Living Out Loud

Complaining

2011-03-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

My focus today: "Do all things without complaining and disputing" (Phil. 2:13). As I reflected on the day last night, I realized that I had more than once gotten on the kids about their attitudes and whiny tone--and then turned right around and complained my own way through the day. Gee, I wonder why THEIR attitudes were bad! Ugh. Cue Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust"--except replace "one" with "mom." But hey--another opportunity to teach the kidlets about grace and forgiveness, right? And admit what they already know--that Mom isn't perfect.

I Love Him

2011-03-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

For the vast majority of my life, I've gone to church, prayed, and read my Bible. Not consistently, of course, because about the only think I do consistently is be inconsistent. No matter where I was spiritually, I always believed that Jesus died for me--paying for my sins--and rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. I was (and am, of course!) grateful, appreciative, and moved by the immensity of His suffering and sacrifice. But I've always been bothered by the verses that say "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." That's the greatest of all commandments, as Jesus Himself said. Why did it bother me? Because I knew, even though I didn't want to admit it even in the depths of my soul, that I didn't love Him like that. I liked Him a lot--admired Him, trusted Him with some things...but LOVE? With ALL MY HEART??

This has bothered me more and more--this head knowledge without the heart knowledge. I figured there was a reason God put "heart" first in that list. And as life happened (primarily via postpartum depression and the subsequent dashing of my expectations), I had less and less control over my life and my ability to "tough it out" took a hike and left me crashed and burned. Shortly after my first child was born, a friend had invited me to a Bible study, which was the beginning of me actually learning more than just head knowledge (although there was that as well) about Jesus.

After almost 6 years of slowing having my wall chipped away, yesterday I was working on my lesson for Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and answering questions about Isaiah 53, a chapter that I'm so familiar with that I didn't really even need to read it to answer the questions. But I read it anyway, because it's a beautiful, heart-rending chapter. After answering some questions about how people in general perceived Christ, there was the question: "What is your response to Jesus?" For the first time ever, my first thought was not an intellectual response, but an emotional one: "I love Him." And I DO!! And my heart aches with love not just for Jesus and what did for me on the cross, but for my LORD GOD who planned it all, and I'm so unspeakably happy about it!

Cheap and Safe Cleaning

2011-03-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

There's already a whole lot of information on the web about the glories of homemade cleaning products, but I've recently had an experience that made me newly excited about them.

What happened? I was given and used some commercial cleaning wipes. I'd been trying various recipes for homemade ones, and it'd been a long time since the house had been filled with the smell of chemicals and I was worried about the kids putting their sandwich on the table instead of their plate. It'd been a long time since the house was filled with the smell of unpronounceable chemical names. So I quickly mixed up a batch of all-purpose cleaner, poured it in a spray bottle, and hoped our brain cells could recover. I love that my kids can clean without me worrying that they're going to ingest horror from getting splashed in the eye or nose-picking while scrubbing the toilet. They can smear their hands all over the table before reassembling their sandwich and I'm not concerned--well, except maybe about the mess to come.

So far I just make laundry detergent, general cleaner, mold remover (haven't tested this on anything hard-core yet, but seems to work on the light stuff), and am currently testing a heavy-duty carpet cleaner concoction out on the landing site of kidlet vomit. Looks promising, but I have to admit that the state my carpet is...well, I'll be content if it just takes care of the odor. Spots, schmots--the whole thing needs to be ripped up, anyway.

Any of you use homemade stuff? Anyone that would never dream of using homemade stuff?

A Few Random Highlights

2011-02-28T23:30:00.000-08:00

Via pictures, here are some of our activities over the last few days...out of order, of course, but I'm sure you won't lose sleep over that.

Here's Aiden doing his math...seriously, I LOVE this math book and wish I would've learned math like this.

Norah making paper dolls...the end result of which you'll see as soon as I upload the other pics from my camera...see how she's holding the pencil? Like a paintbrush. Fascinating. She can and does hold it further down in a normal manner, but it interests me that she sometimes holds it like this while drawing. And yes, she did her own hair;).

Ronan poring over a TinTin book, jabbering at me about different emotions and happenings he sees in the pictures.

A toasty warm fire!!

This terrible picture is an attempt to show off the ring I got to wear in lieu of my wedding ring since my fingers are now apparently fat and I can't get my wedding ring on and off. My fingers are about the only part of me that doesn't look fat, so it really seems horribly unfair, but such is life. I'm excited to have a ring to wear again, and like it enough that should my fingers ever shrink, I could wear this one on the middle finger of my other hand.
We made cookies over the weekend and made small batches of different colored dough, putting the leftover scraps together to make a Daddy Cookie for Dean when he got home from work.
I was going for a heart shape...
The kids built a village--no word on if they thought we needed help raising them...
Couldn't get a good picture of it, but this pic of 2 kids not looking at the camera and all of them with food in their mouths is representative of them playing "covered wagon" ala the Little House books. The bottom bunk is the wagon and the toy box Aiden's on is the bench for driving. They're eating the "food for the journey" they requested.
Aiden reading Mike Mulligan to the others--this is a HUGE favorite of Ronan's right now. Loves that steam shovel!

For the Love of Thinking Skills

2011-02-28T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of teaching critical thinking, and have a handful of books from The Critical Thinking Company to show for it. Aiden had just finished one of their Mind Benders books when I got the opportunity via Timberdoodle to receive a copy of Building Thinking Skills Level 1 for free in exchange for an honest review.

You can read about the scope of this book and view sample pages at http://www.timberdoodle.com/Building_Thinking_Skills_Book_1_p/410-107.htm. A detail to note is that, while this is called Level 1, it's directed at grades 2 & 3--and with 327 pages of activities, it'll last you two years. No, Aiden is not in second grade--he's in kindergarten. I chose this based on ability and in hopes of finding something challenging for him.

On many levels, this is one impressive tome--the scope is a little overwhelming, actually. It includes higher-order thinking activities for Reading, Writing, Math, and Science--whew! Thankfully, each activity is a mere page long and is not overwhelming to Aiden, nor is it difficult to implement. Straightforward and simple, it's easy to use. This is not, however, a visually exciting book--all the pages are in basic blackline master form. For Aiden, that's good news because color and unnecessary graphics are distracting to him. But, I can see how another child might equate the lack of color with boredom.

There are a couple of exciting things to me about this book. One is that I can clearly see how it is addressing skills needed for standardized tests. I myself had no exposure to analogies until I took the PSAT in high school--they're included in this book. I can't describe how happy I am to have a book in my hands that addresses these things early on! The other notable for me is that I can see how Aiden has to stop and think about these activities--at first glance, he thought they were easy--and initially, some are. But they incrementally get more difficult, building on previous activities and requiring him to take the scope of what he learned before, apply it, and expand on it. I love that this is challenging, but doable. To Aiden, it's a puzzle that's just hard enough to make him feel like pushing forward until it's finished without getting frustrated and overwhelmed. That's a fine line to ride, and this book does it well.

The one aspect of this book that gives me pause is that the answers are in the back. While this would not stop me from purchasing it, it is definitely a good thing to know about--either in case I need them, or to make sure Aiden doesn't look at them! The pages aren't perforated, so there's no taking them out without creating a mess. But, I'd rather have the answers there than have to buy a separate book if I needed them. And two years of critical thinking activities that will also help Aiden when it comes to standardized test time = worth the money.

There are a lot of ways to help your child develop critical thinking skills, and it will be time well-spent! For other critical thinking materials, see http://www.timberdoodle.com/Thinking_Skills_s/226.htm and http://www.timberdoodle.com/hands_on_games_s/26.htm.

For the Love of Math

2011-02-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

Up for review today is The Critical Thinking Company's Mathematical Reasoning, Beginning 2 (age 4) book. As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review. And you know how I love giving my honest opinions!

I hadn't planned on using a math book for Norah. I figured between all the math manipulatives we have, listening in on Aiden's math, and real life counting and cooking, she'd be fine. She's only 4. True though that may be, we are both greatly enjoying this book's combination of early math and thinking skills. From Norah's perspective, she was so happy to have her own book, and especially glad that it had lots of colorful pictures.

Timberdoodle's description and sample pages give a good representation of the scope of this book http://www.timberdoodle.com/Beginning_2_Mathematical_Reasoning_p/410-034.htm. The perspective I'd like to look at it from is that of a teaching parent--its ease of implementation, Norah's response to it, what I see it teaching her, and how I see her applying what she learns outside of the book.

This book is so easy to implement it's almost ridiculous. No lesson planning + no parental confusion over directions = a happy teaching mother! Norah's response to the lessons has been enthusiastic--she frequently asks to do math first thing in the morning, and never does only one page. A lover of color, she takes great delight in the variety of colors found in the critters and objects used in the lessons. While I have seen and used (with a different child) other colorful math books that I thought were mostly color and lacked content, this book is not like that. Yes, it is colorful and pleasing to the eye, but it does not sacrifice content for cuteness. Interspersed throughout the expected counting, shapes, and addition exercises are things The Critical Thinking Company is famous for--critical thinking puzzles and riddles. Mind Benders, ThinkerDoodles, and Half'n'Half Animals are all included, adding skills and variety for the student (learn more about these and other specific puzzles at http://www.timberdoodle.com/Critical_Thinking_Press_s/511.htm). The critical thinking element is also seen in the regular exercises as well, such as the one that asks the student to determine how old Maria is now, was last year, and will be next year by looking at a birthday cake with candles--an exercise much more advanced than just counting to 10. Since beginning this book, I've seen Norah begin to add objects together while playing, drawing patterns of her own, and, most importantly at this age, happily applying mathematical reasoning to everything from her dolls (sorting them by size, color of clothing, etc.) to her meals (counting and adding blueberries, asking for her sandwich to be cut into triangles or rectangles) as if it's just a part of everyday life...which it is! Speaking of every day life, here's some pictures of Norah doing her math with Ronan looking on in fascination while she told him all about what she was doing.

