Christmas Gifts Revealed

Here are some hair clips I made for my nieces for Christmas. I used the method where you hold the edge of the fabric over a flame. I love they way they turned out even if they were very labor-intensive! Here is a painting I did for the girl who works with Ryan. She has become part of the family so I wanted to make something special for her. I liked the tree before the leaves were added, and so did Ethan, but I finally decided it seemed a little too "Death Valley" for my taste. Hence the leaves. :)

Homemaking Standards

It's three days 'til Christmas, and I know I should be writing about something Christmas-y. But I have nothing interesting there, so you're getting this. :)

A sweet friend (who's expecting her second baby soon) recently commented, "I don't know HOW you get it all done with four kids!" I laughed and assured her that I don't get it ALL done, ever. But it got me to thinking about what a satisfying day looks like to me (by the time hubby gets home), and this is the standard I came up with:

1. Time spent in God's word and prayer
2. Three hours teaching the kiddos
3. Bottom level of the house -- vacuumed, all dishes done, all clutter picked up
4. One hour completely to myself during quiet time
5. Dinner that is at least semi-homemade

Pretty simple, right? We have three bathrooms, so three days a week I spend about half an hour scrubbing one of those bathrooms in addition to the daily stuff. I am very blessed to have a husband who is so particular about the way the laundry is done that he does it for us. (Thank you honey!) But . . .

What isn't getting done?

Well, I don't do a ton of picking up in all the bedrooms. I'll admit it. We are far from being House Beautiful upstairs. The game/linen closet is pretty much a disaster. And most days I don't look like a model. (Haha, like I ever look like a model! But you know what I mean.)

So, no, I've never been able to do it all, and it's okay. We've found a standard that works for our family and we're happy. What does a satisfying day look like at your house?

Five on Friday

1. We had Red & Green Day this week. I served these pancakes to the kids and they loved them. Stirring the dough reminded me of stirring playdough.

2. We (finally) have a crawler!!

3. Our washer broke 6 weeks ago and cost over $300 to repair. Our fridge broke this week and the entire thing has to be hauled to the appliance repair shop to be fixed. They are both barely 2 years old! Before this we always had old, used appliances and they never ONCE needed a repair.

4. I am learning suprising things about my kids all the time. Spunky, for instance, learns much better when she can be active at the same time. So when she was practicing rounding numbers recently, she did cartwheels while answering questions I called out. We had gone over the information before and it just didn't stick; now it has. :)

5. Had to make BBQ sauce this week because we ran out. I probably would have noticed we were out before dinner time except for the fact that all the fridge supplies are sitting in Tupperware containers in the backyard. But the sauce recipe was surpisingly good. Here it is if you want to try it:

2 1/2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2-3 teaspoons liquid smoke

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Why I Love My Husband

I want to share a story that my hubby posted on his facebook page last night. Not only does this man make me laugh, but his dedication to the kids and I is incredible. Here's his story . . .

So Giggles' Zhu Zhu pet, Jilly, stopped moving a few weeks ago. No problem, I thought, I'll just replace the lower drive unit. They're all the same, so I picked up a "sacrificial" Zhu Zhu at Walmart and gutted the little sucker.

But the new drive unit still didn't work. So, I thought, I'll just remove the upper control unit and solder it into Jilly. And that worked. Almost. The operation was successful, but Jilly now sounds like the dead Zhu Zhu and she still won't move.

To make matters worse, Giggles was extremely upset to hear another hamster's voice coming out of her beloved Jilly's body. So I crept back upstairs (or into "surgery" as I told Giggles) to solder Jilly's old guts back in.

And, of course, my butane soldering iron is out of gas. Crap. Now what? I guess I buy another "Jilly" and either try to rough it up so it looks like the old one, or rip it's guts out and solder it into the real Jilly tomorrow, when I can snag more butane . . .

Scratch the "rough up the new one" idea. I just remember that Giggles memorized Jilly's "Agent Number", which is actually the manufacture date on her tag: 9-23. All Zhu Zhu pets are secret agents. Duh, dad.

Right now my biggest fear is that Giggles will stumble upon the "operating table", currently covered with the guts of her beloved Jilly mixed up with the guts of one very unfortunate little rat named Patches. The scars that scene would burn into her very fragile pysche . . .

To be continued . . .

December Happenings

Working on presents. Teaching. Shopping. Creating memories. December has been a blast, but we have been BUSY. That's my excuse for not blogging. Actually, I think we usually are busy with something but there are different kinds of busy. Lately it seems like every spare minute is spent working on crafts of some sort so the computer has hardly been touched.

Here is some of what we have done for our advent activities so far . . .

We made snowflakes. The girls drew some elaborate designs and I tried my best to cut them out. (Luckily the couldn't tell when I chose to make the cutting easier for myself.)

We had a fun trip to the library to pick out some Christmas books.

W made ornaments.

Spunky's ornament (foam ball covered with fabric scraps)

My ornament (foam ball covered with paper rosettes)


I don't think I have fingerprints anymore after two hours with the glue gun!

I love Christmas and am hoping (crossing fingers) to get everything done in time. Sixteen days to go!

Our Advent Calendar

Isn't this adorable? My pictures don't really do it justice, but you get the idea. The kids and I made this from a kit my mother-in-law gave us from Stampin' Up. Love it!

Here's what I've thought of putting in the boxes so far . . .

Bible verses

crazy bandz

healthy treats (we try to limit candy because the kids get it everyhere the go, it seems)

silly instructions - like "Sing Jingle Bells while hopping around the room."

stickers

Any suggestions on what else we could put in the boxes?

Week of Craziness

I fully intended to blog more this week but it got away from me. The days looked like this:

Monday - schooled the kids even though all the public schools are out; we caught up on some work from the fire station day

Tuesday - trip to the dentist; yay for no cavities! Bubba still refuses to lay down on the exam table so it's lucky we have a very understanding dentist.

Wednesday - Giggles turned six!! I said "Happy Birthday!" when I woke her up and she looked at her hands, studied them for a second, and said, "I don't feel like I'm six yet." Later in the day I caught her resting her hand on the top of her head and sadly saying she didn't think she had gotten any taller yet. My funny girl. :)

Thursday - Went to my parent's home for Thanksgiving! Nothing caught on fire this year so that was good. (If you know my family and our Thanksgiving history you know I'm not kidding.) We played a good game of "Apples to Apples" and surprisingly, Spunky won!

Friday - Among other things Ethan and I attempted ONE black Friday sale. I am so not a shopper but it was a children's consignment store and they were giving away whatever you could fit in the provided bag. It was great, but everything was totally random in the set-up and was about 90% clothing. We didn't see much that we needed.

