, even in the beginning, women have more substance than men.

He's done it again!

2011-04-03T12:30:00.000-06:00

Hastily composed note to the Tooth Fairy. I had trouble writing it down as fast as Justin told me what he wanted to say! He had switched spots where he was sleeping so that may be why the tooth fairy forgot to come last night. Or it could have had something to do with Lorelei having her first rough night and Mommy falling asleep with her contacts in she was so exhausted. There's that too.

I am amazed how much this picture looks like Timothy-but it's not-this is Justin showing his missing teeth.

My favorite stage

2011-04-03T11:35:00.000-06:00

Another old Parentdish article I found while looking for the one on having four kids by accident. In this one, the blogger confesses that while she loves her own kids, she doesn't much like babies. She reasones that it has to do with issues of control.
She says, "I think it may have something to do with my need to control things. If there's one thing you can't control, it's a baby. When they say the only things you can be sure of in life are death and taxes, they should add that you can also be 100 percent sure that you can't make a baby do anything. Not nap. Not sleep through the night. Not eat baby food. NOT if they don't want to.

In fact, I found my babies were likely to do the opposite of whatever I wanted them to do. I didn't want my son to have a pacifier, so he was obsessed with it. I wanted my daughter to take a passie once in a while, so of course she always spit it out. Is it me? Do I send out baby radar that says "Don't trust me. Whatever I say, don't do it?"

I freely admitt I have my own issues with control, but I am the exact opposite. I sometimes wonder if most people who want large famililies have the same affliction I do-babylove. I adore babies. Can't get enough of them. My husband too. Personally, I'm most at ease in this phase of parenting. I feel completely confident with a baby. No doubts that I'm doing it wrong or could have done better. As they get older a lot more doubt creeps in and can make you question your sanity. But for me, babies are pure bliss. Sure there's all the sleep deprivation and stuff......but it's outweighed by far with the adorableness and love. Little baby dimples. Newborn gestures. Milky smiles. The oh so soft skin. The way a newborn's body is still all curled up. The possibilities. Just sheer joy. Breastfed diapers don't even smell that bad til they start eating solids!
Don't get me wrong-each phase seems to have it's own challenges and rewards. But so far there is no phase that I don't like-it's just that the baby stage is my favorite.
Then again, I've yet to experience parenting a teenager, so I may eventually have to change that last sentence!

If it's meant to be, it'll happen......

2011-04-03T10:56:00.001-06:00

I was looking for a Parentdish article I'd read a while back where the blogger posts about how she had four kids by accident. It's really shockingly easy to do. Technically the only "planned" child we've had was Justin! And though it's hard to imagine now, I was not particularly thrilled to find I was pregnant with Jacob-I was not ready for another baby at that point! We can't imagine life without him now, and I'm so glad that he came. I like the article, we're not coming from the exact same place-she didn't even want one kid-but she makes some good points about how scheduled and planned we seem to feel life needs to be, and I like her conclusion:

"But if my kids weren't surprises, then I'm not sure I would have had them at all. Sometimes the universe knows better than we do.

Accidents happen. Condoms break.
And for that I'm thankful. Four times over."

EDIT: I like this from the comments on the article, very true: " it just wasn't a good time for another baby financially. When I called my mom in tears she told me this wasn't an accident, It was a surprise. She said "A surpise is something you didn't know you wanted until you get it and then you can't imagine not having it".

So loved!

2011-04-02T16:13:00.000-06:00

She does that purring thing that Justin and Jacob did too, it's really cute. We're all so in love with her, she has her siblings fighting over a chance to hold her.
She's so cute that Tom made a request for Irish Twins!

LOL

2011-03-31T14:15:00.000-06:00

We were discussing the fertile crescent, and just to be sure, I asked Leanna what fertile meant, and she promptly replied, it means the dirt has fertilizer in it!
(Not quite, though she has the general idea)

Little stuff that makes me happy

2011-03-31T00:14:00.000-06:00

Tiny cute little girl socks!

little stuff

2011-03-30T16:09:00.000-06:00

Even with child #5, it's still exciting to get stuff in the mail with your child's name on it. Just neat to see the name you chose in print!

Safety points

2011-03-29T23:35:00.000-06:00

Just a general awareness posting, about car seat safety. I know many people who think of car seat laws as designed to inconvenience them. While I know that most of the time, you can take risks and get away with it, this seems to me one of those things that takes so little to prevent such an unthinkable event, so why not do it? It's a minor inconvience for kids to not be able to sit up front, or in a booster seat (the seatbelt straps right over it? How hard is that? All you have to do is carry it to the car!). I've taken some flak from people for my carseat stance-I feel regardless of what the laws say, if the child is small enough to fit comfortably in the carseat, then it's safer for them to be in the carseat! Car accidents are so common and young children are so vulnerable!
Here's a story of a six year old who died because his mother didn't use a booster seat for him. An infant sibling survived because the carseat did it's job when both were ejected from the car. And I'm posting these important points from the story:

So to clear up some confusion, these are the rules for boosters:

Your child has to be 8 years old. No matter how tall or heavy they are. This is due to the development of their hip bones and spine. Their bones have to be able to take the impact from a seatbelt, which distributes it less evenly than a 5-point harness, and in different locations.

Your child has to be 4'9" AND 8 years old. If they hit 4'9" at 6 or 7, they still need to be in a booster until they get to be 8. This is to help them at least be in the bare minimum range of the lowest average adults, since seatbelts are designed to fit adults, not children (and in Europe, according to a Safe Kids expert, smaller adults do use boosters).
If your kiddo hits their 8th birthday and is 4'9", congrats! Now all you have to do is the 5-Point Test to make sure they fit safely!

1.Can your child sit with their back flat against the back of the seat?

2.Do their legs bend comfortably past the edge of the seat?

3.Does the belt cross between the neck and shoulder?

4.Is the lap belt as low as possible, across the tops of thighs and hip bones?

5.Can the child stay seated like this the whole trip?

If the answer is no to ANY of those, your kiddo just isn't ready yet. If they won't leave the belt where it belongs, slouch, or fall asleep a lot, they are much safer AND likely to be way more comfortable in a booster. If the belt rides up on their belly, they risk damage to the internal organs, and if it ends up on their neck, it can crush their esophagus and trachea. Not good. Have you had the belt rub on your neck before? Ouch!

Shrewd calculations about cause/effect and probablities and outcomes!

2011-03-29T23:23:00.000-06:00

Based on the title, I bet you didn't know this post is about babies and young children! Scientist are studying the intellectual life of babies-and there's more going on than you'd think!! Note the portion below that is bolded, it reinforces what I've been mentioning about kids needing more time to play when they're young, and less "educational experiences."