So, I like it, Norah likes it, I can see progress...but is it worth the price? I don't think this is a must-have book. But, if you want to be sure your child is learning and just feel better having a book to help you teach early math skills, I would get this one over the other options I've seen based on its clear inclusion of reasoning skills.

For more fun educational materials--whether you homeschool or just want to find some fun activities to do with your kids on a supplementary level, check out http://www.timberdoodle.com/Thinking_Skills_s/226.htm.

Daily Life

2011-02-25T20:06:00.001-08:00

As I've been thinking about purposeful living of late, I've also been thinking about how to hold myself accountable for how I spend my time. No, I don't usually sit for 4 hours at the computer or anything like that. Ahem. Well, sometimes we've been known to stay up late watching "just one more episode" of a TV show. The downside to having no cable or TV reception at all is that when we sit down to watch HGTV online, we have a lot of episodes to choose from;). But mostly it's a matter of a few minutes here, a few minutes there--and not just centered around the computer. Countless times I've thought, "Oh, the kids are in the middle of playing covered wagon (or pick some other imaginative, positive play) and they're having such fun...I'll just have a second cup of coffee." While there's nothing wrong with having a second cup of coffee or letting the kids finish their game, there does end up being something wrong. Because while I have my cup of coffee, I read a book along with it, lose track of time, and am reawakened by the lovely play that has now degenerated to a fight. Not good. Not what I want.

The good news here is that it can be changed! Just think of how many things I could do: set a timer (for me!), just not have the coffee, play along with the kids for a few minutes (I could even do that with a cup of coffee!), redirect everyone to a new activity before the meltdown occurs...the list goes on. All sorts of proactive things to do. As much as I despise reactive parenting, it's such an easy trap to fall into. Things are going along smoothly, out comes that second cup of coffee, and The Interruption happens and I'm reacting instead of being proactive. It's something I constantly have to be evaluating in myself. It would, of course, all be much easier if I was perfect. HA. Back to reality...

So, in the never-ending journey to somehow strengthen/make up for my weaknesses, I've decided that I'm going to post a lot more daily life stuff. Pictures (maybe even videos!), triumphs (don't look for many), and failures (clear the internet). It'll be my own little accountability group.

Back to--yes, you guessed it--my second cup of coffee:).

Yurting

2011-02-14T10:27:00.000-08:00

Wow--so much for more frequent posting! Although I have sat down to start a few, blogger.com does not seem to like my browser (Safari) or something--lots of freezing up and shutting down that only happens here. But this time, it's working, so on I go...

Last week we met friends at a state park in Oregon and stayed in deluxe yurts. Yurts are a circular cross between a tent and a cabin: wood frame with heavy canvas stretched over it all. Basic yurts have beds, a locking door, and HEAT. The deluxe ones have all that plus a bathroom and kitchenette (no stove, just microwave, fridge, and sink). Besides enjoying great company and time away from the daily grind, staying in the yurt for four nights further motivated me in my desire to simplify our lives. It was so wonderful to have so little. I brought a plate, bowl, fork, spoon, and cup for each of us, a crockpot, a waffle iron, and a coffee pot. I ended up having to mix the waffles up in the coffee pot;), but it worked. Really enjoyed dishes taking less than 5 minutes, a quick sweep making a difference, and only having some books, cars, and crayons/paper for the kids. Dean heard a lot of "let's just get a yurt instead of a house!"

I've never been a fan of clutter, but somehow I've unintentionally landed in the "American dream" of bigger, better, and more. Since we got back, I've been going around putting price tags on stuff for the yard sale we'll have next month. Yup, I'm dramatic:). I'm working on letting go of the stacks and boxes of books--I've taken 7 boxes in to the local buy-back bookstore. Not getting a lot of cash, but I'm getting peace of mind as some boxes leave my life and shelf space opens up. Since I'm homeschooling the kids, more books will inevitably be added, but hanging onto my college books and boxes of books people gave me that I hadn't read was...well, ridiculous.

That "unintentionally" word is really at the root of the problem. Over the last few months, intentional living has been brought to my attention in numerous ways, and I'm all for it. Honestly, part of me wants to pack up and move to a different country without the 100 different kinds of chips in the grocery store, but for now this is where I'm at. Doesn't mean I have to go down the chip aisle, though;).

Christmas Recap

2010-12-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

This year we really made an effort to focus on celebrating Christ and enjoying family rather than getting caught up in the commercial mayhem. While there are things I want to improve on for next year, this year was by far the most successful in that regard. I'm sure the fact that we couldn't afford to do much of anything at all helped;). I didn't feel guilty for not buying obligatory gifts, and was much more relaxed in general--right up until three days before, that is;).

We made a big deal out of Advent this year. Honestly, prior to last year, I (in my Protestant ignorance) always thought Advent was a Catholic thing. Funny stuff. Anyway, each night of Advent we read out loud from a story book designed for Advent: http://www.timberdoodle.com/Bartholomew_s_Passage_p/258-159.htm (which, in adding the link, I just noticed is on sale!!). The younger kids weren't terribly into it, but Aiden (just turned 6) loved it--he also loved the one we did last year by the same author http://www.timberdoodle.com/Jotham_s_Journey_p/258-158.htm. We also did a Jesse tree for the first time this year. This was a nightly Scripture reading that followed the lineage of Christ and an "ornament" representing the theme of the verses that the kids hung on a tree. We used a great branch we found at a local park back when we started our Thanksgiving tree. There are a wide variety of resources online for Jesse tree activities--it's worth a Google and perusal. (HAHA). These activities really helped ALL of us focus on Christ. Going to a Christmas Eve service was a first for us, and AMAZING.

And with all that, we opened presents Christmas morning at our house...then at my brother's house. And it was overwhelming. After the opening of presents at our house, which consisted only of backpacks filled with small items and candy and then one big present for each of the kids (2 of which were free, one of which was extremely cheap), Aiden declared, "I will never forget the true meaning of Christmas!" And the day after, he told my mom he had too many presents. All of which led up to me feeling like we got a great start, but have a long way to go.

So next year we're going to add having the kids choose toys they already have to donate to the Toy Rescue Mission. We're going to spend a lot of time with the World Vision gift catalog BEFORE any other shopping. And I'd like to find something more to do then give cookies to the neighbors. That was fun, and we'll do it again, but I'd like to expand a bit on that somehow.

All in all, I think this was my favorite Christmas of all...and next year's gonna be even better!

Purpose

2010-12-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

I know, I know--I'm a quick one. I've spent most of 2010 gearing up for the realization that the only life worth living is one of purpose. Not drive. Purpose. Drive, I've had. Purpose? Not so much. What do all the little decisions I make every day add up to? A day of waste and selfishness? A day of glory given to the Father? And when all those days are added up, what have I done? Am I fulfilling God's purpose for my life? Do I even know what it is??

Reviews to Come!

2010-12-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to say I'm excited!! Got a book in the mail to review, and have a couple school books the kids are working with that I'll be reviewing as well. As I'm so appreciative of reviews to read when I'm considering buying something online, I LOVE getting to write some!

Real-Time Memories

2010-12-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

I realized yesterday that the dates this year fall on the same days they fell on in 2004. This occurred to me on the 17th as that was the day my mother-in-law got to meet Jesus face-to-face. Something about the fact that the 17th was on a Friday again this year has set in motion a real-time feeling for this week. On this day in 2004, Saturday the 18th, Dean and I went shopping for a bassinet so our already-past-due baby would have something other than a laundry basket to sleep in. I honestly can't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday that we went to the funeral home with my father-in-law and sister-in-law to discuss the arrangements. Likely I blocked out some details because I was so hung up on the fact that the funeral date choices were the 21st or the 23rd, and the 23rd was chosen because it was more convenient for the funeral home. It was also the day after I was being induced.

It's actually amazing how everything finally happened. The best "plan" we could come up with was that if the baby was born before the funeral, my mom and Dean would go to the funeral. And if the baby wasn't here yet...well, we'd be at the hospital for the funeral. No one was very happy about that last option, but what do you do?? The funeral was at 11am. At 9:30am, we sighed as we looked at the clock, knowing that that's when we should be getting ready to go. And then at 10:30--right when we would've left to go--it was time to push. I pushed for almost 1 1/2 hours, and Aiden was born at 11:56am--right before the funeral ended at noon. We were so grateful that instead of just sitting there feeling bad, we were distracted. And, from what we heard, my father-in-law announcing their grandson's birth at the funeral reception was a great thing. I was sad that Dean had missed his own mother's funeral, but he actually felt OK about it as he had been there when she passed and had had a chance to say his own individual goodbye afterwards without the crowd and the drama.

I always think of this in regards to those situations that don't seem like there's any way ANYONE--even God--can come up with a decent solution. But, of course, God always can--and even though it didn't look like the miraculous solution we would've pictured beforehand, it sure FELT miraculous!

Lord, Give Me Grace!

2010-12-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Ugh. What a no-good, horrible day. No circumstance to blame here--just selfish me, having had it up to HERE with getting interrupted constantly, endless chatter, refereeing, and run-of-the-mill childish foolishness.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight,O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) While I'd love to have a divine hand cover my mouth to just STOP the words and tone, that's not how it works. He doesn't force us to do what is right, but gives us the choice--and loves us while we stomp about grumping at anyone that breathes. In the end, it's up to me to choose how I act. So here's to NOT acting like a three-year-old for the rest of the day!