Tonight we went out and got a fresh Christmas tree. I just love the smell that fills the house. When I was little I was allergic to pine needles so I never got a real tree until being an adult. It's a treat!

My biggest joy today? Watching Bubba REALLY get into decorating the tree. He would cradle each ornament in his hands and carefully hang it on the branch. (The same branch for all the ornaments! I had to sneak back later and spread them out. ) He would have trouble once in a while and I'd hear him mutter "Oh man! Oh man!" His therapist used to say that because they say it on Dora the Explorer, and now Bubba has picked it up and says it all the time. We think it's cute. :)

Something To Be Thankful For

While I could fill several pages with what I feel God has blessed us with, the topic that is on my heart today has to do with our baby girl. We didn't share what was going on with many friends or family members because after the drama of the hospital stay on the heels of Bubba's diagnosis, it just seemed like too much. Too much to even talk about.

Calico was born with heart problems. We didn't know anything about it until she was about a week old and had her first pediatric appointment outside of the hospital. The doctor detected a heart murmer and sent us to a pediatric cardiologist. We decided to just assume the best; that it would be an innocent murmer. It turned out that she had two holes in her heart and a constricted valve. The doctor explained that the holes would most likely heal on their own but the constricted valve could possibly mean heart surgery. There was nothing we could do but wait. She assured us that we didn't need to treat our baby any differently.

We had an appointment at three months and six months. At these appointments there wasn't much progress in either direction. Throughout this whole time, I had just felt peace from God. I know that He holds all of my children in His hands. We continued to watch our sweetheart grow big and strong.

Friday was her nine-month appointment. We went through the process that I've gotten accustomed to; taking all of her clothes off, forcing her to lay down while the ultrasound tech took pictures of her heart. This time was particularly hard. She's hit the "stranger danger" stage, so she bawled the entire time. We waited for what seemed like forever in the waiting room, and then the doctor came in and examined her some more. After the exam, she leaned back and told us that Calico's heart is getting better! We don't have to come back to have her checked for two more years!

Thank you, God, for an early Thanksgiving gift.

New Artwork

My cousin Tina is having her first baby next month and she asked me to create some artwork for the baby's room. She wanted pandas, and music, and the color purple. (I had to clarify on the music part; I wondered if she wanted musical instruments or what. She wanted headphones and that type of look.) So anyway, here's what I came up with for one of the smaller pieces. It's pretty simple. I hope she likes it!

p.s. The color is actually bahama purple, but in this photo it looks blue. :)

Trip to the Fire Station!

We had a fantastic field trip to the fire station yesterday! I was lucky enough to only have my three school-age kiddos and no little ones with me. I caught myself tuning out a little bit during the safety demonstration, but then remembered I need to know this stuff too. :)

Our department has the ambulance service in with the fire service so the kids got to see the ambulances too. Correction: they got to climb around in the ambulance as well as the fire truck. (I was impressed that they let the kids be so hands-on with everything.) We all have a new appreciation for what these guys do for our town.

The little neighbor girl I teach told me, "This is the GREATEST field trip ever!"

Bread In Five Minutes

I made bread today. And it was SO good. While looking for my recipe, though, I came across this book and wondered if it delivers. I can't imagine spending so little time on homemade bread; it seems wrong somehow. :) I actually have a recipe that doesn't require any kneading; it's great. So, have any of you tried this and what do you think?

What We've Been Up To This Weekend

Every once in a while our family has a weekend when we REALLY get things done. Like twice a year, maybe. I have to say that my sweet husband did the majority of the projects today and yesterday; it seemed like I was the one changing diapers, running to pick up supplies, feeding the kids, and so on. But together we managed to paint from the bottom of our staircase up and throughout the hallway of the upstairs, paint the pantry and laundry room, and build shelves/organize the school lockers! (And go to church today.)

Ethan really is much more organized than me. I probably could have lived with our pantry being somewhat disorganized, but I SO appreciate that he put everything back neatly (and even made labels for the shelves!)

And yes, the lockers are still maroon. Blah. I must say I am SO very excited to teach the kids this week and know exactly where everything is though!

Gift Idea #1

I wanted to share handmade gift ideas on here but I can't very well post what I'm doing this year, in case family reads it. :) So I've decided to show some gifts I've made in the past. This purse was a fairly easy gift to make with little knitting experience. It's knitted on round needles and lined with fabric on the inside.

More ideas to follow!

Somewhat Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

Thanks to all you ladies who shared ideas on decorating. I will be sure to post pictures when we get around to that room!

Now, a little something for you . . . the kids and I have been enjoying this dip a lot lately. It tastes heavenly on apple slices. This is from the book "Deceptively Delicious".

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup fat free cream cheese

6 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1/4 cup carrot puree

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir together until smooth!

Decorating Opinions Needed!

I love luxury bedding. We've never had any, but I still love it. I looked online and found this gorgeous set by Calvin Klein . . .




. . . priced at $415.00! So Ethan suggested I sew one for us. Have any of you ever made your own duvet cover? Seems like it would be easy (until I try it, that is!)

Also, when we do eventually get to our bedroom, I'd love to paint the walls a pale gray. What color/colors would look good with gray?

'Tis the Season

If you make any of your Christmas gifts from scratch, then it's definitely time to get crackin'! My attempt this year is to make all of our gifts for family, friends and neighbors. Yes, I'm probably over-compensating for last year, but being stuck in the hospital for so long made me miss decorating, caroling, Christmas parties, Christmas programs, holiday foods, opening presents with the family, and more. So don't be surprised if I get a little nutty.

Our first project this year is one that the kids do. We did it a few years ago and it was so easy and fun. We simply buy a roll of craft paper, make stamps from potatoes, and go at it. My parents used to used comics to wrap presents in, but I enjoy doing this. And isn't it so much more fun to unwrap the gift, rather than simply pull it out of a bag?

For fun I decided to do an internet search for homemade wrapping paper ideas. And I just have to share . . . when I typed in "homemade," the first suggestion the search engine popped up with was . . . (Are you ready for this?) homemade toilet bowl. Bizarre, eh? So, if that sounds like what you need for that "special" someone on your list, I'll hook you up with the link! :)

Simple and Free Fall Decor

I am the one who is always dreaming of a gorgeous table centerpiece (but doesn't like to shop). I had a vision in my head of a long tray holding all kinds of goodies, but remembered I had these three cute plates in my Christmas decor. So I pulled them out, pulled some jars out of the cupboard, and took the kids for a walk. All those fun leaves were just waiting for us to gather up and take home.