Excerpt from the post:

"To illustrate how these little gamblers operate, Schulz and her colleagues built a complicated toy and presented it to small children at the Boston Children's Museum. The toy squeaked, lit up and played music. In some cases, adults showed children how it worked.
Other times, kids were left to figure it out on their own.
The kids who learned on their own actually played with the toy longer and discovered more functions than the kids who were "taught."
There's a moral to the story for parents and educators, Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of "The Philosophical Baby," tells the Globe.
"People on the front lines feel as if there's a tremendous pressure to make the environment for young children more and more academic -- less and less exploratory," Alison Gopnik tells the newspaper. "Even something that looks like random, exploratory play can help children to learn and, in some cases, help them to learn better."

Only here.

2011-03-28T15:47:00.000-06:00

So if you start to wonder why the bathroom floor keeps getting wet even though you remind the kids to close all the curtains when they take a shower.......you might do well to check for umbrellas. Because you know, there are some kids who might get the bright idea to take an umbrella in the shower.

New Sibling Pictures

2011-03-28T13:21:00.000-06:00

Note that Jacob's hands had to be held so he wouldn't poke at the baby!

He looks so proud!

To Lorelei, Love Justin

2011-03-27T18:11:00.001-06:00

Justin made up a song for Lorelei. It goes:

"One, two, three, four. Stop, and we'll put it all together!"

The song refers to the fact that a baby's skull is not yet fused together, so he wants to put all the pieces together to kind of complete her.

: )

He thinks she is so beautiful. Last night I took her with when I went out and when I walked in Justin told me that he'd missed her. He gets mad at me for not letting him hold her more.

Just announcing that Lorelei's arrived!

2011-03-22T00:50:00.001-06:00

March 19th, 2011 at 3:34 we were surprised with a second girl, weighing in at 8 lbs, 12 oz! and 19 1/2 inches!
So far all is well, I'm recovering, and her siblings all absolutely adore her! They couldn't be more thrilled that she's finally here, and will eagerly tell you how beautiful she is!

Her full name is Lorelei Elizabeth J******, middle name a decision made that day. We had two relatives with Elizabeth in their names , one from each side of our family, visiting at the hospital that day. We liked it, thought it fit, so that's the story of her middle name.

Since there was some confusion, Lorelei \l(o)-re-lei\ as a girl's name is pronounced LOR-a-lye. (the name is pronounced like it is in the song by Styx )

or if you've seen Gilmore Girls (she's not named after them, but that was where I became familiar with the name).
It means: Whispering/murmuring rock.

The origins: Lorelei is a mermaid name that belonged to the mermaid who lured unwary fisherman to their death by singing the most beautiful song they had ever heard.

It is of German origin. Place name: a rocky cliff on the Rhine river, dangerous to boat passage, has been poetically personified as the Lorelei, whose singing lures men to destruction. The name has an aura of risky allure. Writer Anita Loos used this when she created blonde bombshell Lorelei Lee in her novel "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". Marilyn Monroe also added to its image with her portrayal of Lorelei in the 1953 film.

To me, it calls to mind a beautiful siren, and I just like the sound of the name. And I think it fits her.

More recent stuff

2011-03-18T14:28:00.001-06:00

Showing off a flower tatoo from the Girl Scout Birthday Bash

And a badge from the party!

Silly boys who aren't at all tired

I'm not sure what kind of animal this is, running around in our yard. It had such a lovely long pink tail though!

FYI

2011-03-18T09:57:00.000-06:00

NASA Science News for March 16, 2011

On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It's a super "perigee moon"--the biggest in almost 20 years.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16mar_supermoon/

It's not ALL because of me

2011-03-11T00:55:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed this post from Heart of the Matter Online. Particularly in today's parenting climate when we think we can find the cause for every aspect of personality, of every aspect of disease or disorder; I think it's important to remember that we parents are not responsible for it ALL! Life cannot be that tightly controlled, we cannot plan for every aspect of life and claim blame for everything that goes wrong despite our plans.
Also, some kids are just born wild! : )

The Post "It's Not Because of Me" by Christine Hiester:
I was an arrogant mom when I was a mom of one. From about 6 months old, our firstborn was the picture-perfect child. He was happy, easy-going, smart, and never had a moment of the terrible twos. He held my hand when asked, ate what he was told to eat, was always happy to help, went to bed like a dream, napped well, didn’t have a fear of babysitters, or toilets, or the dark. He gave up his pacifier without a fuss, learned his alphabet at 18 months, had a killer golf swing at 2 (which thrilled my husband to no end), always responded promptly when I sang the Barney “Clean Up” song, and was basically the source of my big head for his whole only-child life.

I knew it was because of me. I was, quite simply, a great mom.

Then came his little sister. She was God’s way of humbling my sorry butt, and I can practically see Him snickering behind his hand as she tumbled down into our family. Our second born was (and still is) our whiner. She has a throw-herself-on-the-ground temper, more phobias than I’ve ever seen in a child, and an impulsive streak that drags all within earshot to the dark side (she has two little brothers who hang on her every word). She has a terrible time with math, complains every time she has to take a bite of a dinner she doesn’t like even though we’ve had the same rule since before she was born, can’t keep her room neat for 10 consecutive seconds, and often is the reason I collapse into bed at night absolutely certain that I am ruining her for life.
And so I began to wonder: Lord, is it because of me??

Of course it is! If my first child was the result of my fabulous parenting skills, isn’t she the result of my failures?

This kind of thinking haunted me for the first years of her life. I may not have verbalized it quite as bluntly, but it was there- the thought niggling at the back of my mind, causing anxiety and sleepless nights. I read book after book about parenting and disciplining the challenging child, the strong-willed child, the spirited child. I tried method after method, reward charts and consequence charts, spankings and time outs, yet there was no currency that motivated this child. I was wearing thin and wearing out, yet she and her feisty spirit wouldn’t wear down.

I thank God for that spirit. And it has been in the last few years that I have begun to see my daughter for who she is, not for what I can mold her into. She is, plainly speaking, a mold-breaker and no amount of shoving and twisting on my part will fit her into anyone else’s idea of who she should be.

This lesson came directly from the throne of God. I couldn’t have learned it with an obedient, compliant, and easy-going child such as my oldest. It horrifies me to think that I could have continued to go through life with the parental arrogance I once had, but at the same time I need to realize that I also shouldn’t beat myself up for being a parenting failure.

You see, as I have learned in my ten years of mothering, it’s not all because of me.

My son’s ability to memorize multiplication facts with ease? Not because of me.