Remembering

2010-12-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Even though my paternal grandpa died when I was 6, I always remember him today because Pearl Harbor was attacked on his birthday. I always feel a little sad on this day every year, thinking about how he didn't get to see his daughter grow up (she was 16 at the time), how he didn't get to meet most of his grandkids...and now there's a brand-new great-grandson (my brother's). I know that he's far better off, and that missing out on earthly joys also means missing out on earthly sorrows, but there's still a sadness.

I guess it's a selfish sadness. Even more so since having kids myself, I recognize the great value of having grandparents involved in the lives of their grandchildren. I wish I'd known him longer.

I remember him sitting in the "poof chair" (an overstuffed chair) in the rec room, with a Rainier beer in hand, watching football. I remember him sitting my toddler brother on the counter, and playing some "game" with him with cans of food and marshmallows. I remember him breaking the pane of glass on the French door of the closet I locked myself into when I was two years old--I don't remember all the details of that story, but I remember going to the far end of the closet, the smashing glass, and his hand reaching through to the inside doorknob. I remember we stopped by once and Grandma wasn't home--just Grandpa, and he made us hot chocolate--I still remember where I was sitting at Grandma's pristine, overly-fancy dining table, watching Grandpa bring in the cups. That's all.

And I remember walking into the viewing room at the funeral home, holding Dad's hand, while my younger brother held his other hand. Dad stopped a few steps into the room--Grandpa was in the casket across the room--and tried unsuccessfully to choke back the tears. I remember staring at the tile floor until Dad started walking again...peering into the casket at Grandpa, gray and still, in his suit with his hands folded on his chest. I didn't know what to do or say, but I saw that he was dead.

I'm looking forward to seeing him in Heaven.

A Few Exciting Things

2010-12-03T23:04:00.000-08:00

A few things I'm currently excited about:

1. My husband. Just sayin'.

2. The new church we started going to 6 weeks ago. Can't wait for Sunday! More on that later.

3. The dollhouse I snagged on craigslist for $25. Amazing. Twelve rooms, tons of old furniture, and endless hours of imaginative play for Norah...and me, too:).

4. The workbenches I'm going to build my boys. I'm going to be using wood I have laying about, so will have to tweak things a bit, but the plan is here: http://ana-white.com/2010/12/toy-workbench.html

5. Christmas! I love this time of year, and this year I'm especially enjoying Advent via doing a Jesse Tree. Google it and browse--lots of different means to the end of tracing the lineage of Christ through time to His birth.

6. Having made reservations to go yurting with a new-but-feels-old friend and her family in Oregon in February--come on, winter storms!!

7. Dean's company Christmas party in a couple of days. I know, weird, but it's fun. I don't have to cook, the kids get gifts from Dean's boss, who dresses up as Santa, and I get to see the respect Dean's coworkers have for him and beam with pride over him.

And, since seven is the number of perfection and making a list of seven items is the only earthly way I'll ever attain perfection, I'll stop there.

New Direction

2010-12-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

So I've been feeling a bit convicted about the content of this blog lately. You might have wondered what the title of the blog has to do with anything in the posts, and I'm here to tell you that you wonder that because you are logical and sane.

I, however, am not always either of those, and rarely at the same time. Hence the disconnect.

When I created this blog, I had a direction in mind. I lacked the courage to carry it out. So now, while I'm feeling Cowardly-Lion courageous, it's time to drop the remaining facade and get down to it.

I have spent much of my life living silently. Those of you that know me are no doubt laughing, as I'm quite the talker. I'm not even sure I can explain this...it's like I kept a wall of fortification up around me and dug a moat of jokes and self-deprecating humor around it. Maybe if I played everything off well enough, no one would even know there was a wall.

This probably all sounds very dramatic, and I'm happy to say that it's not nearly so dramatic NOW. But that certainly WAS the case. But over the last few years, one pebble-like chink at a time, God has been chipping away at the wall. And I've even lowered the drawbridge and opened the gate a few inches.

What I really intended this blog to be was a testimony of my journey from silence to speaking. About the constance of the journey and the learning. About real life with my real God.

That's not to say I won't be cracking any jokes or making fun of myself. If you can't laugh at yourself, life is a whole lot harder than it needs to be. But within the laughter, real life is happening--and real life isn't always very funny. So, here's to a more frequently updated, more real-life shout-out-loud what God is doing for me, with me, and hopefully someday even through me.

Long Overdue Update #2

2010-11-08T23:26:00.000-08:00

Yet another topic I never updated on: counseling.

The good news is that I apparently got all the crying out that first session. The "bad" news is that I didn't feel that it was particularly enlightening. I think it was important that I went, but as far as learning a bunch of new stuff about myself...I don't know. It reminded me that I do my best processing while driving alone and talking out loud--you can imagine how often THAT happens. Also, maybe since I was all of 5 credits short of minoring in Psychology in college and have always been interested in it, things felt too predictable, if that makes sense--like I already KNEW what she was going to say and why. I liked the counselor, though, and think that going every month would be a good thing. I'm currently taking a hiatus for financial reasons, but have decided that, I need more time alone to think and recharge, and need to start journaling again--haven't done that in YEARS, which is odd, since before that, I did it for YEARS.

Long Overdue Update #1

2010-11-08T23:16:00.000-08:00

So a LONG time ago I shared that I was going to try the no-shampoo bit, washing my hair with a baking soda/water mix and using apple cider vinegar as a detangler. And THEN...I never blogged an update. So here it is:

First couple weeks--LOVED it. It even seemed to give my fine, thin hair some more volume. The ac vinegar as a detangler worked wonderfully, although I found the smell while using it to be reason to hold my breath. Didn't smell at ALL afterwards--and believe me, the first few days I was shoving my head under family members' noses asking if they could smell anything weird.

After a couple weeks, my hair/scalp rebelled. Positively rebelled. We're talking oil slick on steroids. And little white flecks in my hair that did not seem to be coming from my scalp.

My conclusion: a great option for if you run out of shampoo, OR to help "stretch" your shampoo. I haven't tried alternating yet, but that's next up.

Eureka!

2010-10-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

I've been rather knotted up the last couple months trying to decide what direction to take with Bible for my oldest. In addition to me reading him Bible stories from the time he was an infant, he learned to read early and has proceeded to read just about anything he can get his hands on, including four differently-leveled children's Bibles multiple times. If someone leaves out a detail of a Bible story, he'll remind them of it. So I was feeling like story time was not really happening there, and while I'd done little unit studies on various verses, I just wasn't feeling inspired with anything particular.

Then my mom reminded me of a book she'd given me that I'd set aside as being for older kids. I dug it out, and WOW. Perfect fit! It's by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt, called Digging Up the Past: http://www.christianbook.com/discover-yourself-childrens-study-series-digging/kay-arthur/9780736903745/pd/03747/1124139939?event=1025SBF|10547|1023. It is archeology-themed, which is perfect because so is much of our history this year for school! He loves the overview first, then dig deeper style, as well as the puzzles. And I am THRILLED to have a good match for where he's at that teaches him how to study the Bible in such a wonderfully kid-friendly way!

Things that are HARD to do

2010-09-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

Today I did something that was far more difficult than walking into my OB's office and admitting that I was drowning in depression and needed help.

Today I walked into a counselor's office and admitted that I needed help.

See the trend?

I'd been picturing the counselor behind a desk, with me in my little chair a comfortable distance away. Instead I got a lovely overstuffed armchair 6 feet from her without so much as an area rug between us. It was all I could do to not squirm. I haven't felt so awkward since...well, maybe 7th grade, when awkwardness was my constant unwelcome companion. I don't think I made it 5 minutes before I started crying. In front of a stranger. I cried almost the whole time. I don't even know WHY I cried. I went through Kleenex like a toddler goes through toilet paper. I tried to rally some jokes around me, but just couldn't punch the line. So I cried some more instead. I HATE that someone's first impression of me was that I was a crying, snot-filled mess. I HATE that I still even care about that.

Maybe I need to get a symbolic area rug, scrawl PRIDE across it, and stamp on it every morning when I get out of bed.

Huh??

2010-09-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

We saw a blimp fly over this afternoon, and since the kids had never seen one, I went for the impromptu history/science lesson. After reading about how they work, I launched into the Hindenburg bit and was met with Aiden looking at me like I thought he was stupid as he said, "Mom, I already know about that." Me: You do?? A: "Yes. I read about it in the Charlie Brown Encyclopedia. How could you think I wouldn't know about that?? [laughs]" Me: [flabbergasted and speechless]

The book he referred to is part of a GREAT set that I was fortunate enough to find complete at Goodwill a couple years ago for far, far less than the price seen in the link. BUT, I'd buy them at that price, too. Great books that I read as a kid, too and LOVED.

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Cyclopedia-Questions-Answers-Amazing/dp/B000OC48UC/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284068107&sr=1-2

Living With Purpose

2010-07-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

I've always considered myself more of a "big picture" person--in school, I always had my mind on the end goal; when teaching, my mind was on the end goal as well; in parenting, my mind is on the end goal. Yes, the details must be addressed along the way, but I find that these days the details seem to be throwing me off a lot more. My barging along the path of life is in a constant state of interruption and I'm left scrounging around the house for a clean towel, that shirt I *know* I put in my dresser, 5 minutes' peace, my focus...all while wading through the myriad piles of toys, books, and laundry, and wondering how on earth it got this way. Somewhere between cleaning explosive diarrhea off the carpet and wiping up milk, the rest of the house fell apart. Some days I seem to spend the entirety refereeing the kidlets and find myself wallowing in reactive parenting (which I HATE) rather than proactive parenting. This last week I've been thinking about how I can live more purposefully and not get sidetracked by the details--address them and deal with them, but not barge down the bunny trail and spend 2 weeks getting back to the point. How do YOU not get bogged down in details? What does living with purpose *look like* to you?