Ta-da! Centerpiece done. :)

Blessings

Last Saturday we attended church and braced ourselves for a difficult time with Ryan. He has been going through a phase where he screams bloody murder in his preschool and we get paged out of church. So this time we decided to take him into "big church," which worked for a bit. When he started getting too antsy I walked him over to the preschool class, thinking that maybe I could stay in with him and get him laughing. That ultimately didn't work, but we did have a silver lining in the cloud that night.

We walked into the classroom filled with three and four-year-olds playing with all types of toys. Ryan immediately started slapping himself in the face, screaming and crying. All the kids stopped playing and stared at him like he had an infectious disease. Then from across the room I heard a sweet little voice calling "Ryan! Ryan!" It was the precious little daughter of a friend of mine. She ran over to him and started saying, "Ryan, did you get an owie on your nose? Are you okay? Do you want to play?" I seriously felt tears come to my eyes at her kindness. She didn't see some weird kid with problems; she just saw her buddy.

I am SO thankful for this little angel and her compassion!

Where's the Party?

Samantha is at the age where she doesn't want to miss a thing. So when I feed her, I'm competing with Ryan's singing, her sisters dancing, an airplane going by . . . you name it!

About a year ago is when we discovered we would be having a sweet baby girl joining our family. :) It was also when I was told I had placenta previa, and we had no idea what that meant. We really didn't estimate just how greatly our lives would be affected by it. I remember reading that some women have to start bedrest around 32 weeks or so. I remember thinking 32 weeks!! That's so early! Aaaahh. I had no idea. (It ended up being 24 weeks for us.) So grateful that our little gift was protected!

I Want Bite!

A moment came yesterday that has been long-awaited. Yet I didn't think it would happen this soon. My boy used a pronoun! This is such a big deal. I was making dinner, and he walked up to me with a dried fruit snack and said "I want bite."

God is so good! Just wanted to share that with all of you. :)

Costumes

We didn't do Halloween growing up. So I have mixed feelings about it. I want my kids to enjoy trunk-or-treat at the church. I want them to have a blast dressing up. But ... I can't imagine buying costumes. They just seem so expensive. This (or something similar) is what my girls want:

I however, think I could probably manage something like this . . .

Or this . . .

Aren't those more fun? Sheesh. Who wants to dress up like a princess every year? So I don't know what we'll do this year. I don't even know if we'll go to the church as a family because it's usually fairly difficult with Ryan. He doesn't do so well in big crowds. Maybe he could be a hamster in a cage, and that way wherever he goes he can just mow anyone down around him. He'd love that! ;) We'll see . . .

In the Midst Of It All

This has been a particularly trying week. We had family pictures done on Tuesday night by the lovely and talented Andrea F! That was actually the highlight of the week. Now Samantha and I both have pinkeye, although we have been using the eyedrops since Wednesday so I think we're on the mend. (Giving eyedrops to an 8-month-old is NOT on my list of fun things to do!) Ryan crashed into our fireplace Wednesday night and cut his head open. There was blood spurting everywhere. I thought for sure a visit to the ER was in order but luckily it didn't need stitches. Oh, and I learned a GREAT tip from my neighbor, a former nurse. She said if you ever need stitches like that on a little girl, take the strands of hair on either side of the wound and knot them so they hold the wound together. Makes sense, right?

Ryan has not stopped this phase he's going through, or whatever you want to call it. He has been screaming several hours of the day and has gone back to biting anyone close by. The dr. couldn't find anything wrong so we are going to try to get into the specialist next week. His occupational therapist gave us a small brush and an instruction sheet on how to use it with him. It's supposed to help kids who are "tactically defensive". It makes him giggle, so at least that's a positive step. I think (hope) I am learning to be a better mom to him and the others throughout all of this.

Pillow Pet for President

This week we have been touching on the history of governments around the world. The kids are starting to learn the various functions of the government and responsibilities of the people. After some discussion on the topic, I let them form a mock government with their pillow pets (their new favorite stuffed animals). They decided to have an election for president. (Oh Boy!) I had them plan and present a speech of what their pillow pet would accomplish as president. Here's what they had to say . . .

Allie (2nd grade) "I will lower taxes and fix the mistakes that Obama made!" (uh, oh . . . guess we have some listening ears around our house)

Emily (1st grade) "I will protect the people and give them places to hide from danger and make our military strong!"

M. (kindergarten) "I will make up the rules and SMOOSH anyone who disagrees!"

So, basically M. plans to be a dictator. :) What kindergartner doesn't, right?

Can't wait to hear their opinions on the same topic in a few years!

Autism Trials

Ryan has an appointment with the doctor today to see if we can figure out what has been going on with him lately. The last couple of weeks he seems to have been sleeping less, had a poor appetite, and crying more. I feel so bad when he tells me "owie, owie!" and I don't know how to help him. The problem is he usually sleeps poorly, doesn't have much of an appetite, and cries. It's hard to know when it's more severe than usual, but I hope the dr. will be able to shed some light on his recent behaviour. His terrific therapist, Julie, told me today that she once worked with a little girl with mental retardation who had blown out her eardrums on both sides. It had been that way for a couple of weeks before her parents caught on. :( Poor little thing. But I can understand how that happens.

Last night I tried sleeping on the floor of his bedroom to see if it would comfort him. He is usually such a good boy; even when he doesn't sleep he'll lay in bed and sing and squeal happily. (We can sometimes sleep through it but not always.) He usually knows we are just across the hall and is just fine. But last night he really wanted mama nearby. I used to be able to sleep on the floor all the time, but I think that ability has gone the way of my eagerness with rollercoasters! It has been lost somewhere over the last ten years of marriage and children. :) Hope he's okay.

Mama's Little Helper

I have a horrible habit of running a sink full of hot water to soak dishes . . . and then leaving it alone forever. I guess I just really hate washing dishes. So God, in His wisdom, has given me a little boy who loves playing in soapy water. And that little boy can NOT leave the a sink full of soapy water alone. He pulls the ottoman right up to the sink area and starts washing! It has made me kind of crazy to have him do this, but the dishes are getting done. :) Grateful to have a little motivater in my life!

Teaching Character to Kids

Reading, writing, and 'rithmatic are hugely important in our school, but we have been trying to teach character to our kids as well. I came across a website that isn't flashy or exciting, but it does have some basic ideas for teaching character. You can find it here. We have been working on obedience, self-control and patience in the last five weeks. The best part of all? It's helping me too! :)

One Great Vacation

We have been back almost a week now from our family vacation to Lagoon. The best thing we did on this vacation was take Grandpa and Grandma with us. It was so wonderful to let Ryan and Samantha hang with them sometimes so Ethan and I could spend time with the big girls. (One memorable moment: going to Target and not having to carry or push anybody in a cart!) We are so thankful that we were able to get away from it all for a few days. One thing I learned on this trip was that either rollercoasters have gotten scarier or I have become a wimp over the last decade! Either way, it's fun to try doing something you used to love. Sometimes you find yourself loving it all over again!