My daughter’s daily tantrums? Not because of me.

Successes. Failures. Triumphs. Weaknesses. Not because of me.
Now, lest you think that I am giving up all responsibility for my children’s education and character, let me say emphatically that I believe in intentional parenting. I take my role seriously, and seek to guide my children with the strength and grace provided me by God each and every day.
But I believe that God’s intentions, far more than mine, will prevail. And many of those I’m not always privy to. We cannot know the purposes that God has in store for our little ones. And their personalities, strengths and weaknesses, as well as their genetic predispositions, are all formed, and intimately known, by God.
So while I cherish my role, and still long for that perfect parenting strategy and educational method (who doesn’t!), I have released my children to the Lord, and released myself to His leading.
Many are the plans in a man’s (mom’s!) heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21

Christine Hiester is a Christian, homeschooling mom to three boys and a girl, ranging in age from 10 to 3 years old. She is a musician by trade, eclectic in homeschool style, and continues to grow and learn along with her children in this journey of life and discipleship at home. Visit her blog at Fruit in Season.

How to prevent peanut allergies?

2011-03-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

From Parentdish, an article I can relate to, one about how confusing advice about allergies can be!

Young children shouldn't eat peanuts. Young children should eat peanuts. Maybe eat them, maybe not. Experts don't know how to prevent the dreaded peanut allergy. Even though rates of peanut allergies have risen steadily over the last decade, prevention is still a mystery.

Hot-to-trot ponies? Dolls that wax? Toys get tarted up

2011-03-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

I've been saying this for a while: toys marketed to young girls, even toddlers, are really sexualized. It's about time people are starting to notice and comment on it. Here's an article commenting on characters such as Tinker Bell, Trollz, Strawberry Shortcake, and more.

An excerpt:
"Peter Pan may never have grown up, but Tinker Bell and her fairy friends definitely have. The Disney Fairies boast hourglass figures, coy glances and barely-there mini dresses. In short, these girls aren’t your mama’s pixies.
Even trolls have come of age. Those formerly stout, pug-nosed kewpies, have reemerged in a new slim, thigh-baring line called Trollz. Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake have become tweens and shed their baby fat. And et tu, Holly Hobbie? She’s traded her prairie dresses for a saucy wardrobe and lightened locks."

Self-directed projects

2011-03-07T10:01:00.001-07:00

Leanna's of a religious bent lately, writing down Bible verses and making little displays like in the above picture. Shown are two black hearts full of sin, Jesus' blood, and Nehemiah. There was no reason for her to do this, she just wanted to. She's also tried to do Sunday school lessons with her brothers, but they have little patience for that.

*I always find it interesting to see when a child does some type of learning or reinforcing activity all on their own. It proves that people really are self-motivated to learn, it doesn't need to be forced all the time.

Recipie for motherhood

2011-03-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

I liked this article about how an imperfect mother can be the best kind of all. Particularly in the current climate of absolute perfectionism in parenting, hearing this message can be quite a relief!
(I can already hear some of the comments my kids may one day be making!)

Recent funny stuff

2011-03-05T23:46:00.001-07:00

Stuff too good not to record for posterity

*After I came home from the hospital, Leanna heard us talking about why I'd been sent home and heard us taking about me being 2 cm dialated. She later was telling Aunt Laura on the phone about me being "dialed up" and didn't understand why this sent her Aunt into spasms of laughter.

*Leanna found a pile of her Dad's old pay stubs from the 1990s. She wanted to use them as report cards for her dolls. First she was shocked that her Dad once worked at a restaurant, and then I was explaining to her that the year it would be from would be on the paper. She searched, muttering aloud, 2000.......and I said, no, it would start with a 19! That's from the 1990s. Leanna was stunned. "Daddy was alive in the 19s!" she exclaimed rather loudly! She just could not get over that fact. It was absolutely inconceivable that he could have been around back then! : )

*The kids were talking about St. Patrick's Day and I commented that hopefully the baby would be out by then. Jacob said, "And I can hold the baby!" I reassured him that he would be allowed to. Then Jacob smiled at me and lovingly told me, "Then the baby can ride my bike." Awwwww, such a sweet generous boy.

*Justin's been very helpful lately, gladly offering to pick things up off the floor for me (so I don't have to bend over as it's very very difficult right now), getting things for me or offering to clean small messes. One day as he rushed to do something for me he very seriously commented, "It's tough having five babies! I know! I know!"

(no recent entries from Timothy, he's been on a defiant streak lately, which can be amusing to watch, but not something I'd want to record)

He's a wealthy boy, .50 richer!

2011-03-05T00:52:00.001-07:00

His first lost tooth!!

My oldest boy! And he is such a boy! I can't believe how old he looks sometimes.
He finally lost that tooth this week, though he did pull it out himself. He did not care for Tom's suggestion to go get the pliers! With a little coaching from Leanna, he pulled his own tooth.
The one warm afternoon this week he was out riding his bike with the dog.
It doesn't work out so well as the dog tends to run away and stand in the middle of the street. And generally Curly just wants to sleep. But Justin's just happy when he manages to hold the dog and play with it for a while.

Beautiful Commercial

2011-03-01T23:22:00.002-07:00

The history of the Shamrock Shake

2011-03-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorites, the Shamrock Shake, is officially here (though I know they've had it in Whitehall for a few weeks already). I look forward to its arrival each year, although I don't always get the chance to have one! Apparently I am not alone in this.

False Labor

2011-02-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a note here, since I know some people heard the baby was on the way.....it turned out to be a trial run for us. Which means real labor can be anything from hours to weeks away. With four previous pregnancies, I've never had false labor before. It was always clear when the contractions were just braxton-hicks contractions. This is the first time I've had them go on for so long without leading to labor. And apparently my labors aren't so typical because 1. I've never had my water break 2. my contractions have never been completely regular, even near delivery 3. I've never had discharge before labor, and only with Jacob did I have "the bloody show" before labor (which I suspect had to do with the method of starting labor-blue cohash and membrane stripping.) So although these are typical signs of false labor, they aren't a normal predictor for me.
Add to that the fact that there is more pressure this time around to leave earlier so there's time to get to the hospital and without a family car we need someone to not only watch the kids, but to come get them as well. Plus a new doctor and hospital because the midwives are no longer doing hospital birth (and we can't afford a homebirth)......so there are a lot of new factors to contend with this time around.

False Labor
False labor or prelabor is often called the first stage of labor. It's when the cervix begins to thin out, shorten, and soften. False labor causes contractions that feel like the uterus is knotting up, known as Braxton Hicks contractions. These contractions are often irregular and do not get closer together consistently. They may stop when the woman rests and usually do not get stronger. False labor can feel just like true labor to a woman.