Shampoo 101

2010-07-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

So I ran out of shampoo this week. I've been waiting for this moment--takes a bit with those Costco bottles. I have not bought any more. I don't plan to. This is week 1 of what most call "no 'poo." Personally, I think that sounds like a body function discussion. What is actually means: using a mix of baking soda and water in place of shampoo. A mix of cider vinegar and water replaces conditioner. So far I've only used it twice, but I am AMAZED. Can't come to a final conclusion until I use it for weeks, though, to see what the long-term effects are. Dean looked at me a bit askance when I explained what the ketchup bottle in the shower was for, but he's along for the ride:).

Maggie

2010-06-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not really quite ready to blog about this yet, but feel weird not writing anything about it because it's all I can think about right now.

Saturday our 5 month old puppy dug under the fence into the neighbor's yard--AGAIN, which is usually simply an irritant rather than an issue. The neighbor has 2 dogs, one of which is a puppy that Maggie likes to play with. Both dogs have been in our yard to play with her before as well. But for some reason, this time the older dog attacked Maggie and basically scalped her. She had surgery Saturday, and we're supposed to pick her up tomorrow. I'm going to the vet in a few minutes to see her. I'm extremely upset with the vet, which I will blog about at a later date.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

We went camping over Memorial Day weekend. The fact that it was a long weekend in the Pacific Northwest was enough to make rain likely, but just to be sure, we went to the coast. And to really hammer it down, we went to the campground my folks used to take us kids to every Spring, where my primary memory consists of standing water in the tent and sheets of rain pounding the inches-deep mud around the campfire.

Friday was one of those days where things just weren't going according to plan, and I was getting more and more agitated about getting to the campsite after dark. I was dangerously grumpy, and my *tone* was suffering. We made a stop in Aberdeen to get something we forgot (I don't even remember what!), and discovered that the puppy, riding in her crate, had thrown up. Again. I got out to deal with it while Dean took the dog for a walk, and was quite pleased to have the idea of scooping it up with a paper cup and dumping it in a Happy Meal container. After wiping down the crate with baby wipes, Dean returns and I'm standing there talking about how well the clean-up went. I pick up the container to go throw it in the garbage, and the bottom collapses and dog vomit splashes onto the pavement and my feet. I say "feet" rather than "shoes" because this is what I was wearing:

I think this is when I crossed from dangerously grumpy to hysterically insane...or maybe insanely hysterical. After staring dumbly at my vomit-covered toes, I looked up at Dean and we burst out laughing. I scraped the vomit out from between my toes, cleaned up the spill (yes, I picked dog vomit up off the parking lot pavement--would YOU want to step out of your car into that??), and got back on the road.

The hysteria lasted until about 5 minutes after we got to the campsite. After dark. That's right, folks--because if you don't have to set your tent up in the dark and/or in the rain, you're just not trying hard enough to have a good camping trip. We had set this tent up once before in July '08. The directions were gone. There were a total of 5 segmented poles. I'm the tent setter-upper because...well, because Dean's vote was to sleep in the van (!) or go to a motel. My genetically-programmed tendency is to be as bull-headed as possible and brute-force my way through the problem (more on this dichotomy later). So Dean held the lantern that kept turning on and off due to poor battery-door design, the kids ran around the tent, and I tried to determine the correct pole and matching sleeve combination by squinting and feeling around. The kids got banished to the van, because I was in full-on fishwife mode 10 minutes into the fiasco, and kids stepping on tent poles while running around in circles and shouting was not helping. Yes, I apologized to them. Oh, and yes--it was raining. Our tent is the kind with the mesh roof--for "star-gazing"--HA. HA. HA. Star-gazing my fat white thigh. Why do they even SELL that kind here?? This one also has a lovely rain fly with an awning for lounging under in the rain, but in order to put the tent up, you have to be able to access the sleeves on the actual tent. I tried to spread the rain fly over as much of the tent as possible while setting it up, but it wasn't enough to keep the rain out. So the tent started out wet inside. Most of the water pooled up by the door.

Dean got out the converter to pump up the air mattresses--yes, we use air mattresses while camping. Bruised hips and rock-dented thighs are for those with something to prove. Turns out the cigarette lighter in our van doesn't work. Even with the battery-powered pump we tried the next day, the mattresses inexplicably did not hold air. Fortunately, the ground was relatively smooth, but we were totally unprepared for the coldness of the ground--it was a lot colder than I expected anyway, and with little between us and the sodden ground, it was chilly. The kids were fine, as I put the extra blanket under their sleeping bags and they had on thick footy pajamas. We, however, had a thin fleece blanket. We layered on clothes and were still cold.

The first night Ronan treated us to a good 1/2 hour of hysterical screaming at 1 AM. As near as we could figure, he was scared of the tent. He wasn't scared of it upon going to bed, but I think he woke up enough to see that he was somewhere else and just flipped out. He's been getting scared at night at home, too, but not like this. I thought the poor kid was going to hyperventilate.

So let's see...dog vomit, fishwife *tone* issues, lots of rain, a wet tent, bruised hips, bone-chillingly damp cold, screaming toddler...have I missed anything?

The kids had a BLAST. It stopped raining Saturday, and they pretty much played in the dirt (mud) all day. We roasted hot dogs, had s'mores, built roaring fires, dug holes in search of golden goblets, and generally had a great day--as Dean said, it was the kind of day that lulls people into thinking camping is a good idea.

Saturday night I woke up to torrential rain. As it kept me awake, I found myself thinking that back in the pioneer times, people didn't haul their kids out in the elements for "vacation"--they had the good sense to stay in the soddy; real life was enough work. Sunday morning found me waking up to all three kids playing in the puddle inside the tent in the only pajamas I'd brought them, splashing away to the rhythm of the rain. I groaned and pulled my damp pillow over my head and tried to rediscover the hip-divet I'd been in. I caved--how 'bout that motel??

By Sunday afternoon, we were happily ensconced in a warm motel room with a kitchenette. We laid some clothes out to dry, gave the kids a bath, then headed to the beach. Still raining. But after the beach, we could get warm and dry--YAY! And let me tell you--that bed was SO VERY comfy! It rained all day Sunday and all day Monday.

We arrived home with 3 bags of sodden clothes and shoes, a very wet tent and sleeping bags, and found our power out. In the 6.5 years we've lived here, that's happened once before because of a storm--this time, rumor has it a mylar balloon snagged a high voltage line at the power station a couple miles away. So I hung wet, sandy clothes up on the clothesline. The tent is set up in our driveway to dry--which will be difficult since it's raining. Dean and I are hoping Google Maps will take some pics again--on the current pic of our house, our camping gear is spread out all over the front yard drying out.

But the best part of this weekend was how much fun the kidlets had--Aiden had so much fun he couldn't pick a favorite part, and both he and Norah were over-the-top excited over having gotten to camp AND stay in a motel on the SAME TRIP!! As soon as we turned onto our street, Ronan started crying, shaking his head, and saying, "Nnnnooooo, nnnooooo," so I think it's safe to say he had fun as well.

Look!! A family photo!

Ronan saying hello.

Ronan spent a LOT of time playing cars.

Digging in the mud--of which there was a plentiful amount. The next one is Norah working on some little project

she had going on, and the last is the boys reveling in their jackpot of potato bugs.

Extreme Tigger "Morning"

2010-05-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a friend dropped off a Tigger clock she'd found at a yard sale for the kidlets. They love Pooh and friends, so they were excited. She set the alarm for a couple minutes ahead of now so they could hear what happened: Tigger, standing tall next to the clock part, loudly proclaims several key phrases and sounds accompanied by spring-bouncing. We had a difficult time figuring out how to turn it off, discovering that not until he shouted, "TA-TA FOR NOW" was there any adult-relief in the near future. Thinking we had it figured out, I set it on the half-wall between the living room and dining room (yes, I set a lot of other stuff there!) and forgot about it.

In the middle of the night, I woke up to what sounded like voices in the house and a weird, gasping-type breathing sound. I lay frozen trying to figure out where it was coming from, and wondered if one of the kidlets was sick, having a hard time breathing for unknown reasons, or what. I opened the bedroom door and was assaulted by what I now recognized as Tigger-sounds. I ran in and started trying to pry the battery compartment door off, because I knew he wouldn't stop on his own. Would you believe that one side of the battery door was screwed down with the tiniest screw ever?? I'm so frantic to get the thing to SHUT UP without waking up the kidlets or dog that I take it outside, where I stand on my front step trying to rip it apart. Turns out he's pretty tough. So I start whacking it in hopes of causing a malfunction. By now, he's said TA-TA FOR NOW multiple times. I'm in the driveway then, peering around for a rock or something I could wedge under the battery door. Nothing. Finally I lay the wretched thing down to step on it. No sound. The final TA-TA FOR NOW leaves only silence and me standing barefoot in the driveway.

And what time was this play available for viewing? That'd be 4:15 in the morning. My consolation prize was that no one on my street leaves for work then:).

New Rides

2010-05-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

We've had a shopping week hereabouts. The hand-me-down bike Aiden was riding finally came to the end of my being able to fix it, so I took the training wheels off the little 12-inch bike Norah was riding so Aiden could learn how to balance, and she went back to the trike. While they have been happy with this, and Aiden quickly learned how to ride without training wheels this way, they both looked like grasshoppers with their knees going over and off to the side of the handlebars. So this week we finally got them some bikes.