Back To School

We have been back in school now for over a week. Our neighbors across the street asked me about homeschooling their little girl, M, who is in Kindergarten. After a LOT of prayer and talking with the hubs, we finally agreed to do it. So this year I am teaching a second grader, first grader, and a kindergartner. I know a lot of homeschooling moms probably wouldn't sign on for this, but it is really a lifesaver for me to be able to help financially right now. Here's what our typical school morning looks like:

9:00 Start the day with prayer. We read great books that cover different periods of history and
parts of the world and then I ask questions to help their understanding. Finish this time
by listening to a cd with geography songs (and dancing -- there's always silly dancing!)
9:30 Split up and have individual reading lessons. When the girls are not working on their
reading with me they work on their handwriting at their desks.
10:00 Language arts. Hands-on activities, work on the whiteboard, etc.
10:30 Recess
10:50 Snack time -- we talk about character training (ie. diligence, obedience, patience)
11:00 Science -- we read aloud from our science books and then they answer questions
either at their desks or aloud to me.
11:30 Math
12:00 End of school day!

I love how our days are set up although this isn't a strict schedule. Some days we will have science experiments or craft time. At some point this week we will be making bricks to go along with our learning about the Egyptians and pyramids. School is fun! (Now you can all laugh at me in two weeks when I post about how tired I am. jk!)

Two Years

Our family has fallen victim to the latest (and not-so-greatest) stomach flu. Yuck. I don't think I've ever seen my husband this sick. The kids and I have gotten through it okay for the most part. Now if we could just fumigate the house . . .

Tonight I was cuddling with Sammie after feeding her and telling her what an adorable little person she is. From her squishy cheeks, to her chubby thighs, to her fuzzy hair, to her round little tummy -- oh, I wish I could just freeze time! As I ran my finger across her belly she let out a giggle and I had a thought come to me, unbidden. Tomorrow my Isaac would have been two years old! Two! It's hard to imagine. And yet this anniversary is easier to handle when I have his sister to hold on to.

Does anyone else still think of him? Or is it just Ethan and I? He is so precious to us. Although I don't know what else tomorrow will bring, I think I might have to get his box from the hospital down and hold onto the blanket we held him in. And I'll thank God for the five beautiful kids He's given us.

Lessons I've Learned This Summer

1. Thirty minutes is not long enough to make a sound decision on whether or not you should get an exchange student.

2. Nail polish will come out of carpet if you work really, really fast.

3. Encouraging your kids to submit projects to the local fair is only a good idea if you REALLY want to help finish all those projects.

4. Sometimes the people you least expect end up becoming the greatest friends.

5. You can't count on hot weather for swimming lessons, even in August.

6. Marriage can still be exciting after almost ten years.

7. Holding your breath around bees can keep you from getting stung. (Thanks Tab!)

8. A piece of plywood is not the best platform for a backyard campfire.

9. Yardsales are always hard work, even when you aren't pregnant.

10. Turtles move a lot faster in the backyard when you aren't watching them.

Ready, Set, Go!

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this already, but after a lengthy stay in the hospital (and turning 30) I was ready to get serious about working out. So with Ethan's encouragement I started running back in March after Sammie turned one month. Well, it was more like running/walking/running/walking. Mostly walking. :) In June I ran my first 5k -- it was worth every day of preparation!

This summer my sweet friend and neighbor Katie agreed to run with me in the mornings and it has been SO much better than training alone. We don't have a specific race we're training for but I found THIS one and had to look twice. Might be a blast with a group. What do you think?

Lockers

I can't believe it's already August! I have been horrible about posting the last few weeks, but am resolving to be better this month. :)

So my dad called us yesterday morning to ask if we might have any use for some lockers, like you use in school. I said "YES" because I love pretty much anything I can use for storage. His company was getting rid of some and let the employees take them. Ours kind of look like this:

. . . except the bottoms do not have feet; they are flush with the floor. Oh, and they are not this nice shade of blue, they are MAROON. There's a color I will never decorate with -- talk about the '80's. (Apologies here to anyone who loves maroon. It's just not my thing.) So they will be getting painted.

I posted a question on facebook to see what other people would use these lockers for in a playroom, and here are the results so far.

-- dress-up clothes

-- art supplies

-- awkward-shaped toys

-- books and puzzles

I like all of these ideas, but as usual I have thought of something completely over the top that we probably can't/won't do. I was thinking . . . what if we cut out the back of one of them and made it a secret doorway into a hidden room?! How fun would that be? I'd probably get stuck trying to show the kids, knowing my luck. :) Anyway . . . there are some serious possibilites!

Ryan News

So Ryan is fortunate enough to be off the waiting list for speech therapy now. He has been going for about three weeks and this week his therapist said the little ball at the back of his throat is tilted. (I don't remember what it's called -- any help, speech therapist friends?) She also said he has some sort of sinus issue. She is referring him to a doctor and says if it is fixed he should be able to speak more clearly. I wonder if he'll have to have surgery? I find it really interesting.

Summer Fun

I will probably start school again towards the beginning of August this year. Every homeschool family plans their year differently, but I am leaning towards taking less time off in the summer and having the days available during the school year. We definitely prefer to do our appointments in the morning, so if we keep some flex days available it really helps.

So . . . July. To keep July from feeling like a month of waiting for school to start up, the kids and I have been trying to plan something little each day that we can do here at home. The rules? It has to be inexpensive or free. (Free is always good, right?) Here are two projects we did recently.

Spongeballs

Like snowballs for the summer, these are great time-fillers for kids on a hot day. We spent very little money buying some simple sponges. Next we cut them, tied them in the middle, and pulled the ends out to make them fluffy. It was something both of the girls were easily able to help with, which is always nice.
Peanut Butter Playdough

Allie had been begging me to let them make this for a while. The kids love using cookie cutters with this stuff and then eating it. Here's the recipe:

1 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup powdered milk

Mix, play, and eat!