What is going on in the body?
No one knows exactly what causes labor to start, but changes in hormones play a role. Labor begins when the cervix begins to open. The uterus, which is a muscle, contracts at regular intervals. When it contracts, the abdomen becomes hard. Between contractions, the uterus relaxes and the abdomen becomes soft. False labor can precede real labor by a very short time or by a full month or more.
Symptoms & Signs

What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?
Symptoms of false labor include:
•contractions that are not regular and do not increase in frequency or severity
•pain in the lower abdomen
•contractions that go away when the woman walks or rests
•fetal movements that intensify briefly with contractions
•vaginal discharge, if any, that is a brownish color

A Re-Posting

2011-02-23T10:44:00.001-07:00

A re-posting......Leanna's been reading the archives of my blog and she left up this page from 2005. It's funny to see the reactions we dealt with when we had only three kids!
Saturday, November 19, 2005

The more the merrier!

We have Maree' this weekend. So that makes four kids. It's actually kind of fun to see people's reactions when we are out. It ranges from sympathy all the way to the bizzare(one strange man actually smiled a crazy smile at us and congradulated Tom and said, man, you guys just keep making more people! Then he started laughing. And this was just with our own three.) ( We think he was drunk.). Four really isn't all that many. Think about the days when people regularly had 14 children or more! I remind myself of this when I'm feeling sorry for myself because of my workload.
My Mom has terrible trouble keeping straight her own three kids' names-holy cow, try doing it with 14!

A Very Young American Idol? Or a Judge!

2011-02-21T23:42:00.002-07:00

Today Leanna was singing a Hannah Montanna song and when she finished the song, Timothy yelled out, "You're going to Hollywood!"

(We've been watching a bit of American Idol lately)
(Now which judge would Timothy be?)

I'm soooo over this!

2011-02-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

I wish I had the money to do a belly cast, I think it'd be a fun momento, especially with how big I am this time.

I had an ultrasound last week, I saw hair on the baby's head, saw the lips moving, I even saw the three arteries of blood moving through the cord! It's such a neat thing to see! I chose not to know the sex. At this point, what's a little bit more wait? The baby's measurements are more consistant with week 38 (out of 40) she estimated the baby's weight at 7 1/2 pounds already. She said her measurements are within a half pound accurate. So either it's just a really big baby or the due date is off.

****However, the same technician also said Justin was measuring two weeks ahead of his date and since I was absolutely certain of the date (I kept track), we were worried he was going to be a really big baby. He was born one day off his due date and he weighed in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Not huge. So obviously her measurements can be off. But she was grouchy, so I didn't mention it to her.*******

So, we could be having this baby in a few weeks or sooner. I absolutely cannot wait. I am sooo over the pregnancy thing. I have terrible trouble sleeping, sometime I can't even get a comfortable position to sit in, my energy level is non-existant, it's giving me back pain, and I'm so tired of little people banging into my (oversensitive) stomache! Even walking through our tiny kitchen can be difficult with this big belly. I've always said, I HATE pregnancy, but LOVE the end result!

Word Quote

2011-02-19T23:37:00.001-07:00

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged, it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., jurist (1841-1935)

Sweetness

2011-02-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

Saying goodnite tonight, Timothy said to my belly, "I love you now, but I'll love you more when you come out!"
He and Justin both like to say goodnite to the baby, and sometimes Leanna will as well.
: )

Baby Names

2011-02-13T22:55:00.001-07:00

Workin' on the baby names thing again. Timothy asked me tonight if he and I could pick the baby's name. He constantly asks how many days til the baby comes. They all get a kick out of feeling the baby move. Everyone's looking forward to this child!
Boy names are such a pain for us though! For example, he likes Damian. I don't mind the name itself, but wouldn't want it because so many people associate it with 70s Horror movies (the Omen and Excorsist). I wouldn't want all the jokes about a devil child! Just about every name I like, he doesn't, and vice-versa. Tom says if it's a boy we'll just call it "Boy." Time's running out, we have to find something!!

Just sayin'

2011-02-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

A comment I saw, something I think many people don't even think about when the debate about having children comes up.

"One of my dad’s professors in med school told the class that they should all have large families in order to bring up the avg IQ or something like that. Now I feel the same way sometimes - has anyone seen Idiocracy?"

The IRS made a reasonable choice!

2011-02-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is great, but I worry that the people who most need the financial help will not be able to take advantage of this. I am not a person who understands legal speak, but it looks like you would have to set up a spending account for pumps (& related equipment) or if you don't have a flexible spending account you can only deduct it if medical costs exceed 7.5% of your medical costs. Most lower income women are not itemizing or listing medical costs, I would guess. This would mainly affect middle (or upper middle) class women or wealthy women who don't truly need the deduction. Still a victory though. Remember when it was pointed out that insurance would cover viagra, but not birth control?
IRS says breast pumps tax deductible expense

February 10, 2011 2:09 PM ET.
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

WASHINGTON (AP) - The cost of breast pumps will now be considered tax-deductible medical expenses under a ruling issued by the Internal Revenue Service Thursday.
The ruling, long sought by advocates, means that women will be able to use money set aside in pretax spending accounts to buy the pumps and related equipment, which can cost several hundred dollars. For women without flexible spending accounts, the cost of pumps will be tax deductible if their total medical costs exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income.
Previously, the IRS considered breast pumps to be feeding equipment, not medical devices. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics argued that breastfeeding has many medical benefits for both mother and baby. Advocates hope that making breast pumps more affordable will enable more women to breastfeed longer.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that women breastfeed their babies for at least a year.
"Unfortunately, due to financial restraints and work demands, not all women are afforded the opportunity to nurse their children, despite the proven health benefits," the academy said in a 2009 letter to IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman that was also signed by nine other medical groups. "In order to continue to breastfeed successfully, millions of mothers working outside the house require a breast pump.
Last year, 45 members of Congress wrote the IRS to protest its classification of breast pumps. On Thursday, several issued a statement praising the new ruling. They were Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
"Today's decision is a huge victory for nursing mothers everywhere. Modern medicine has documented numerous health benefits linked to breastfeeding, including a reduced risk of illness in infants and a reduced risk of cancer in mothers," the lawmakers said in a statement. "And because breastfeeding is so effective in preventing disease, it also happens to save billions in health care costs."

I just realized........

2011-02-10T00:32:00.001-07:00

I'll have to change my pithy profile description of me on the blog, it currently reads: Married poor mother of four!
Any suggestions?

Guess who's got a loose tooth? (finally!)

2011-02-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Guess who's finally got a loose tooth?

