Tuesday, September 28, 2010

oh, the irony


So
I'm putting together the activity sets for the preschool swap
and Lexi is playing with my clothespins.
my regular clothespins.
Does anybody else see the irony ??
We get so hung up 
on trying to offer our children all the 'right' educational experiences
and all we really need to do
is include them in life. 
real, regular life.

Monday, September 27, 2010

there's a new blog in town


Brandon got a digital microscope for his b-day
(that's why your comment got deleted, Kaylana)
You may have seen it; I accidentally linked to it recently.
anyways.
The kids have all had quite a bit of fun with it
and it's led to him starting a blog, Guess the Thing.
He going to post a couple of close-up photos every week
and wants ya'll to see if you can figure out what they are.
Then the following week, he'll share the not-so-close-up pictures
that correspond with the previous week's close-ups
and a few more new pictures.
Sounds fun, huh??
so gather up the kids and head on over
and play
:-)

speaking of new blogs....
Several months ago
I started another one for my crafty stuff
since this blog was in danger of turning into a 'look what I did' site
instead of a family scrapbook.
Most of ya'll probably already knew that
but just in case somebody missed it
and cares
I didn't want ya to feel left out.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

makes a momma's heart happy


By chance
we both pulled into different spots 
in Aldi's parking lot at the same time.
I was running in to pick up a few groceries;
he was heading over to Marketplace to work.
He could have pretended he didn't see us.
He could have waved hello and walked the other way.
But he didn't;
he smiled real big
and came over and gave me a hug.



I do love my boy!

that crazy little Lex'

So.
I'm trying to get the girl to sleep.
She's so tired.
But man, she's a fighter!
I left the room for a minnute
thinking that
maybe
without me in there
she could finally succumb to sleep.
Then
I could hear what sounded like Bible pages rustling.
Okay.
How can I spank her for getting a Bible??
I went in
 - it's dark, mind you -
and I could barely make out her figure next to Papa.
Oh, that's so sweet.
She's lying next to Daddy reading the Bible.
And then
I smelled a very faint perfume-y scent.
what??
She had gotten up
(she's a quiet li'l bugger when she wants to be!)
gone to the bathroom 
grabbed my box of tampons
(accidentally didn't buy the unscented this time)
took the whole box box and got back in bed.

Reading the Bible - my eye! 

Friday, September 24, 2010

a little bit of lately


This is my favorite shirt on Lexi right now.
I can't even tell you why ~ I just love her in it!
That it only cost 25 cents at a yard sale is a bonus.


School is in full force
bu there's still plenty of time for playing.


Josiah kinda tends toward laziness.
Needless to say, that's not gonna fly
so I've been having him stick close to me.
He's learned how to rinse the dishes, then stack them
before loading into the dishwasher.
This is his first load - pretty good, huh?!



Birthday Season will be over soon.
The little ones sure love buying gifts for their bubs!


I'm still on page 16 of my manual
but I'm not as scared to use the camera.
I'll be thrilled when I can finally shoot manually
but I'm quite happy with results of the auto settings for now.
(some of the above pics were all taken w/ my point & shoot)




Wednesday, September 22, 2010

chill pill


My mind races in 37 different directions
every time I put a baby to sleep.
One of the directions its often going
is
school.


I can't really do school the way I'd like to.
It's just not possible.
I'm coming to grips with that
and trying to find a balance between what I want to do
and what we absolutely positively have to do.
Sadly
more often than not
what we really end up doing isn't even a compromise;
it's the bare-bones minimum.
And I hate that!
Anyways
back to one of my 37 trains of thought....


I haven't worked on scissoring with the little ones.
(that's what Josiah used to call cutting - which makes perfect sense!)
I need to make up some worksheets.
Straight lines for Lily
curvy for Josiah
zigzags for Jeremiah....
These are the things that run through my head.



What is the matter with me?
I mean. Really??
My kids are always making tickets.
or collages.

            

Why just this morning, Lily cut up a playing card.
Granted, she got fussed at for it, 
because it was formerly part of a whole deck,
which is rare around here.
One of my huge pet peeves
 is their paper scraps all over the floor.
And I was worried about them acquiring the proper cutting skills??
Sometimes
I just need to take a chill pill.



Sunday, September 19, 2010

graduation 2011


"Are you sentimental?"
She'd asked innocently,
wondering if perhaps
she was a touch too sentimental about the whole thing.
I, without a thought, answered, "Oh, yeah."
"Your first one's the toughest, though," I added
as her eyes brimmed with tears and her voice got shaky.
Then
I sort of felt bad for not being more sentimental;
being a veteran graduator and all has hardened me, I guess.