Norah just happened to fall in love at first sight with the very one we were going to get her anyway (so very convenient!), and the poor girl nearly died of shock when she asked Dean if she could have that one and he said yes. She's been telling everyone, "My daddy got me the bike I've always wanted!" I guess it would be shocking for a kidlet who asks for practically everything whenever we go anywhere and therefore spends most of the trip hearing "No...no, we are not getting that...put it on your Christmas list...no, we don't get everything we want...no...no...no...Norah, stop asking for things...we are getting what is on our list, and that is not on our list...". You get the idea.

We got Aiden's tonight, and after not really liking what we saw in the boxed 16-inch bikes (that's the size he'd had that finally died), I pulled an assembled 20-inch bike out just to see if it would work. He hopped right on and would've ridden off down the aisle if I hadn't grabbed him--YES! So we won't have to buy him another bike for YEARS. I'd wanted to get a 20-inch anyway, but thought he'd be freaked out about the height of it. But thanks to his cruising around on that little bike and figuring out how to balance and catch himself when falling, he's got the confidence to ride this one. He hopped right on at home and took off, beaming with pleasure.

So now Ronan will inherit the little 12-inch bike, with training wheels put back on, of course. He's been wanting to try it, but with the way he jets around the neighborhood on the big wheel (those plastic things--don't know what they call them these days), I don't know if he'll be willing to give up the speed:). He totally shows off for the little 1 year old girl down the road--so, so funny.

The other new ride we got is actually an umbrella stroller. While it's technically for Ronan (who was QUITE excited about the Pooh motif), I am very excited about it!! Ronan is a trooper about walking, but now that we're a one-car family and I need to take the bus some places, it will really free me up to have a lightweight stroller I can easily take on the bus and use to stick Ronan in when he gets tired. I know a backpack or wrap would be convenient, but my back just CANNOT do that. I just can't believe how LIGHT this umbrella one is!!! Our other strollers have been a 3-wheeler for city/off-road trail needs and a double when the older 2 were younger. Both of those are bulky and heavy, which was fine then--especially because of the tons of storage, but MAN am I excited about this little one!! We hardly take anything with us anymore when we go places, so we don't need all that storage space in a stroller anymore. WOOHOO!!!!

And that's the end of the new rides...no new car news, although we'd sure be up for one that could sit 3 kidlets across a back seat. But that won't be happening this week:).

One final thing about the new bikes--I am SO glad we were able to find kid bikes that didn't have Barbie or some other character emblazoned on them. Aiden's is blue and silver, and Norah's is bright pink and purple and says "Starburst" on it. The boy ones weren't so bad--Cars, Toy Story, etc., but the girlie bikes were AWFUL. The most appalling, however, didn't involve a character, but what was written on it. Here's this bike for a little girl--like 4-8 year olds, and you know what it says on the frame??? Major Flirt. Um...can you say inappropriate?! I wouldn't want that on ANY bike, but 4-8 year old sized bikes?! I was horrified. As I am when I walk into the girls' clothing section. Makes me think I'd better learn to sew after all. But that's a topic for another post:).

Pictures

2010-05-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

I'm aware of the sad lack of photos around these parts:). So here's a few from the last month:

The kidlets LOVE riding bikes!

This is Ronan's latest activity:). Except now he's using the regular toilet most of the time.

Aiden's first at-bat of his first T-ball game. If you ever drive by a kidlet T-ball game, I suggest stopping and watching for a bit--it'll make your day:).

Aiden at said T-ball game--out in the field, glove off, pretending to shoot bad guys. And yes, sound effects were included.

Norah and I wearing our purple dresses.

Dean's 38th birthday. And yes, he has since shaved, but isn't that a manly-man beard?? ;)

No-Mom vs. Yes-Mom

2010-05-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about me, not how my kidlets answer me! Do you ever get in a "no" rut? Or more accurately, a "NO!!!! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!" rut? Sometimes I come to the end of the day (um...or week!) and think, "Wow--all I did was say no today." During this season of life when there ARE a lot of things to say no to, I think it's important to take the time to look for things to say "YES!!" to--because really, it must be awfully frustrating to be a little kid and be foiled at every turn:).

So, in honor of finding things to say YES to, I've put all 3 kids to washing dishes. And yes, I'm out of the room--I can't bear to watch the water flying all over the room;). Honestly, dishwashing is one of those things that tends to fall in the it's-just-easier-to-do-it-myself category. But really, I hate washing dishes. They love it. Why not?? It's not like the kitchen is a pristine park anyway, and it's just water.

They're in there singing, "This is the way we wash the dishes, wash the dishes, wash the dishes so early in the morning!" Makes me feel like bursting into a resounding chorus of, "This is the way I sit on my butt, etc."

What kidlet request can you say YES to today?

Grow, Garden, GROW!!

2010-05-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

My new morning activity: sneaking out to the front yard while the kids eat breakfast and peering at the dirt from about 2 inches away looking for even a hint of green. I'm just as bad about waiting for seeds to sprout as I am about waiting for a surprise. So far the seeds humoring me are: spinach, lettuce, beets, pumpkin, beans, cucumbers, and--most exciting of all--the Tigger melon I planted just for the kids:). I'm really excited about growing melons, because my front yard gets such an insane amount of sun that it seems like they should do nicely, barring bugs or blight or the plague. OK, maybe I can rule out that last one...

I still have some more raised beds to make and fill, and more veggies to plant. I still have a couple flower beds to make and fill as well, and a walkway to finish. But it sure is nice to be able to take a break from the work and peek at the new plants growing!!

Whatever Shall I Do?

2010-05-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

"I'm impressed" points to the one who guesses what book the title is quoting--extra for guessing the character that says it:).

My mom is taking all 3 kidlets to her house today. That's her birthday present to me--a whole day to myself. She hasn't picked them up yet, so I'm frantically trying to decide what to do--a proper balance of lounging and working so I don't feel like a selfish snit at the end of the day;).

Keeping Kidlets Busy and Out of Your Hair

2010-05-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

I've heard a lot of moms ask about how to keep toddlers busy while homeschooling older kids, or just to bring a moment's peace to a day's craziness. While nothing comes with a guarantee of Mama being able to actually finish anything:), here are a list of things* I've tried myself that (generally speaking) kidlets get a kick out of:

--building sets. Everyone thinks about Legos, but a good set of building blocks for all ages and ZOOB for 4+ are great investments (as are Legos!).

--Connect 4. Look for an old one at a garage sale or thrift store--toddlers are fascinated by dropping the checkers into the slots, emptying it all, and starting all over again. This alone will keep my toddler occupied through schoolwork I need to help the older kidlets with (which, granted, isn't much at this age;)!!).

--Stamps. As in rubber stamps and stamp pads. The trick here is that WOW, are stamps expensive!! I happened upon a bin of .50 stamps at a local Big Lots, but that was a fluke. I stocked up, but even without finding a bargain like that, stamp pads and thumbs can be used to create a lot of fun things--show them how to stamp their thumbprint (enough for toddlers), and preschoolers can draw legs, eyes, arms, feathers, whatever on theirs. Yes, they will get ink on them, but it's nothing a bath can't fix--and hey, they probably need one anyway, right?

--Puzzles. Lauri puzzles are hands-down the best puzzles for little kids (in my opinion, that is!). They also have LOTS of great educational toys for the 1.5-5 years old crowd.

--Books. Now I know this age group is not commonly associated with sitting still for books, and it does of course vary from kid to kid, but there's something to be said for a big pile of books--especially if they're books that are put away only to be pulled out for time-gaining situations!

--Art Box. There's a lot to be said for lots of paper, crayons, and markers. For tiny kidlets, tape the paper (the bigger the sheet, the better) to the table to cut down on the irritation of the paper flying off the table.

*Playdoh is notably absent from the list. This is because I despise Playdoh. I hate the fact that the colors always get smashed together and the accessories always get plugged up, but most of all I hate the little crumb-balls that end up all over the place. It gives me a headache thinking about it. Yes, I realize I have issues. But lots of other moms don't have issues and have posted wonderful recipes for homemade, edible playdoh all over the web. Then you can have the headache of making it AND cleaning it up. Yay.

Reflections on Mom's Day

2010-05-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

I had the best Mother's Day yet yesterday. The two days before found me struggling with frustration, incompetency (perceived, of course), and just feeling beaten down. And thankfully, my Sweetie did more than just talk about it with me--he acted. I slept in yesterday--he fed the kids and kept them busy, then brought me a mocha, coffeecake, and the newspaper sometime after 9 with the requirement that I stay in bed. I added my iPod to the collection, so I couldn't HEAR the kidlets, and spent a leisurely hour and a half in peace. Dean then came back in and asked if I wanted to do something by myself or with them and listed off some ideas. All I really wanted to do was get the garden planted!! One of my big frustrations of late has been that when I take time to work in the yard, the inside of the house falls apart; when I work inside, the outside falls apart. So my dear, sweet, wonderful-listener husband informed me that he would take care of the kitchen stuff while I got the garden dealt with. I cried with joy at the thought. So I spent HOURS working in the yard LOVING every minute of it, and have a sunburn to show for it.

At bedtime, I looked at my kids and felt like I hadn't been tuned into them all day. Sure, I interacted with them at different points, but I felt disconnected somehow. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed my day and feel refreshed just from having been able to make significant progress on a project, but realized that selfishness really isn't my role in life right now (like it ever is, but you know what I mean). Even though the break from the constancy of the mundane (wiping all manner of things, refilling milk glasses, prepping food, monitoring bathroom activity, endless laundry and such) was GREAT, there was a part of me that missed it. Well, not those things, really, but the care-taking that they represent. Being able to care for my kidlets is a privilege, and I would do well to remember that.

My Hair...