He's so proud, he was wiggling it all night! I just cannot believe how big he's getting!!

Justin's our outdoor boy, he doesn't care if no one else will come out with him-he will be out there playing in the snow all by himself. (Leanna likes to go out, but only if someone else will come play with her. And Timothy goes out but doesn't stay for long, he gets cold very easily and loses interest. Jacob doesn't go out much now because the yard is pretty much a sheet of ice and he can't keep his balance). I can't believe he'll be seven this summer!

Doggie love, Igloos, and warm soup......

2011-02-08T14:54:00.001-07:00

Timothy and Curly

Timothy & Justin in the igloo/ice-castle (depends which kid you ask) Leanna and Justin built yesterday.

Timothy

Justin, about to throw a snowball at me

Leanna warming up with a bowl of soup and a book

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie........

2011-02-08T14:35:00.001-07:00

Jacob Loved the Ladybug Girl book (library book). Here he is reading it to himself.

Justin and I, flanked by a few "Aunt Cindy blankets" read an old classic today, one of his favorite books. I have fond memories of it myself because it was one I often read to a very young Claire. I remember getting her a "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie " cookbook that came with a mouse cookie cutter!

Justin even shared a cookie with the mouse.

But the cookie was too good to leave for the mouse! Justin thinks that Chocolate chip cookies go great with any book!

Risk/Vulnerability

2011-02-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

RISK

Author unknown

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to others is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken,
because the greatest hazard in life is to do nothing.
The person who risks nothing,
does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes, they are a slave,

they forfeited their freedom.
Only the person who risks can be free.

Broke, not Broken

2011-02-04T12:10:00.002-07:00

Another post I enjoyed about a family who is "broke, not broken." This one hits really close to home, although they actually sound like they are a little better off than we are right now.
So far, we're all still healthy. So far, we have four wonderfully affectionate, curious, lovable, beautiful children. We have family that love us. And for the time being, we have a roof over our heads. We have no idea what the future holds. Though we struggle with it, we're not yet broken.

On a side note: I love that she channels her inner Caroline Ingalls! I've always thought that woman did get enough credit for all she endured, and so peacefully too. While it's clear her daughter loves her, Laura really adores her father, and there is nothing wrong with that, but I notice that so many of her mother's accomplishments are glossed over. As the author points out, I too think she was a good role model as a mother/wife.

Edit: I Love this comment someone left:
2-04-2011 @ 12:13PM

kphiatt said...
I use the WWCID method of discernment all the time! I love her plucky, love is all we need, things will be just fine, we will persevere attitude! I have also been known to employ the thinking of Miss Spider and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, as needed, though never, ever, ever that of Caillou's mother. I have my standards!

A Reminder of How Lucky We Are.......

2011-02-04T11:44:00.002-07:00

Tired of the Long Winter? Let Laura Ingalls Wilder Put Things in Perspective for You

by Christopher Healy

When even kids start complaining about the snow, you know we've had a tough winter. But it could be much, much worse. And if you need to remind your children of that fact, read them "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The sixth –- and, in my opinion, best -– of the Little House books, chronicles the excruciating, blizzard-filled season of 1880 in the Dakota Territory. Don't let the illustration of sledding, snowball-making kids on the cover fool you -– this book is terrifying. After making it through a full reading, you and your kids might all be looking at this year's snowfalls in a different light.
It's not just that the actual weather detailed in the book is awful (and it is, believe me), it's the language Ms. Wilder uses to talk about it that makes "The Long Winter" so harrowing. She writes some of the best, most visceral descriptions of cold ever seen in literature. And when she applies her way with words to the suspenseful plot about her stranded town's dwindling supplies and increasingly harsh conditions, you get a thriller with Mother Nature as the villain.
When your kids gripe about the difficulties this current long winter poses, treat them to some of the following scenes from Wilder's story.

1. If your kids complains about having to walk to school on a snowy day: Remind them that, in order to make sure they didn't lose any students, Laura and her classmates had to walk hand-in-hand, making a human chain as they trudged through a blinding whiteout.

2. If your kids complain about how cold it is: Remind them that Laura was thankful for temperatures of 20 below zero, because they're so much more comfortable than the 40-below temperatures experienced days earlier. We're talking temperatures so frigid that grazing cows got their heads frozen to the ground!

3. If your kids complain about having to adhere to their bedtimes, even on a snow day: Remind them that Laura's entire family had to go to bed the moment the sun went down, because it was pitch black and they didn't have a drop of kerosene left to even light a lamp.

4. If you kids complain that you won't crank the thermostat up to 75: Remind them that Laura's family of six had to huddle around their stove –- the only source of heat in the house -– as blizzard-force winds rattled windows, whistled through gaps in the walls, and blew a carpet of snow in under the front door.

5. If your kids complain that spring hasn't arrived yet: Remind them that the Ingalls family didn't get to celebrate Christmas until the weather finally cleared up -- in May.

On second thought, maybe this isn't the best idea. My fingers are numbing up as I type this. Reading is all about escapism, right? Maybe we should all read something a bit warmer. Did Wilder ever write "Little House on Waikiki?"

I would have loved this......

2011-02-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

Adorable, and not too bad at $20.00, check out this little Librarian kit.
Why do I find so many cute gifts AFTER Christmas? And think of ideas for gifts for people who left me stumped when I was looking? Why is that?

hair

2011-02-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

Ha, what your toddler's haircut says about you.

This is baloney, in my opinion, but cute. LOL at the "Big Chunk Missing-You foster independence in your kids, and you will pay for it."
Well, that one's true, though they don't all have chunks of hair missing.

Leaving boys behind

2011-01-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it seems funny to me that I've been getting an education(pun intended) on the subject of how boys learn/are taught. It's not something I ever considered until a few years ago. I could have told you a few things about how girls are generally shortchanged. But life is sometimes strange, and here I find myself the mother of three-maybe four-boys! So I pay attention when I come across things like this TED talk by speaker Ali Carr-Chellman called “Gaming to Re-engage Boys” about how schools today are leaving boys behind. I have not listened to it yet. But the points mentioned below make sense to me:

"Think I am exaggerating? Consider that boys will soon account for just 30% of college students.
Among the reasons she gives for “why boys are opting to zone out” are:
Zero Tolerance for Boy Toys, such as toy guns and violence–including the inability to even write about subjects they might be interested in such as a favorite video game.