As I was nursing Lexi later,
I began making a mental list of the things that needed doing.
(I sometimes envy those with kids graduating
from 'regular' school - all they gotta do is show up)
Then I started thinking
about what pictures we might want to use in Tony's video.
I haven't taken many pictures of Tony lately
I'll need to get better about that.
I thought back to different things he's done in the past few years
and regretted the lack of photographic evidence.
A kazillion hours spent working on his sister's house
and not one photo.
Darn!
That was pretty much his entire summer last year.
and I have no record of it
save the one in my mind
and we all know how reliable that's been lately.
So
I went further back in my mind
picturing photos that we do have.
I got to one taken in the playroom in Ft Smith.
TJ and Tony were laying on a pile of pillows
and T was reading to Ton'.
A Hardy Boys mystery, I think.
And my chest got heavy
and my throat started to tighten up.
My eyes began to sting a little.
I had to stop that thought train right there!

Maybe I'm not as tough as I thought.
I'm not ready to graduate another baby!!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

another quilt


Remember this - when I got to hold an angel?
Well, that little angel baby has a new quilt
only
I didn't make it for her.
Lynnet did;
and I hijacked her blog to post about it.





Wednesday, September 15, 2010

silly little Lex'


I'm sure this is one of those
'you had to be there' stories
but still
I want to remember, so I record.....


Lexi always answers,"Nine!" in a very sing-song voice
when she's asked her age.

"Lexi, how old are you?"
"Nine!"
"You're nine?"
"Yeah!."
"And you still wear diapers?"
Lexi looks down,
"Yeah!"
She always smiles when she says, "Yeah."
"And you still drink momma milk?"
Lexi looks over at Momma.
"Yeah!" :-)
"How old are you, Lexi??"
"Nine!"

repeat repeat repeat
It really is quite hilarious

Sunday, September 12, 2010

mixed emotions



~

I'm not sure if I'm happy
or
sad.
Mostly happy, I think.

Tyler put Lexi to sleep this evening.

I kept busy sewing
so I wouldn't cry.

But I'm done sewing now
and the tears are threatening to flow.


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

another post about sleep


Odd, I know.
For someone without much authority on the subject
I sure write about it a lot.
hmm.

Anyways.

Lexi Girl fell asleep
on her pillow tonight (this morning...)
not nursing.
Now,
she has gone to sleep 'unhooked' before
a couple of times
- rocking -
when the well's run dry,
but this is the first time ever
in her whole 19 1/2 month life
that she has fallen asleep in bed on her own.
I was right next to her, of course.
Using my own quilt, because she wouldn't share hers.

Do you have any idea
how difficult it is
to lie there
in the dark
feigning sleep, but not falling asleep??
I
if I may brag a bit
am a master at that.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

awww


I walked in the playroom this morning
and saw this

while it should have been cleaned up last night,
I'm kinda glad it wasn't.
Made me smile.
(The rest of the mess didn't make me smile, though...)
It made me think of this


Awww
Two little sweeties
tucked in with love.

Monday, September 6, 2010

and the winner is....


Rebekah

But wait!
There were two Rebekahs in the drawing
which one was it??
~
To determine the winner of the fabulous crayons
we colored pictures of what everyone said they would draw first
if they won


Everyone got in on the action


even Dad


We folded all the pictures in half
and put them in a bucket.
Lily closed her eyes real tight

and pulled out
the dog


Congratulations, Rebekah!!
I'll need your mailing address
~
I just reconnected with Rebekah
thanks to the wonders of modern technology and social media.
She's got a sweet little family
(or big family, depending on your perspective)
and blogs about them
and the food they love over at Rebekahs Family Food and Fun
~
thanks for playing, everyone

and just like that

with very little warning,
it was over.


I have enjoyed having a pool more this year than usual.
I suppose
that is because I actually got out in it
just about every day.
At first
it was all about the kids
and my trying to be more 'present'.
Yes, I am with my children
pretty much all the time,
but I confess I am not always with them.
Stay home mommas know what I mean.
(You do, don't you? or is it just me??)
~
As the season wore on
and walking with Tyler wasn't happening
because it was just too darn hot outside,
I started getting in the pool to exercise
alone
before the children joined me to swim and play.


After finishing my workout
(which if you must know
consisted of running - Baywatch style around the pool
(please-don't picture that!)
until my legs couldn't take any more,
then using just my arms
to keep me in one spot in the pool until they hurt
and then reversing my direction and going against the current
and doing it all over again.
repeat. repeat.repeat...)
but before the kids came out
I would sink down in the water
worn out - but in a good way
and I'd just
breathe.
It only lasted a minute or so
but it was my favorite time of day.
It was quiet, except for the water flowing through the filter
and the sky was always beautiful.
And there was peace.