Overwhelmed and Undeserving

There are times when I feel God's love and am completely overwhelmed. This week there have been two significant moments. Two families with unselfish hearts have blessed us in ways that we never could have imagined. I am touched beyond words. I know Ethan doesn't mind if I share this, but we were incredibly disappointed. Besides the bathroom incident, our food disposal stopped working. There are some other details of things that made it seem we had no choice but to use a credit card to get by. I know it probably seems silly, but we have been fighting so hard to not use credit because we feel convicted about it. Ethan really wanted to ignore our committment to God to honor him with our finances. (Again, he said it was okay to share this because he knows other people have struggled with the same thing.) So we prayed about it instead and asked God to please make a way. Within two days, I think, these families came alongside and showed God's love to us.

We are so undeserving! Yet our merciful Father in heaven doesn't just provide us with our needs, but many wants as well. To the kind friends -- we will never forget your amazing kindness and love for us. You have blessed us beyond measure!

How is it possible to have such peace and joy in the midst of this world? Give it all --your worries, frustrations, fears -- to Christ. It is not worth it to hold tight to my plans and desires. I am nothing. He is everything!

Website For Book Lovers!

I am so excited to share a blog with all of you. Particularly those of you who love reading like me. And ESPECIALLY for anyone who loves reading and wants books that are clean. No language, gore, sex scenes . . . just a good story.

So enough build-up. Go visit Homespun Light and get some good ideas for summer reading!

News!

No, we're not expecting. Ha. But I've decided to start taking piano students again! I never really wanted to stop teaching but it seemed like there was no choice after Ryan was born. Now that he qualifies for services due to his disability, I can teach while he's receiving therapy hours. I am super excited too, because a mom in our homeschool group is going to teach karate lessons to my munchkins in exchange for piano lessons for hers. Win-win!

So, if you've ever thought about starting piano lessons for your little ones, give me a call. :)

When It Rains, It Pours

I'm an idiot. No, really. Saturday night was a busy night. After dinner we had to

1. bathe five kids
2. pack Michelle's suitcase
3. nurse the baby
4. mow the lawn
5. get ice cream from the icecream truck (because we PROMISED, darn it!)

So Ethan headed out the back door to mow the lawn. I started Ryan in his bath and left Allie to supervise him, which she does well. I came downstairs to nurse the baby. At some point Ryan was done in the bath and I had to take a break from Samantha to dress him for bed. At some point the girls heard the ice cream truck getting closer to the house and were running around like crazy. At some point I started Emmie's bath. At some point I put Ryan to bed, paid for icecream, got interrupted by neighbors, had the four year old neighbor girl running around my house, and got back to Samantha to finish feeding her. Guess what I didn't do? STOP THE BATHTUB! Yeah. It flooded our entire bathroom. Big time. I about threw Sammie off my lap when I remembered. I ran upstairs and started putting towels all over the carpet, trying to sop it up. Then I heard Ethan yelling for me, because water was coming through the ceiling of the garage! Turns out we are going to have to re-build the floor of the bathroom.

Ugh. I wish I could say that our crummy weekend ended with that. But as luck would have it . . . Sunday afternoon Ryan (during an unsupervised moment) plugged our downstairs sink with a towel and flooded the downstairs bathroom! Ethan and I did our best to dry it up with all the dry towels we had left, which wasn't many. We don't know the extent of the damage there but have decided we'll wait until the upstairs repair is done before we find out.

I don't know if there's any chance our insurance will help with this, but I'm afraid we won't be going to Lagoon this year after all. Thank goodness we had saved up some money for a vacation or we'd really be in trouble.

This weekend we were like the poster family for not having a bunch of children, but luckily life is not usually so chaotic! Gotta love it.

Adventures

Well, since my last post Michelle seems to be doing better. She cried again the next night at bedtime and I went in and sat with her, but since then she has been much more cheery. I would cry too if I was so far away from home and so young.

The director of the exchange program, Michelle's principal from back home, and another couple who work with the program made visits to all the families last week. Our visit was on Friday. It was interesting. The principle and the other couple are all Korean. They speak some English but not a ton. So it was kind of awkward. They basically came out to see how we were doing and to get some pictures to send back to her parents. We got her mom's email so we can "visit". I tried using an internet language conversion site, Babblefish, but when Michelle read the English and then the Korean version she said it didn't translate very well. So I may just send a simple note in English and maybe her parents will be able to figure it out. I think they can read some English.

When Ethan and I first talked of doing this I said, "Well, it's gotta be a lot easier adding an older kid to the mix, and not a baby." Ha. Famous last words. :) She is easier in some ways, but she still forgets to flush the toilet and leaves clothes on the floor. Kids are kids!

Maternal Instincts

As I'm typing this our poor little exchange student is in the bathroom sobbing on the phone to her mom. My heart is BREAKING. She has been holding up really well but fell tonight at the playground and skinned up her knee. She didn't cry then but I knew it bothered her. I'm not sure if the kids at school have been very friendly either. The first day when I picked her up a couple of the girls from her class were kind of snotty to her when we walked past. This is SO much harder than I thought it would be. You wouldn't think that your heart would break so much for someone else's child, but it does.

Update . . . The girls and I prayed for her upstairs before they got in bed. I came down and she had just finished her call. I gave her a hug, but I don't know if that was any help. (She was trying to look like everything was okay.) She really needs her family. Please pray for her!

New Experiences

Less than 24 hours ago we had no idea that we would hosting a little Korean girl for a month. I received an email from a friend about a cultural exchange program and that they were in urgent need of families. Usually they have 11 kids visit and this year they had 17. Ethan and I talked about it and decided to get more information. This is what getting more information looked like: the director dropping by our house and telling us what to expect and to be at the airport in seven hours! It was such a whirlwind of a day.

Michelle is from the city of Seoul so this is quite an adjustment for her. She has never seen livestock up close so we're going to take her to a dairy. She is 9 years old and in the third grade. She'll be going to school during the week while she's here and the rest of the time we're going to try to fit in as many experiences as possible.

I can't IMAGINE letting my little girl go to Korea for a month! Especially not knowing the family at all. Her mom sent a sweet note and a music box for us. She asked us to please take good care of her daughter. (Of course!) I feel so connected to her; just another mama on the other side of the world. She is very brave!

Accomplishments

This last weekend was a big one for our family.

Ethan ran a half-marathon.

Allie got news that a poem she wrote will be published!

Emmie danced in Swan Lake.

Ryan pooped on the potty for the first time! (And he went to the bathroom without any prompting.)

And Samantha and I . . . well, we didn't do anything spectacular. :) She is growing like mad and I guess I am the support staff around here! I'm proud of this family.

Game ON!

I have really creative friends. :) One of them found a fun new game for a bunch of us to play. It's from a book and called the Game On Diet. For one month a group of us will all be competing against one another to see who can live the healthiest lifestyle. I will be having less of this . . .

and much more of this . . .