Fewer Male Teachers (93% of elementary teachers are female–sending the message that school is for girls, not for boys)

“Kindergarten is the New Second Grade”–serious curriculum compression harmful to all active children (not just boys)

The talk is just 12 minutes long. While I don’t agree with all of her next steps (she advocates more inventive and engaging educational video gaming among other things), she is dead on in identifying the problem with the culture.
She also says, rightly so, that video games are not the cause but the symptom of a long period of turning off to education.
What can we do?
Her advice:
Design better games ( most educational games are glorified flashcards, not engaging)

Talk to teachers, parents, school board members, and politicians

Find more money for game design

Look at teacher attitudes

Found via the Daily Riff (great site for education issues)"

Sharks, Why?, and Gas.........boys and poetry

2011-01-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

The older two boys and I were reading poetry last night from the book Poetry Speaks to Children, edited by Elise Paschen, and some of thier favorites were:

*About the Teeth of Sharks by John Ciardi -not surprisingly, they liked a poem about sharks and shark teeth. I love that when we read this Justin immediately began telling me about how many teeth sharks really have!

*Why by James Stevenson-this poem was about a child who wonders about things others usually don't.....like what it would feel like to jump with bare feet into a box of jelly donuts. We pondered that idea out loud and then today Justin drew pictures of donuts, inspired by last night's reading.

*Gas by C.K. Williams-This was by far their favorite, Justin did not stop laughing the entire way through. This poem was about the fact that gas is outlawed in France and what one could do about this problem. (They particularly liked the suggestion to blame it on your brother) As soon as we finished it, they cried out, "again! again!" Sigh......boys!
: )

Dora and Curly

2011-01-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

One night I found Curly curled up on Dora's leg. Couldn't have been too comfy a postition for Dora, but Curly was quite content.

New friendly library

2011-01-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

We finally found something we like here in this city of E...........the children's section of the library! We finally got there this week. It unfortunately will be hard to get there (it's a very long, uphill walk). I do miss the less than 10 minute walk to our old library. And I fear the selection is much smaller. But it is a kid friendly place (meaning if a child gets loud or forgets and runs or a baby cries it won't earn you harsh stares or a warning from a librarian). Thank God for that, I say! That never made sense to me, the kids who have the most trouble staying quiet and following strict library rules are likey the ones who most need to spend time at the library. The ones who easily adjust to that environment are the ones who are more likely to visit the library or read on their own anyway.
I was excited because they have a train table and a table of blocks to keep kids too young to be quiet entertained. Jacob went back and forth between the two, which allowed me to look for books for the kids with him in my sight the whole time (and he was quiet!). He had so much fun building a tower. They also had a puppet stage with puppets, felt food and grocery bags all of which Timothy played with happily. Justin liked that there were giant stuffed animals that you were allowed to play with. Though I don't know that we'd use it, they also have a preschool computer. And although the adult section librarian who got my library card was not at all friendly; Leanna and I liked the really friendly librarian who took the time to show us where everything was after she patiently set us up with three kid library cards!
The boys absolutely loved having thier own cards! And checking out their own books! They were just getting to the point where they would have been able to get their own cards in our old place, so this was a new experience for them.
We took out quite a stack of books! Between the (relat ively few) books I picked out for the kids, the books Leanna chose for herself, the books Leanna chose for Jacob, the books Justin and Timothy picked for themselves......we couldn't have carried them all home! I actually called Tom to ask him to meet us to put them in Jay's truck (he was working with Jay that day) so we didn't have to try to carry them all. And Leanna ended up putting some of hers back and giving me a few to check out for her because she was embarrassed by how big her stack was!
I love that Leanna's first choices for books were biographies on John Quincy Adams and Abigail Adams (though she later put them back because they were too big to carry with all the other books) and that she chose books on Rome, Egypt, and pyramids along with "little" reads like the Horrible Harry books.
And it was so cute to hear Justin say to Timothy, "Timothy! I'll show you where the cool books are!"

Awwww.....that's what big brothers are for!

For those of you with a facebook account

2011-01-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Please consider becoming a friend of Henry’s Fund on Facebook. And if you are willing to help spread the word, that would be great. Just post a link to Henry’s Fund on your own Facebook page, Twitter account or blog, and ask your friends to join us in raising funds for addiction treatment for kids ages 12-20 whose families can’t afford the help they need.

Service to Others

2011-01-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

An important part of the story of WWII, this article tells the story of a museum dedicated to telling the story of those who willingly risked their own lives to help hide the Jews. It points out that it wasn't just the wealthy or well connected who did this, but ordinary-compassionate-people as well. Something we would do well to remember!

An excerpt:

"........the story of Alice Lowenstein, who hid her daughters in Weimar after two hiding places in Berlin fell through; the younger daughter, barely out of toddlerhood, had a dangerous habit of telling strangers about the men who took her father away. In the summer of 1944, the girls, then aged 4 and 6, were denounced. A piece of period notepaper from the Landesarchive in Potsdam describes how the Gestapo dragged the girls back to their old building in Berlin, asking each of their neighbors if the girls were Jewish. All said no. And then, as they walked away, the building's concierge ran after the SS men and told them, "These girls are Jewish." At the end of the war, their mother returned to fetch them from Weimar, only to discover that her children had been murdered in Auschwitz.
"We wanted to present this in order to show that there are not only happy ends. That hiding often meant other family members didn't survive, and the survivors had a burden on them," said Kosmala, as I struggled, ineffectually, not to cry. A daughter born to Alice Lowenstein after the war donated photos, a doll once owned by her murdered sisters, and a diary her mother kept while on the run."

Banks

2011-01-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Though it shouldn't, this one kind of surprised me. An article on how banks collect information on you and your spending habbits and how they use this info. One of the more interesting aspects (I thought) was this:

"Credit bureau Experian, for example, touts its Collection Triggers program with the tag line "When nonpaying customers resurface, be the first to know." The program offers daily monitoring of credit reports for a customizable set of triggers including new contact information or indications of increased ability to pay debts, which can help subscribing lenders "be the first to the (debtors') door for wallet share" -- in other words, the first to ask for repayment."

Right Now.........

2011-01-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

right now, I am ...

:: wanting More sleep! More energy! Less stress! A better life in general.
:: loving how incredibly affectionate my children are, no matter how frustrating they can be, they are always full of love.

:: thinking about the impending birth and wondering how it's all going to work out.
:: feeling grateful for the people who care about us and have been trying to help us in one way or another.
:: enjoying some fresh hot blueberry muffins made tonight.

:: smiling at the video from Jacob's birth that we watched today. In such a short time we'll be there all over again!

:: planning what little I can. Very little is in our control at this point.
:: wishing everyone a lovely start to your week!

Hat tip to Soulemama, as I borrowed the idea from her blog.

Anybody Need Work Done?