2010-05-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

doesn't look that different. I got a dark auburn color, hoping to play up the teensy bit of natural red highlights I already have without looking fake. It does look a bit darker, and when I hold some hair out in my hand, I can see that it's more red, but when I look in the mirror, I don't think, "AGH!! FAKE RED HAIR!" It doesn't even really stand out as red to me. Maybe the light auburn next time--that was the other option I was vacillating between.

To clarify the "doesn't look that different" part, let me share that my Sweetie did NOT notice. Even with broad hints. The poor man stood there looking sheepish and said, "Oh, no. This isn't going to end well." I just laughed because I knew it wasn't noticeable enough for him to look twice. He DID notice that I didn't have my hair twisted up in a messy bun like I usually do.

So, I like it, but am looking forward to getting together with friends tomorrow who will give me the low-down on what it really looks like:).

Pre-Mid-Life Crisis Prevention

2010-05-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

So I turn 35 soon. That's officially middle-aged, you know. No, I'm not upset about it--it just feels WEIRD. I guess I thought when I was in my thirties, I'd feel different (BESIDES creakier knees!). That I'd be wise or something. Yeah, whatever;). I'm willing to admit that I'm wiser than I was at 20 (like THAT was hard!), but I'm sure not where I thought I'd be!

That all said, I decided I'd better dye my hair now BEFORE my hair goes gray and people think I'm trying to cover it up. I do have some gray, but not enough for it to be noticeable, so now's my chance. Gettin' so wild and crazy that I forgot to take before pics. But that's OK, since the only people who read this know what my hair looks like;), and since the jury's still out on whether I'll even post any after pics;). It's just an 8-week dye, though, so whatever the results are will get washed away eventually! Stay tuned--the dye is actually in my hair now!

You're Gonna Miss This...

2010-05-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

Fine. I give in. YES, I will miss these little-people years. PARTS of them;). Honestly, I'm just now out of the fog enough to truly feel like I will miss them. It's moments like these that I just soak up:

Norah was supposed to be getting dressed when she tripped and bashed her knee on the baseboard heater. After holding, comforting, and kissing her for a while, I asked her if she was ready to get dressed now. Still curled up in my lap, she said, "I just want to wear YOU, Mom." So I sat her up and she wrapped her arms and legs around me and "wore me" for a while. I know she'll still give me hugs 10 years from now, but I'm pretty sure they won't be the full-body, paste-love-all-over-you hugs I get now.

You Can Try and Try and Try...

2010-05-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

but there's no way to be truly prepared for what might come out of your kidlets' mouths. Tonight Dean and I were going over a new chart (the "If-Then" one from www.doorposts.com) with the kidlets. This chart has things like disobedience, lying, hitting, whining, defiance, etc. listed on the left, a verse in the center that addresses the behavior, and a blank space on the right for parents to write in their chosen consequence for the behavior. We wanted to make sure we were 1) on the same page--us AND the kidlets! and 2) have something to look at to remind us what on earth we'd decided to do when X happens since when it happens it drives us so batty we can't think straight. And don't worry, there's a Blessing Chart also;). Anyway, the verse listed for defiance/rebellion is Proverbs 30:17--Dean read it aloud: "The eye that mocks at his father and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it." Now I don't know about you, but my first thought is, wow--birds eating eyeballs seems a bit...well, grotesque. So what does Aiden pop out with? "I don't think I've ever entered a valley before. Valleys are far away from Tacoma. There aren't any valleys here in the United States. Well, maybe in Rhode Island...or some other island...." Apparently the "ravens of the valley" can't fly out, so all Aiden has to do is stay out of the valley;). Dean and I laughed, but held it together. Then I demonstrated to Norah what her version of defiance was: hands on hips (I'm so not kidding), eyebrows scrunched down, and an angry glare. Her response: "I'll look with angry eyes at the ceiling because it's white and I've always wanted a PINK ceiling." Interesting that both responses are attempts to get out of the consequence without stopping the behavior. Sigh. Well, at least get some good laughs along the way:).

Life's Journey

2010-04-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a song that has been HUGE for me of late: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sipVUten8YM

"Ah, bliss is mine!" --Kirsten's Feet

2010-04-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

My new shoes that I ordered yesterday afternoon that arrived today (shout-out to Zappos, a company with shipping how it should be, awesome customer service, and a sense of humor to boot):

Yes, a bit of an odd color choice for me, but this color was on sale and I wasn't about to pay an extra $20 so I could have black and be more versatile. I mean, really--why pretend I have any semblance of style left at all?? I'd heard these have amazing arch support, which I need, and WOW. I'm going to have a hard time being convinced I should ever wear anything else.

Thursday (because I can't think of a title right now)

2010-04-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

This morning was a colossal failure on my part. The kids did fine--I think. I wouldn't really know because I didn't wake up until 8:30. Um...yeah. Not really sure what happened there. The last thing I remember is looking at the clock at 10 to 6 and thinking I had 10 more minutes. And, in spite of actually feeling surprisingly awake at that time, I snuggled into bed. And no, the kids did NOT sleep until 8:30.

So, as atonement for my sleeping-in sin, I exercised this afternoon in spite of the 50 million other things that need attention. I have to say it was much, much nicer than trying to exercise at 6am. A big part of me (pardon the pun) wants to just exercise in the afternoon, but geez--there's only so many hours in the day, and when do I do the rest of it?? Sigh. Well, on with the day--'cause I'm pretty sure writing a blog post doesn't fall under the "Must Do" heading.

Is It Possible to Fall Asleep Exercising?

2010-04-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

Very nearly so. The second step in Taking Back My Mornings was to get up before the kids. Dean woke me up at 6:10, as I hadn't heard either the alarm or the snooze alarm. It took me 7 minutes just to get out of bed--toss the covers off first to get rid of the bed-warmth, then sit on the edge of the bed trying to clear the sleep-fog from my head, and then I tried to put my exercise pants on--a process that did NOT go well. I virtually had them tangled, and took 4 attempts to get them on right-side-out and with the front in the front.

I finally made it to the elliptical. I did a whoppin' 5 minutes, and was seriously concerned that I would fall asleep and fall off and someone would post of video of the incident on YouTube. Then I went and flopped on the bed to listen to my iPod for my "quiet time."

The kids stayed in their room until 7 again. In fact, they would've stayed in until 8 if I hadn't gone in there because one of them had unintentionally changed the time on the clock so it was on hour behind. Drat for missing THAT opportunity;).

So here's my problem with the much-needed exercise fiasco: I get a much more complete workout in the afternoon (yes, I can do more than 5 minutes!), but it almost always gets pushed to the side for the various other things that need to be done. So doing it first thing would be ideal--but, WOW--not a morning person over here. I suppose it'll get easier, but I totally crashed on the kids' bed this morning while talking to Norah--yup, that's right, I took a nap at 9am. While the kids wreaked havoc on the house. I doubt the sinus infection I'm 99% sure I have helps the foggy sleepiness, but COME ON. This is ridiculous.

Taking Back My Mornings

2010-04-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

So for the last few weeks, I've been getting stomped on by my kidlets. Sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally. I, the not-a-pushover, was being plagued by the arrival of kidlets at at various non-morning hours bouncing Tigger-like onto the bed and having a party while I was still trying to sleep. It started with Ronan and I chalked it up to the bouts of ear infections...then Aiden, who was likely getting woken up by Ronan...but then Norah, my deliciously morning-grumpy sleeper, joined the crowd, and I knew something was wrong. Did I mention that Dean and I have a double bed? Not only were we getting woken up at unacceptable hours, but we were getting pushed out. I'm not kidding. Morning sleepiness and grumpiness have clouded my judgment (and response time!), and the mornings have been AWFUL. But now I'm back--and the mornings are getting a makeover.

Last night I bought a small digital clock for the kids' bedroom and told them that they were not to come out of their bedroom until the first number was a seven. They could get up and play or read IN THEIR ROOM, but they were not to be-bop out until 7 or later. IT WORKED. While I was telling them not to do something, they actually got excited about being told they could get out of bed and play when they woke up--as if they couldn't have done that before!

Now this morning I didn't get up until 7, when Dean told me that it was 7 and the kids were still in their rooms (!). But the idea is to get up at 6 and get in a quiet time, exercise, AND coffee before the onslaught of everyday life begins. Now I just have to get my morning brain to respond to the alarm.

Consistently Behind (and other happenings)

2010-04-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Being behind seems to be the only thing I'm ever 100% consistent about. Sigh. I get ahead in one area, only to find that the 20 other things I'm responsible for are covered in dust bunnies. Sometimes even my attitude falls back and wallows in said dust. This has been an attitude-wallow week, and, as usual, it hasn't been fun. But, here's to it being Friday, sunny, and tomorrow being a Saturday that Dean doesn't have to work. Amidst my frustration with feeling defeated, I have managed to sneak in a couple of fun/scary/cool incidents, because regardless of one's attitude, life trods on!

Cool: We put up a rope swing for the kids. They LOVE it! And while swinging on it myself gives me a headache, I'm enjoying reliving the childhood memories of hours spent on a similar rope swing.