Players get points for not just what they eat, but how much they exercise, how much water they drink, how much sleep they get, etc. We're all going to throw a little cash into the pot before we start and whoever racks up the most points wins! I can't wait to begin.

Parade of Homes

Along with yardsales, I love this time of year for going to the Parade of Homes. It's such a treat getting to walk through gorgeous, award-winning houses! Ethan and I go every year and went last night together. Below are two pictures of a secret room. Since I loaded these pictures backwards the reveal is showing first, but oh well. It was a bookcase that you gently pressed on to slide back into a low-ceilinged room for kids. Our kids weren't with us last night but they would have gone crazy over that. Wondering where I can put it in my house . . .

Besides unique architectural features, parade homes are decorated beautifully and perfectly landscaped. They kind of take your breath away. And yet -- and I am so thrilled to say this and truly mean it -- when we got back home after looking last night, I was SO HAPPY with our home! Our house is nothing special but it's perfect for our family. We've lived in nine places in our marriage and it is such a joy to finally feel like we're home.

Yard Sale Finds

I guess I really am addicted to green things. Coffee tastes better coming out of these mugs, I swear.

Allie took this picture. I've always wanted some of these decorative bottles. You can't beat $1 per bottle.

Love this time of year!

Awareness Month

April is the National Autism Awareness Month. I want to do my part to raise awareness (to the two people who read this -- ha!) Autism affects one in every 110 children and one in every 70 boys. There are quite a few red flags that indicate a child has autism so I'll just share what we noticed with Ryan. He didn't have words by 16 months, didn't have two-word phrases by 24 months, and has had a loss of language skills after his third birthday.

Just like breast cancer awareness has a pink ribbon, autism awareness is a ribbon comprised of puzzle pieces. It makes perfect sense -- the way their minds work is a puzzle really. We talk to Ryan all the time and he doesn't respond, but every once in a while he'll say something so clearly and perfectly that it shocks me. The times we hear him babble to himself it sounds so garbled that I tend to think that he isn't capable of pronouncing the sounds. (Like another one of my kiddos, who substitutes a 'w' sound for the 'r'.) So it seems to me like the right words are in there somewhere. With time I hope and pray we can get them out.

A friend asked today about adults with autism, because you don't hear about that much. I agree, and think that the main reason is because even though autism doesn't go away early intervention can help greatly. When a child is worked with consistently he can learn the right behaviours and even appear to be a typical child. Seeing older kids who have overcome so many obstacles in their development gives me so much hope! Someday . . .

Optimistic

It has been one of those days. Or maybe it has been one of those weeks. As I'm sitting here nursing my sweet little one, I'm struggling to remind myself of where my joy and hope lie. If it was in circumstances I think I'd give up. As I posted on my facebook page I heard yesterday that a body pulled from a pond on Monday was a friend of mine from high school. She has four children and I feel so much pain for them and for the rest of her family. Rest in peace, Heather.

Last week we had our sixth month follow-up visit with the developmental specialist. I was hoping to hear more of a detailed report on where Ryan falls on the autism spectrum, but he is still too young to tell. Each day I am reminded that having a child with special needs means I have to adjust my expectations. He is improving in many areas -- less self-abuse and screaming for one. He still delights in sensory "experiences", meaning making messes. He found my spices today and dumped them all over the pantry. He also took the "kid" laundry basket and unloaded clothes all over the staircase, dumped a pile of tiny rocks in the entry, and emptied a bag of Easter eggs waiting to go back to the church all over the play room. Aaaaahhh. Mommy needs a vacation! A cute (11 year old) friend of the family asked me yesterday if he is "optimistic". It took me a second before I realized what she meant. :)

Seriously though, all of us have days and weeks and sometimes months of difficulties. Where do you find your strength?

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
-- Exodus 15:2

Updates

Sami is two months old today! She has been sleeping super well -- most nights I feed her around 10:00 or so and she sleeps until 7:00 when I wake her up. I am really enjoying time spent with her before the other kids are awake. She is having a lot of trouble with bowel movements so I am really cutting down on the amount of milk I drink and trying to eat more foods that are high in fiber. Poor baby.

Emily just said "I love Mommy with one whole side of my heart and Daddy with the other whole side of my heart". So precious!

I am seriously considering putting the majority of my kids' toys in the yard sale. All the little toys at least. Any other moms feel this way? The girls aren't even supposed to have toys in their room but we found a small truckload while cleaning it out today. That and little scraps of paper, hair clips, water bottles, etc. We have been working for the last couple of years to train the kids on cleaning around the house, but our major struggle has been their bedroom. I guess we just need to keep on training. :)

Ryan got to play with another little boy with autism today. His developmental tech took him to the park with another tech and this little boy named Wyatt, who is five. I guess they played really well together. It just warmed my heart to hear about it.

The Christmas Pet

A long time back I promised to reveal the identity of the pet we got for the kids this Christmas. Well, here he (or she, we don't really know) is! Meet Fred.

Here Emily and a buddy watch Fred take a bath in his water dish. Turtles are weird.

And I am so proud to show off the wonderful job Ethan did building the stand for the cage. He is really getting into woodworking lately and I love everything he makes! (I just realized this picture isn't so great because it doesn't even show off the bottom shelf part. Just use your imagination.)

The people we got the turtle from gave four of them away. They had originally gotten the turtles on their grandparents farm in Arkansas. So our little Fred has had an interesting journey. They said we can take him out in the backyard to play in the summer, but to watch him because "they move really fast". Haha! I'm pretty sure we won't lose him. :)

Field Trip to the Capitol

Today our homeschool group went for a tour of the capitol building. The girls were looking forward to it because Daddy told them it was like a castle inside. :)

We just got back and I had them write a report about what they learned and draw a picture to go with their report. Allison drew an accurate (for a 7 year old) picture of the front of the building. She is still working on her report but I took a peek. It reads . . .

"I no that the capitol has a eagle and it is as tall as mommy."

She's right -- the tour guide told us that the eagle at the very top is 5'7" tall.

Emmie, true to her nature, doodled a fanciful drawing of the inside complete with flowers (which she added because she thought there should be flowers inside). Her only summary of the capitol is . . .

"It has a crack in it."

Also true! While walking through a hallway with a skylight in it we noticed a big crack. The guide told us it came from a few teenagers who threw a rock at it. :(

I love how my girls pick up completely different things from the same field trip. Good times. :)

Emily's Birthday Cake

I realize it is now March and I am just now posting pictures from Em's party in November, but whatever. :)

Here was the cake my little girl wanted. A snowy white castle. My favorite part was making the blue snowflakes. Emmie's favorite part was eating a turret.