2011-01-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

Want to make a change around the house?
Don’t want to spend a lot of money?
I have the tools and over 15 years experience to get the job finished in a timely fashion.
I do all types of home repairs. *HISTORICAL RESTORATION *COMPLETE KITCHEN & BATH REMODELING. *ALL TYPES OF TILE INSTALLATION. *FINISHED BASEMENT. *WINDOWS AND DOORS. *TRIM & MOLDINGS. *PAINT & SHEETROCK *SPACKLING *ROOF REPAIRS *FLOORING *SIDING *PORCHES AND SIDEWALKS.
registered. PA 037089.

Call Tom for a free estimate at 484-201-1384 or email me at Tomjarr@hotmail.com.

Interesting tidbit

2011-01-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

We've recently discovered that Jacob really likes black and white movies/tv shows.

Tom's been putting on a lot of old movies, lots of 1930s type stuff, and Jacob will sit there and laugh! He actually watches and really gets into it. It'll be movies with adults and stuff he wouldn't understand, yet he seems facinated.

I think I need these!

2011-01-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

Omigosh! That's adorable! Ninja cookie-cutters

Child's Play

2011-01-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

And again, someone's mentioning a disturbing trend-banning recess and not letting children play. Play is different than organized sports or video games or tv/computer. This is talking about play directed by children, without adult rules. Imagination galore!! Read about Efforts to resore children's play.

Another homeschooling list

2011-01-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

some are old, a few good ones, I like number five! (I had a link for the original page, but one of the kids restarted the computer and I have no idea where it came from now).

Top 20 Advantages to Homeschooling

1.Your kids never tell you that you’re a lot dumber than their teacher.

2.If you can’t find matching socks for your child first thing in the morning, who cares?

3.Cleaning out the refrigerator can double as chemistry lab.

4.Your kids have good reason to think they might get spanked in school, but no reason to think they’ll get beat up by a gang.

5.If the principal gives the teacher a bad evaluation, she can stick her icy feet against his legs at night.

6.You can post the Ten Commandments on your schoolroom wall and won’t get sued.

7.You never have to drive your child’s forgotten lunch to school.

8.Your child will never go to their 20th high school reunion, meet an old flame, and recklessly abandon their marriage.

9.You get to change more than diapers—you get to change their minds.

10.If you get caught talking to yourself, you can claim you’re having a PTA meeting.

11.It’s better to be slightly concerned about socialization than very concerned about socialism.

12.Your child will never suffer the embarrassment of group showers after PE.

13.The only debate about the school lunch program is whose turn it is to cook.

14.You never have to face the dilemma of whether to take your child’s side or the teacher’s side in a dispute at school.

15.If your child gets drugs at school, it’s probably Tylenol.

16.Your child’s braces will never set off the security alarm.

17.Your child may get called names by a sibling but not a stranger. But you can punish the sibling.

18.Your honor student can actually read the bumper sticker that you have on your car.

19.If your child claims that the dog ate his homework, you can ask the dog.

20.Someday your children will consider you to be a miracle working expert and will turn to you for advice.

Oh I've so been there!

2011-01-20T11:35:00.002-07:00

LOL, oh I can soooooooooo relate!

From Akward Family photos!

Why is that Fish in a Tree?

2011-01-19T11:06:00.001-07:00

I found this post/quote and had to post it. Makes so much sense! And as she says, can be applied to adults, as well as a homeschool situation:

"Why is That Fish in a Tree?

I recently stumbled upon this quote and instantly loved it. Ready? Because you need to get ready for this quote...cuz it's awesome. Here it is:

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

— Albert Einstein

Now if that's not something to print out and tape to your forehead, then I don't know what is. And of course my first instinct was to apply it to my kids. Isn't that one of the big positives of homeschooling? That the kids avoid being pigeon-holed and labeled if they don't fit into the "right" mold? Absolutely.
But the more I thought about it, I started to realize that this quote applies to all of us grown-ups as well. How many times have we beaten ourselves up, or judged ourselves harshly because we thought we weren't as good as someone else? Because our house isn't as clean as hers. Or we're not as patient as she is with her kids. Or our hips aren't as thin.
Each one of us has gifts and talents that make us a genius. Precious qualities that God chose just for us. Something that equals greatness if we will only develop and use it. But how often do we neglect to use (or even fail to prayerfully discover) that which makes us a genius because we're too busy dwelling on the things we can't do... all the things we think we should be able to do, or should do better, or wish we could do. We get so caught up in fitting into, or more often failing to fit into, a mold the world has created to be seen as "successful," we forget that the only standard of success that matters is God's. And He has given us exactly what we need to meet it.
We see other people climbing trees, so we think we have to climb a tree. Those successful or pretty or smart or admired people are all in trees so we tell ourselves "I have to climb a tree too if I want to be successful or pretty or smart or admired." Never mind that God gave you fins and flippers for a reason. Maybe God didn't choose you to be a tree climber...maybe He wants you to swim through His glorious oceans. Maybe He chose you to fly. Maybe He destined you walk the highest mountain peaks.
If you have fins, don't waste them on trees...dive into the water God created for you. Stop trying to be the person the world tells you to be, and be the person God wants you to be.
Hmmmm...has the metaphor run it's course? Yep, I think so. But you get my point.

Posted by Michelle at 7:16 AM "

Counting animals, pipes, badges, and Playmobil

2011-01-19T10:20:00.001-07:00

Counting animals are fun to play with and fun to play numbers or sorting with too. We got ours at Becker's.

While his brothers counted, Jacob was busy with pipes. He's been sort of obsessed lately with pipes and water, and where the water goes when you flush a toilet.

Leanna's badges earned at Girl Scouts. I'm not entirely sure how she got the cookie one though, since she wasn't in this troop last year and cookie sales for this year start tomorrow. I have to ask about that one.

Justin and Timothy playing with playmobil people. We've had a lot of Narnia play around here lately, in addition to when they play "Tom and Jay" or baby cat, and other games they've invented. They played with some moon sand they got for Christmas and it feels really neat. They made scultptures but it's also really fun to just squish between your fingers! Great for stress relief.

Weekend baking and colonial times

2011-01-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Cookies!

Bread Machine Bread

A weekend of baking-Laura came over and we made several batches of cookies and I made coffee cake and bread as well. My machine makes a very tiny loaf of bread though, it was gone in a heartbeat! Doing a lot of baking is much more fun with someone else to share the work and talk with while it's being done. I can see the wisdom in the days when men would get together to raise a barn, or women would get together for a quilting or sewing bee. Work is done much quicker and is less "work" when you have someone to share it with.

Handel

2011-01-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

This applies:

"My Lord, I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wished to make them better."