Scary: The biggest spider I've ever seen outside of an encyclopedia was on my ceiling Tuesday morning. I have gotten a lot better about my fear of spiders, but this one was WAY, WAY outside of my comfort zone. If it'd been on the floor, it would've been less daunting--but the CEILING?!? Seriously, I was freaking out. My first thought was to ask a neighbor to come in and kill it--one always walks by taking his kids to school around 8:30, but it was only 7:30, and besides--how silly. I called a friend to ask for creative spider-killing ideas (i.e., spray or something??), but got a busy signal. Finally I called my mom, who told me to "be a pioneer woman," put a chair under it, and smash it with a pie tin. My response, complete with shaking voice: "Mom, there is NO WAY I'm standing on a chair under this thing." I finally got it by using a 3-4 foot long scrap of laminate flooring and climbing on the end table. Proceeded by picture-taking (yes, from across the room), prayer, and literal shaking, the killing was followed by sobs of relief (I wish I was kidding) that not only did it fall down dead, but it didn't land in my hair. I'm not posting pics here out of respect for anyone else who, like I did while googling images trying to identify the spider, would have to look away shaking and talk themselves down from a panic attack upon viewing it. If you'd like a pic, let me know and I'll email it to you:).

Fun/Cool: I "built" some shelves using a vinyl rain gutter. I saw the idea on a comment section of another blog, and thought it was a fun idea. So now the kids have what are basically book display shelves--instead of putting them on the bookshelf in a traditional manner, they can set books in facing out in the gutter.

Fun...ny: Upon Aiden's latest announcement of what he wants to be when he grows up, I got to thinking about the list so far: marine biologist, preacher, daddy, fireman, policeman, knight (he was greatly disappointed to discover that this wasn't exactly an option these days), doctor, detective, and (drum roll) a non-pirate. Yup, he asked if there were still pirates today (remembering the whole knight issue), and upon being told that yes, there were, but being a pirate really wasn't a good thing, he decided he'd be a non-pirate--which means he'd share the gold he found with other people. Something tells me this is not a kid who will go into college knowing what he wants to do!

Scary: My refrigerator. Wow. REALLY gotta get to that today!!! I think we can file it under Science for the day.

The Advent of T-Ball

2010-04-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Aiden's first T-ball practice was last night. How completely surreal that I have a child old enough to be on a T-ball team. It was so bizarre to be the parent on the sidelines instead of a player on the field. And let me just say now: God bless those coaches of the 4-6 year old crowd. When they volunteered for the job, I hope someone told them that they wouldn't really be coaching T-ball, but herding cats. In spite of being shown the location of the bases and running laps around them, when it came time to run to first after hitting the ball, the best to be hoped for was that at least one of them would run in the general direction of first base AND not keeping going to right field. One boy would have his glove on the wrong hand, one swinging it around by a knot, 3 crowding around third base socializing, one bawling his eyes out because the batting helmet was too big...oh, the hilarity of it all! We parents had a blast, and the kids had fun, too--Aiden was very excited about going, and came home very excited about having gone. So off we go on our first sports season as parents...

Vanity, Vanity--Wherefore Art Thou, Vanity?

2010-04-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Last night at 10 found me driving off to buy wrist braces for my flaring-up carpal tunnel issue. Halfway there, the realization that I hadn't so much as glanced in the mirror before I left randomly occurred to me. Now I'm not someone who never leaves the house without make-up--in fact, I don't wear make-up (yes, I've tried to, but it's just not me). I've certainly slapped a ball cap on before leaving the house, or at least taken my hair out of its perpetual bun (although Aiden did tell me that I looked like a beautiful Christmas present with my hair in a bun). But this time I had no idea what state I was in, other than that it was more than likely questionable. I laughed to myself, thinking of how much time I used to spend "getting ready"--and here I was in my knock-off Adidas pants, lime-green T-shirt, huge red fleece that probably smells like our dog and had Milk Bone pieces in the pocket, undergarments that were having issues resulting in me walking through Fred Meyer hitching my shoulder every few steps, and my hair in an unknown-but-surely-bedraggled state. For all I knew, I had food on my face or--more likely--kidlet snot on my shoulder. But, as I opened the car door and put my foot down on the pavement, I found my vanity:

Oh, yeah--my feet still have it goin' on.

Cute Defiance

2010-03-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd put "cute" in the same phrase as "defiance," because we all know that defiance in a child is NOT cute. However, I have now witnessed defiance performed via cute mannerism. This is the first time out of 3 kids that I've truly had a difficult time with training/discipline due to cuteness--because really, bratty kids aren't cute. But my youngest has managed to be cute even while displaying a very un-cute attitude. He doesn't talk yet, so he has started doing 2 things to show his great displeasure with Dean or I telling him not to do something or whatever else he doesn't seem to like us saying. One he does if we, say, move him away from something or take something away from him--he puts his hands up like they're paws, opens and closes them (fist-shaped) and growls like a tiger. I would love to post a video of it, but I can't exactly take a video of him being defiant without letting on how hilarious I think it is;). The second thing he does is in response to us saying something he doesn't like, such as "naptime!" or "time for bed!" He "shushes" us--which he does by putting his finger an inch or so away from his lips and saying, "Ssssssss." He's of course frustrated that these cute things aren't working to get him everything he wants, but that's life in this house--even if I am blogging and laughing about it out of earshot:).

Embarrassment by Kidlet

2010-03-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Oh, my. Such hilarious things happened to us today...

In church this morning, Aiden needed to blow his nose, so I sent him over to the ADA-compliant bathroom that's not heavily used due to the fact that it's actually in earshot of everyone in the main room. He goes over there, and I hear him yanking and heaving on the door handle. He comes out far enough to make eye contact with me, and informs me--yes, out loud--that it's locked. I gesture frantically for him to go to the downstairs bathroom, which he does--via the front of the church, of course. Right by the little wine cups, yes sirree...thank God he didn't knock them over! So I assume the fuss is over, when into my peaceful bubble comes a far-off shout that is vaguely familiar...I cock my head to listen...oh, that's Aiden...OH, MY, that's Aiden yelling "I'M READY TO BE WIPED!!!!!" Not wanting to risk knocking over the little cups, I walk down the middle and around the back and practically run down the stairs. I get down there to find him in the men's bathroom--yes, I walked right in, no, there was no one else in there--only to have him say, "Oh, never mind--I just decided I would do it myself." Um, yeah--since you darn well CAN do it yourself!!! My announcement that everyone upstairs could hear him phased him not--he didn't quite get why I was laughing...probably better that way:).

And then tonight in Target...why we take family outings there anyway, I'll never know--but I'm so glad we did tonight, because now I have a priceless story and witnessed a rare moment of Dean being completely mortifyingly embarrassed. Norah and I couldn't resist a peek at the purses on the way out, and I got chatting with a lady in the same department who was the same age as my mom. She talked to the kids as well, and shared Norah's joy over the wonderfully pink sparkly things, etc. It's closer than it should've been to the kids' bedtime, and they're getting rambunctious. Dean's leaning on the cart supervising while I talk with this lady, when out of NOWHERE Ronan runs up and SLAPS THE LADY ON THE BUTT. And THEN...THEN he runs away giggling and grinning!!! She jumped and shrieked, of course, and then laughed. Dean was SPEECHLESS. I apologized for our 2 year old, and she responded with, "Oh, that's alright--that's more action than I've had in years!" At this point, Dean finds his tongue and says how embarrassed he is--about Ronan, but the lady thinks it's about that comment, and so then SHE gets embarrassed, and by this time I'M embarrassed and so we're all standing around blushing and laughing. You just never, never know what your kids are going to do to you:).

Neighborly Boundaries

2010-03-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

...don't seem to exist around my place. It used to be annoyance at the neighbor's dog pooping in our yard, or the knowledge that it couldn't have been the wind that got the tetherball stuck in the tree, or the appearance of more scrap wood in our to-be-hauled-away pile. We never actually SAW anything.

Then one day I saw my neighbor toss blackberry briar clippings onto our corner of to-be-cut briars. He didn't see me, and I didn't say anything because I understand that some people are petty. And he did admit to putting more scrap wood in our pile, so I continued with the graciousness. Well, until I went off on his dog a few days ago...

Then another day Dean arrived home to a yard full of neighbor kids and their parents. We were inside. They all stayed out there while we ate dinner, a few feet on the other side of the picture window.

But yesterday...yesterday was just beyond my comprehension. I'd been feeling run-down all day and fighting to be productive rather than nap. I finally caved to the nap around 4--the kids were playing quietly/reading in the living room, and I dozed off on the couch. I woke up to pounding, yelling, and whining. Six feet away was a neighbor girl, knocking on the window wanting the kids to come play. Her dad was standing a few feet away in our yard, watching his other daughter play. There were a total of two parents, one teen, and four kids in my yard. All of us were inside, and I was obviously sleeping on the couch.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it.

I teach my kids that we never go into someone else's yard without asking first--if you want to talk to the kid that lives there, you go knock on the door. Am I THAT old-fashioned?!? Obviously I need to move all the toys to the back, but most of the kids were playing in the dirt or sitting on the bench, not actually playing with toys. What is wrong with their own yards?! Or the PARK 2 1/2 blocks down the road? Isn't it enough that there's no place to escape their blasting music in the summertime? Now I run the community playground?? Sigh. I don't mind the kids playing in my yard, I just mind that we weren't even OUTSIDE and no one so much as knocked and asked if it was OK. What are they going to do next, walk in and put on a pot of coffee??

Missing Pics

2010-02-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

The pics I didn't post earlier of Aiden's attempt at beard-drawing with a Sharpie and my mascara alternative--that is a mask on his head, not a yarmulke--apparently the closest thing to the kind of hat he was trying to imitate that he could find. He also had a pair of Dean's boots on, and insisted on the top button of his shirt being buttoned.

"Good thing I didn't shove your beard up your nose...

2010-02-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

...or down your gullet!" --courtesy of Norah and Aiden at breakfast this morning. No, Dean and I do not talk this way. This is a classic example of what can happen with an early reader in the house. Especially if his parents are nerds and have TinTin books laying around. Anyway, the giggles were great:).