Go Cassy!

I have to take a moment to brag on my cousin Cassy. She just sold her first screenplay! Very exciting. A subsidiary of Sony bought it. I don't know what it's about or anything, but I'm so proud of her!

Good Things

While feeding Samantha in the middle of the night I came across a website I just HAD to share. If you're like me and want to simplify, go here for some great articles and ideas on how to unclutter your life. I knew this website was a keeper when I finished feeding the baby and still stayed awake to read (but only for a few minutes . . . I had to be sensible after all!)

Another website I've been loving lately is Design Dazzle. The ideas for birthday parties and kids rooms are fantastic! I don't know why I have such a love of themed birthday parties but I do. :)

Spring Cleaning

This has been a good week for spring cleaning. Crisp and chilly out to want to stay in, but enough sunshine to motivate some hard work!

While cleaning up in the girls' room I found little collections of random things; paper towel rolls, stacks of drawings, ribbons, etc. The girls have been passionate about gathering little things lately -- probably due to their new fascination with the Guiness Book of World Records. Anyway, Emmie shared me that she has an idea for yet another collection . . . daddy's old contacts! Can you say YUCK? Ethan gave her a pair the other night because she was really interested and she thought they were the coolest things ever. Really, the mind of a five-year-old amazes me.

Our family has not been on a get-away together since Ryan was a newborn and we went to the coast. He didn't even go on that trip, and I've been dreaming for a while about doing some sort of little family outing. We're thinking of going to Lagoon, and to fund the trip we're going to try to have a massive yard sale. I am so excited to do this! It really makes spring cleaning more fun when you look at everything you clean out as potential trip dollars. (Also makes it easier to part with stuff.) I've promised the girls they can do a lemonade stand this year too. Do any of you have any experience trying to sell baked goods at yardsales? I'm wondering if we should even try or if it will be a big waste of time. What do you think?

March

Whenever I think about updating my blog there are many random thoughts that come into my head. I'll try to keep it interesting . . .



Sami is five weeks old today. She still wakes up two times during the night and I am anxiously awaiting a good nights sleep. She doesn't go #2 very often, but the dr. said it can be as infrequent as once every 7 days. Wow! She is finally out of preemie clothes.


Ryan now has a developmental therapist who comes out and works with him every morning. She is a college girl who helps him with specific goals, like buttoning his jacket and signing when he has needs. It is SUCH A BLESSING to have someone working with him. Especially with a brand-new baby in the house. I've been able to spend much more time working with the girls on their schoolwork every day too.


Emily. She is always keeping us laughing. The other day she told me, "Mommy, I would really appreciate it if you could talk to me with words I understand." She had her fifth birthday in November. She is going to be a dancing princess in her ballet recital this year and is getting to be a really good reader, although she has a hard time making the "r" sound still. Her dream is still (and has always been) to be a firefighter.

Every day I think how lucky I am that Allison was our firstborn. She makes my life about a thousand times easier; making breakfast or lunch for her siblings, changing diapers, reading to Emmie, playing with Ryan, etc. She loves to serve others and has such a sweet attitude. While I was in the hospital she decided she wants to be an NICU nurse when she grows up. I can definitely see her in that role. She is very athletic too.

Ethan and I are finding our marriage to be absolutely amazing since I've been home from the hospital. I sometimes can't believe how we've changed over the years and have become exactly what each other needs. If you knew us when we were first married you probably would have bet we wouldn't have made it. (Truly!) God has been so good to us.

This post has taken me two days to complete as I've only written a sentence here or there. :) Four kids keep me busy! Lovin' it . . .

Is This For Real?

While browsing the news today, I came across a story about a new "ninja-themed" restaurant in Taiwan. (I believe they serve Japanese food.) Ethan and I got a kick out of it; waitresses weilding swords and such. :) Sounds like my kind of place. So Ethan suggests an idea for a restaurant: Ninja Burger! We laughed about it and he suggested I google it to see if anyone else ever thought of the same name. Well, lo and behold . . . I give you THIS!

Seriously? Is this place for real? I have a hard time believing it is. I haven't explored the website very much but it says there are 6 Ninja Burger locations near us. Yeah . . . riiiight. Sure there are. Have any of you ever heard of this place? It's too funny.

Photo Shoot and Open House

What a week! Thursday brought us an opportunity for a free photo shoot with an amazing photographer. She is a friend of a friend, and was looking for a newborn to photograph. (She mentors other photographers and had a woman coming in for the day from Seattle). I think in exchange we will get an 8 x 10. It was interesting to see how she kept the area around Samantha nice and warm. She was able to pose her almost any way she wanted. Here is her website if you want to take a peek!

Saturday we had an open house to thank everyone who prayed for us, brought meals, watched our kids, visited me in the hospital . . . you name it. We had 82 people say they would be here and it ended up being more like 60 that came. I think 60 was plenty! It was great to see and even meet some of the people who helped our family during the last few months. The day was long but it was so worth it. One woman I had only briefly met before at our homeschool co-op (who picked up our groceries each week) came and brought her husband and kids. It was so neat to get to know them better.

We sadly missed church yesterday because we had sick kiddos. Luckily Samantha hasn't caught the bug yet . . . we'll pray she stays in good health! I can't wait to get out of the house and go somewhere. :)

Last night I heard the little baby squeaks that always precede a full-fledged hunger cry. Wanting to slip out of bed and get to her before Ethan woke up, I made it one step before the whole room started spinning and went black. While falling down I managed to hit the windowsill with my face and split my lip. Exciting! That, unfortunately, woke the hubby. I'm not sure what it was all about . . . maybe low blood pressure or something? At any rate, Ethan wouldn't let me carry Samantha the rest of the night. (Probably a good move!)

Of course the dr. wants to know about anything like this, so I called in just to let them know. I didn't expect that they would be so alarmed about it. They are trying to talk me into coming in to be checked out tomorrow. I really don't want to go in and can't drive yet anyway (c-section requirement). I especiallydon't want to go in if they are just going to tell me to take more iron. Silly. The nurse said the dr. may also want me to get another transfusion, but at least it can be an outpatient procedure. Aaahh, decisions.

Second and Third Day at Home

Yesterday I watched a Superbowl ad from Google that totally made me cry. Anyone see it? It tells a story of a guy meeting a girl, getting married, and having a baby. Anyway, the baby part got me. I don't know if it's just hormones or what, but sometimes you just feel better after a good cry. And as unbelievable overjoyed as I am with our little Sami, I've had some moments of mourning for Isaac again. It's been about 18 months and I still don't think a day goes by that he doesn't come to mind, even if it's just a passing thought about him. Ethan told me last night he's been a little bit bothered by using Isaac's diapers. That thought hadn't occured to me but I understand his feelings.