George Frideric Handel

(Though to be fair, I am entertained by many things about my own parents, so maybe that just comes with the territory).

Recent pictures

2011-01-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Alerting Santa

2011-01-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Four Year old calls 911 to report that his dad was being bad (to Santa). There are no details unfortunately on how Dad was bad. I know from experience that may mean that Dad wouldn't let him go outside without a coat on, or Dad wouldn't let him watch tv or he wouldn't let him put beans in his nose or something along those lines. : )

Just finished

2011-01-12T17:09:00.002-07:00

An interesting read, though a work of historical fiction it seems to stick fairly closely to known facts. I really liked that the author included a section after the book that explains where she departed from what it certain about Alice's real life. I also liked that there is a section explaining that some of Charles Dodgeson's (Lewis Carroll's) actions are viewed very differently through a modern lens.......the aspects that so shock and intrigue us today would not necessarily have been seen the same way. She also draws an interesting parallel between modern child stars and children who have served as literary inspiration.

Sharks, Cars, and mini-wooden furniture

2011-01-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Justin painting his sharks after we had cast them.

Timothy carefully painting his car after the wheels had been glued on the axel.

Leanna painting her doll furniture.

The painted Sharks-the black one's tail broke.

The finished car with stickers added!!

We're always big on painting here!

New Year's Cake

2011-01-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

The only picture from New Year's Day-a collarborative effort. Chocolate cake made from scratch. Leanna measured and added the ingredients, I mixed them and baked it, and Laura made the iceing and put it on. It was delicious, you can see how much Jacob loved it. The poor gingerbread cake was even missing a foot by the time I took the picture!

In the digital age, writing by hand is important

2011-01-12T01:46:00.000-07:00

Just found this interesting:
How writing by hand makes kids smarter is an interesting article about why it is important children learn to write. Here are some reasons listed:

*important for brain development and cognition — helping kids hone fine motor skills and learn to express and generate ideas.
*Writing by hand can get ideas out faster
*Writing increases neural activity
*Good handwriting makes you seem smarter

Interestingly someone points out in the comments that children with dsylexia do NOT write faster by hand though, and it appears to be different for different people as well. At least for me, it depends on the type of writing, different things work better in different formats.

More presents

2011-01-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Justin got a really really cool shark book!

The kids got a joint Polar Express Book-they love the story and movie! (Hint, next year the movie would be a great present)

Tom got a new T-shirt from his kids, and we added a mini hand for the baby.

Some interesting presents

2011-01-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

Curly enjoys Tom and Justin's electric blankets-or as Justin calls them, power blankets

A spur of the moment gift decision that paid off-a Cowboy Nutcracker for Justin that he can take with him when he leaves home. Until then it will add to our Christmas decorations every year.

Laura gifted our family with an initial ornament for each member. We'll be needing another one next year though!

Jacob wearing his new Christmas gift pjs that night, playing with his trains and Timothy's playmobil sets. I don't know why he put a hat on.

Leanna scared herself silly reading a new Nancy Drew mystery that night.

Belated Christmas pictures

2011-01-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

Coming down the stairs on Christmas morning

Opening Christmas stockings

As in the past few years, lots of educational/craft gifts.

We didn't take a lot of pictures that day-while I was cleaning up the Christmas mess and making the dinner, someone set the camera down and I didn't know where it was. My parents, Laura, Claire & her new boyfriend, and Tony and his family all came over in the late afternoon/evening so there was a flurry of activity. When Tom wanted me to take a picture of him in his new Superman Snuggie, then he told me where the camera was (apparently he'd known the location all along and didn't think of mentioning it until then). So there really aren't a lot of pictures from Christmas day. But the kids had a great time visiting with everyone, Noah and Justin kept us all safe from the Pilsbury Doh Boy (I had no idea he was everywhere!), Leanna and Gabby put together a puzzle, there were various spy missions, lots of dessert, and Tom and Tony talked plumbing (His wife said, if he's drawing pictures, then they're talking plumbing!). A very busy, tiring but happy day!

Testing

2011-01-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

$5.00/year for more storage for photos. This was a test to see if it worked yet. (It did)

A Bit Late, I know, but too cool not to post.....

2011-01-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Another quote

2011-01-09T01:27:00.001-07:00

I need to keep this in mind.
a quote by Theodore Roosevelt:
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Stronger Leg Muscles

2011-01-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

Interesting......a new study shows breastfed babies seem to have stronger leg muscles as adolenscents. It makes sense that benefits would last beyond infancy.

"The study authors also found the kids who were breastfed, either exclusively or in combination with formula, were more likely to jump higher than kids who were fed only formula, regardless of factors like sex, height, weight or current amount of muscle mass.

The study revealed even kids who were breastfed only for a few months after birth benefited more than their formula-fed peers. The kids who breastfed for three to five months performed just as well as the kids who nursed for six months or more."

Just a sweet moment

2011-01-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

Last night I drifted off for a bit on the couch. I woke up to Jacob climbing on my lap and saying, "I so much love you, Mommy!"

Huck Finn and the "N" word

2011-01-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

I'll just go on record as saying I am against the change to the classic, particularly because Mark Twain purposely used the "N" word-he wanted it to jarr you as you read the novel. It's appropriate in the context of the novel and I am against sanitizing everything people might misconstrue.

Qoted from http://www.parentdish.com/2011/01/07/kidpop-news-sanitized-twain-hazardous-nintendo-and-bawdy-kids/

"Huck Finn Gets Politically Correct

In a move that has already begun to stir up rafts of controversy, publisher NewSouth Books announced that, in February, it will release a new edition of Mark Twain's classic "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" with all 219 instances of the N-word removed. The new version, edited by Auburn University Twain scholar Alan Gribben, subs in the word "slave" for the racial slur.

On the one hand, this reeks of censorship and feels completely wrong to the truthfulness of a powerful work of literature (the new edit removes hateful words that, by many interpretations, Twain –- a well-known abolitionist –- purposely used to make a point on civil rights). But Gribben told Publisher's Weekly that he created the new edit in response to educators who told him they'd love to teach the book, but couldn't because of the racially-charged language ("Huckleberry Finn" has long history of being banned by schools). Also, kids have been marketed abridged, simplified, and "retold" versions of literary classics for ages. Is a sanitized Huck any different than, say, a modern-language "Romeo and Juliet?" Well, with the history of racial relations in this country being what it is, many would say yes.

So, is the hubbub over a P.C. Huck Finn too much? Or wholly justified? Whichever side of the argument you fall on, there's probably much to be learned from this debate.
As a side note, the new Twain edition, which contains "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" as well, also removes all occurrences of "injun."