And then
one day, I got in the pool and it was cold
and the next day
I got in there and it was gasping cold.
And I never climbed back in again.
Just like that
with very little warning
Swimming Season
was over.


On the bright side, though,
it's now cool enough that Tyler and I can walk again
which just happens to also be
my favorite time of day.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

gone


We lost a tree in a storm ages ago.
A pretty big tree, at that.
The guys thought it'd be really fun
and manly
to chop at it with an axe.
I was okay with that;
I'm all for exercise.
But the novelty wore off
and the tree sat.
Every day
when I'd look out at the pond,
(And I do look out at the pond every single day.
I'm like an old person; it's part of my opening the blinds routine)
there it would be,
dead
brown
and ugly.
But not anymore!
Thanks, guys!!














out of the mouths of babes


A minimum of twice a day
poor Li'l Miss Lexi,
when she's just desperate to nurse,
hears,
"Just a minute, Lex', Mommy has to go to the bathroom."
What can I say?
I have a small bladder.


Today was such a gorgeous day
and Lexi wanted to spend pretty much all of it
outside.
(pronounced "yide" - said while pointing to the door.
This is also how she tells me which side she'd like to nurse on,
"yide" - while pointing at -well- you get the point.)

"Yide!" She said to Brandon.
"Okay, I'll take you outside.
Can I go to the bathroom first?" He asked.
She looked at him.
"You not Momma!"
"Yide!"

~
don't forget to enter the drawing!!

Friday, September 3, 2010

happenings. and a giveaway


I can hardly believe it's Friday already.
And
a Friday in September, to boot!

On Wednesday, Lily and I made a batch of deodorant.
I've been using my homemade stuff for over a year now
and have been quite pleased.


Tyler had two containers that were just about out
and we had some leftover deodorant
after Lily filled my container
so we scraped out the remains of his
and added it to the remains of mine.

I figured he'd appreciate the manly smell
and this would be a good marriage of
homemade and chemical laden.

The thing about the homemade version is
it's soft.
The tomato lady suggests using a 'light hand' to apply.

It's especially soft for the the first few days after making.

I forgot to tell Tyler we'd switched up his deo
and when he went to use it this morning
he
well
he didn't use a light hand
seeing as how he didn't know he needed to....
It was hilarious
but I suppose you had to be there.
~
Look what came today!!

I'm both excited and terrified.
The battery is charged
and I'm on page 16 of the manual.
I think I might end up on page 16 for quite some time.
~
We also got our Rainbow Resource package today.
If you homeschool - you really must get their catalog
and even if you don't, you might want it - it's packed full of goodies!

When I order school stuff,
I always try to buy a few art supplies to add to our collection.
This year
I picked a couple of winners!
I ordered Lexi some rock crayons
and she loves them!
She likes to color
but regular crayons just don't always show up real well
with the light hand of a little one.
One stroke on the page with a rock and she was sold!


We also ordered a product I've looked at for the past three years
but just couldn't talk myself into.
This year
I was a little bit shy of the $150 in product
to qualify for free shipping
so it was the perfect chance to get them;
I figured
I could either pay for shipping
or I could pay for crayons
and have something to show for my money.


Excellent decision!
I only wish I would've ordered them three years ago.
These are the most amazing crayons I have ever touched
(and I was thoroughly impressed with Lex's rocks!)
The boys both said, "Oh, these are beautiful!"
right after they began coloring.
A half hour later
Lily woke up from her nap and we showed her our new treasure.
As soon as she put crayon to paper
she said,
"These color beautifully!"

~
You know what?
I think I'll do a give-away!
I am so excited about these crayons,
I'm going to give away a set of 24!
No kids?
No problem!
I'm pretty sure if you won these
as soon as they arrived in your mailbox
the kid in you would come out to play.


To enter the drawing
just leave a comment
telling me what you would draw a picture of first
if you won.
I'll draw a winner (draw a winner - haha)
ahem.
Sorry.
I'll draw a winner Monday evening.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

things I wonder about


"It's okay Momma.
Maybe someday soon, you'll know your kids names again."
He'd said it with compassion
after I'd called him the wrong names
again
for the kajillionth time.
If I've said it once
I've said it fifty times,
"It isn't that I don't know who you are,
my brain and my mouth just don't work together sometimes."

It got me to wondering...
Sleep deprivation is a form of torture;
keep the victim awake until he talks.
Right?
But
why on earth
would anybody believe what the poor tortured soul said??