Bit by bit the house is starting to come together. I worked on our entry today and was thrilled to find a cd case of a cd that needs to go back to the library. I've sweated over the library fines that I'm sure we have, but am hoping that with an explanation they will dismiss any fines that came in the last three months.

This morning the sweet babe was ready to eat a few minutes after 6:00. I brought her into the bonus room to feed her and within a few minutes heard Ryan rustling around. He was SO excited when he discovered us! After putting Samantha back down in her crib the two of us went downstairs and made special pancakes together. He got on the bus for preschool and the girls read aloud from their reading books to me. They were proud to show off their progress. :)

Experienced mamas with big families have shared that after you have three kids you don't even notice the workload changing. Really? Maybe when you don't have an infant. Getting used to four kids has been challenging and I'm not even doing most of the work yet! Big thanks to my friend Traci for coming over and holding down the fort today like you have done the past several Mondays -- I appreciated the help very much.

Home Sweet Home

The first full day at home has consisted of . . .

Taking Samantha BACK to the hospital for a biliruben blood draw

Getting to show her off to the nurses who took care of me for so many weeks :)

Being asked more than once -- Since you already had the baby, why is your stomach still big? (thanks girls ! mommy feels really confident now!)

Folding kid laundry for one hour -- and only getting half-way through

Watching Ryan, Allie, and Emmie fuss over their new sister

Taking a good 2 hour nap

Searching through baby clothes to find preemie sizes

Eating dinner at the table with the family!

And Then There Were Six

Where do I begin? Most of you already know that our sweet little girl is here! She was born Monday morning at 11:29, weighing 5 lbs. 10 oz. and measuring 18 inches long. Her gestational age was 34 weeks and 5 days.

Sunday night we were supposed to have a "Girls Night" at the hospital. Allie and Emmie were coming out and a girlfriend was coming to be the required adult chaperone. We were so looking forward to our evening of fun, but little miss Samantha had plans of her own. Ethan was luckily still at the hospital when the bleeding began. There was so much they called for an emergency transport to the downtown hospital.

I imagined we'd have a nice, calm drive through the city, but we had lights and sirens and high speeds. Ethan got to ride up front. One of the most interesting things he told me afterwards was how many people didn't yield to the ambulance. Seriously? I never imagined.

At the downtown hospital they prepared for an emergency c-section while I layed on a super-stiff bed. And then the most surprising thing happened; the bleeding stopped! Ethan and I were both relieved on one hand, but on the other hand we were disappointed again. I just knew they were going to move me back to the antipartum unit to wait.

In the morning, the dr. who was finishing up his week-long shift was very vague as to what the course of action would be. He said I couldn't eat or drink anything but it was likely I'd be going back to waiting. I was about to go crazy from the non-committal answers when the new dr. on shift came on. He was funny and very direct and said, "What do you think about having a c-section today?" And he meant it!

I just have to share that my hubby watched the entire c-section. It cracks me up; he can't stand the sight of throw-up, but has no problem watching a major surgery from a foot away.

By the time the surgery was over they had whisked Samantha off to the NICU because she was having trouble breathing on her own. I went to a recovery room and it seemed like hours before I saw her for the first time. Of course I think she's the most beautiful little baby girl and all that, but the overwhelming emotion for me was one of restoration. It feels like we've come full circle. The nightmare that started all the way back in August of 2008 has finally come to a close. This baby that I was too scared to fully love until now is safely here! Our family is complete. :)

Quick One

So an update for anyone who read yesterday's blog . . . I am feeling much more positive today. It probably helped to have some visitors today. :) Anyway, I am feeling renewed and ready to tackle these next 10 days until the c-section. Bring it on!

The Patient Knows Best. Or is it the Docter?

I have a confession. The last several days have been the same. I start having contractions and they give me Nyphetapine. (sp?) It lowers my blood pressure and in turn stops the contractions. But now that I am past the 34 week mark I am so tempted to not tell the nurse I'm having contractions.

There's a danger in being a long-term patient. You tend to start questioning what's being done and if you want to exercise your right to say no. For example, I've been off of an i.v. for many weeks because I've been stable. This week was a little crazy though, and now I have to have one. I hate the way my arm looks; all full of poke marks and bumpy and scarred. I would really like to refuse the next one. But am I really using my brain when I think like that, or is it just emotional? I think I know the answer.

The hardest part of this whole situation has been a loss of rights. There's no privacy anymore; I can't choose when to have housekeeping or the dietician or the physical therapist walk through the door. I'm being told how to eat and that I need to eat more almost daily. I can't make things better at home or be there to comfort my kids. So yeah, maybe a little control is what I'm seeking. It's a dangerous game to play with your health, when the only reason you're refusing what's best is because you need to make sure your voice is still heard.

Turquoise

So Pantone, the big color gurus, announced this month that turquoise is the color of 2010. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I doubt we'd use this color in any of our decorating. I am thinking of doing a series of paintings though with this being the main color. Not sure if they would sell better with it being trendy or not.

When I was a little girl I went through a phase when I LOVED pink, purple, and turquoise together. Maybe that's why I'm having a hard time accepting it as a grown-up hue. :) What do you think? Love it or hate it?

I Like

I think our nursery needs this clock. Isn't it the cutest? Even the color works. I bet I could make one similar but probably not here at the hospital. It would just take the clockworking parts, a round piece of wood, and some paint or vinyl. And I bet it could be made for a lot less than the $69 price tag.

Oh, bedrest. It gives you way too much time to imagine the possibilities!

(picture courtesy Land of Nod)

Date Night

I have the best husband ever! You know how opposites attract? Well, I tend to be very, very frugal -- Ethan thinks sometimes to the point of being ridiculous. (And he's probably right!)

Today he called me and said he had been looking up activities for someone stuck on bedrest to do, and one that he thought would work for us would be to have a date night with dinner brought in from a restaurant. He asked how I might like having some Goodwood pulled pork . It sounds heavenly! But I couldn't help but be concerned if we had the money for it. I told him I'd rather save our date until I was home again and healed and we could have a celebration out. So he says, why not do both? I was really struggling with this and he pointed out that maybe with all that I've been through the past couple months it was okay to spend $10 on dinner. I like his logic. I'm grateful that he sometimes pushes me to have a little fun!

P.S. Just in case pulled pork sounds good to you too, you can get a pound off the Goodwood a la carte menu for just $10. It is delicious!