Wow, this week...wouldn't you know we get sick the week we get a new puppy. But, as always, at least it's NOT the stomach flu. Just the head/chest congestion and coughing that leaves you exhausted 1/2 hour after you get up for the day. Fortunately we seem to have acquired the best-behaved puppy on the planet. Well, she likely wouldn't be so well-behaved if I didn't make her well aware that I was monitoring every one of her movements:). I'm glad we got her--she fits right into our family. Here's a picture of her:

Don't worry, Norah's not choking her:)--although I did suggest she put her hands somewhere other than around the dog's neck! She slept through the night for the first time last night, and I did the same thing I did when my babies did that--spent the whole night waking up listening for her, wondering if she'd died.

Other than garden-planning and fence-planning, most of our time around here has been taken up with this:

And no, I did not plan the shirts:). I'm not that fashion-aware, folks. I did notice that it would make a fun picture, though:).

Another great pic came of Ronan not feeling well--yesterday he finished his lunch first and disappeared. When I went looking for him, this is what I found:

He was totally passed out at 11am. Yes, we had an early, early lunch that day--we were all on the ragged edge;). It cracks me up how he sleeps--with his hands under his head like that. We all got a nap in yesterday, which made the afternoon more bearable than the morning. This morning I feel like I got hit by a Mack truck, so I did the unthinkable and plopped the kids in front of a Pooh video while I down a pot of coffee and rest my voice, which is only a loud whisper at this point. Later they'll be read to via an audio book:). Now THAT'S great technology!

Maggie's Arrival

2010-02-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

Well, 14 hours into puppy ownership and we're all still alive. She only got up once during the night needing to pee, but was quite disappointed about being put back in her crate. I took her out at 11:30, too, before I went to bed--wasn't happy about the crate after the potty break. I was told she had her days and nights confused. Not in this house, chicky-poo. Nights are sacred. I was pleased at how quickly she stopped whining in response to NO, though--good sign. I'm glad we got her, although I still think I'm slightly insane for doing so.

Puppy

2010-02-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

We're getting a 7-week-old puppy tomorrow night. Yes, it appears that I am officially insane. Yet somehow I'm still excited. Aiden has already named her Maggie, and tonight Norah decided she like Molly, so her full name will be Maggie Molly. I'd just like to point out that those are both names I liked for a baby girl--and no, I hadn't told my kids that. I have no idea where Aiden even heard the name Maggie. Molly's from a book Norah really likes right now called Stone Soup. At any rate, life will change dramatically yet again tomorrow night. I'm just so happy I won't have to nurse the baby this time;).

Rambling Review

2010-02-21T21:51:00.000-08:00

So I'm planning on reviewing stuff I use for homeschooling on occasion just for informational purposes--no, I'm not getting paid for it, although I sure would like to be--talk about a dream job!:). Anyway, a recent purchase just can't wait for a formal review because I'm LOVING it and want to tell people about it before we're done because it's really, really long. It's actually a Bible study tool called Balancing the Sword, by Allen Wolfe. It's basically a list of objective questions for each chapter in the Bible. The second volume goes through the whole Bible again, with different questions. Looking at it, it looks like just a fill-in-the-blank workbook (except for the amazing maps, pictures, and charts included!), but WOW the discussions a little objective question can start!! We're using it as a family--Dean reads the Bible chapter, then I read the questions and let the kids try to answer them first. If they don't know, Dean reads the specific passage again and we talk about it. It's great because the kids know there are questions coming, so they listen. Tonight we did Genesis 3 and in the process of answering the fill-in-the-blank questions, the fact that Satan told Eve the truth about something (that she would know good and evil after eating the fruit) came up. Aiden informed me that he did NOT believe Satan told the truth, which led to a great discussion about how Satan will wrap up a lie (you won't surely die) with a truth (knowledge of good/evil) to get you to disobey God. I never dreamed I'd be having conversations like this with my 5 year old!!! Love it! Oh, and Balancing the Sword has also been used as a college course, and can be used for high school credit for anyone wanting to use it with older kids. I'm personally excited about it because it provides just enough structure that someone like me, who chafes at structure but NEEDS it, can enjoy it. So, there's the informal ramble--when we're done with volume 1 I'll post a complete review;).

Because I feel like it...

2010-02-19T21:02:00.000-08:00

Here are kidlet pics from the last couple days.

Be a Lunchroom Legend...

2010-02-19T14:30:00.000-08:00

...without even being awake enough in the morning to know when your husband leaves for work. Buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts, preferably on sale. Dump it in your crock pot. If you don't have one, BUY ONE. For the love of Pete, you can't be a lunchroom legend without one. In fact, buy two--a 4-quart and a 6-quart. Anyway, 4lbs of chicken breasts fit in a 6.5 quart crockpot, which is what I usually do. Dump in a bunch of your favorite salsa--at least a big jar, or 1/2 to 2/3 a Costco-sized jug. Cook it on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6. Shred the chicken. This next part you can do in the crock if everything fits, but I haven't tried it yet because I've just done this with the leftovers. Mix the shredded chicken with beans (refried, black, whatever), cheese (jack, cheddar, whatever), and cottage cheese (work with me here) in whatever amounts you have on hand/feel like dealing with. Slap a couple scoops in a flour tortilla, roll it up, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap of whatever brand, then again in foil. Toss it in the freezer and tell your husband to make sure he grabs one on his way out in the morning. And, as a bonus, if company ever drops by unexpectedly, you can covertly unwrap a dozen, toss them in a baking dish, sprinkle a little cheese on them, and bake at 350 until heated. No one will ever know you didn't make them that day. Unless, of course, they hear the frantic crinkle of foil.

Commentation

2010-02-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's a bad sign when you have to clean out the fridge in order to fit the milk delivery in. Not that that's ever happened to ME. Just sayin'.

What a great week this has been! Got the blueberries (six of them!) planted Tuesday, and have been delightfully sore since--good to know gardening is exercise. Wednesday a friend came over and our kids played so well together that we were actually able to complete sentences, and has the weather not been GORGEOUS?! It felt like May today--we spent most of the day outside, continuing to rip up the front yard, ride bikes, and have picnic lunches.

Aiden asked to have the training wheels taken off his bike today. Honestly, I thought he'd freak out once they were off, but he did great. Not that he can actually ride it farther than 10 feet;), but he stopped grabbing for me and had an up-and-at-'em attitude when he fell. That attitude is so important to me as a parent--I don't care if he never rides a bike farther than 10 feet if he has a good attitude about trying. That said, he was so pleased with his progress that I suspect he'll be riding farther than 10 feet soon.

Tonight the subject of what Aiden wants to be when he grows up came up again. He currently wants to be a police officer. But he added this: "But I'd also still like to be a king and marry K (a little friend of his he's just SURE he's going to marry). I could be a radio commentator. Well, I could if I knew how to commentate. Mom, how do you commentate on a radio?"

On a less funny note, I do have plans to post some good recipes I've acquired and some little money-saving ideas as I discover them. I'm just too taken with the sunshine during the day and sleep at night to have gotten to that yet:).

Planning the Garden

2010-02-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

I've got my garden planned--at least a working plan. I had a very small first one last year, and this year I'm going crazy. Last year's was 16 square feet--this year's will be whatever 16 X 4 is. If you need squash a few months down the road, you know where to come. This week I'm planting what will one day be a wall of blueberries--an informal, edible hedge to make me feel less stared at by the neighbors. Speaking of privacy, there will also be 16-foot tall sunflowers in front of my picture windows, with ever-shorter sunflowers in front of those, ending with millet. A screen from the neighbors, relief from the southern-exposure heat, and a feast for the birds. I'm also going to attempt to grow luffa so I can make sponges. Now to get that seed order in and get it all done!

Freedom from Facebook

2010-02-14T21:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how freeing it is to not be on Facebook anymore. And that despite the fact that a friend had a baby today and ~GASP~ I was not on Facebook to read it 2.9 seconds after it happened. Instead I got to talk to another friend who called me with the news 2 hours after it happened. Ah, yes--the good ol' days!

Addictions

2010-02-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Kirsten and I'm addicted to Facebook. Which is why I attempted to delete my account. Turns out it's pretty hard. First I had to "deactivate" it. A form with a list of reasons for deactivating came up, and, since they didn't include "I'm an addict with OCD," I checked "I spend too much time on Facebook." And up popped Facebook's solution: to reset something so I wouldn't get as many emails from them. Out of curiosity, I checked the other reasons--all but one popped up with a "solution." When I completed the form, I was told that I had only to LOG IN AGAIN to reactivate it. ACK. No, no, no--that's like telling an alcoholic that you poured it all down the sink but may have missed a bottle in the back of the fridge. I had to search the "help center" to find out how to delete my account--and what did FB do but schedule a deletion time. Two weeks from now, if I don't crawl back for a fix, my account will be deleted.

I am also experiencing a less troublesome and newer addiction to blended soups in bread bowls (gluttony). I couldn't get enough of the Fusion-Spiced Sweet Potato Soup I made tonight--I had 3 or 4 helpings and scraped the bread bowl to the crust, which I then slathered with butter to make more palatable. I shall console myself with the facts that I had hardly eaten anything else all day and that it tasted absolutely amazing. Perhaps tonight I will dream about eating it while obsessively checking Facebook with the hand not holding the spoon. Wonder what I'll do in the dream about needing that hand to hold the bread bowl still for maximum scrapeage.

Of Hair Real and Imagined

2010-02-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

It feels like the first blog post should be something monumental, but it seems real life is monumental enough for now, so that's where I'll start: random bits of life.
I cut, or rather hacked, Ronan's hair yesterday. I'd trimmed it a bit before, but this was the first major hacking. The hack job is a result of having used scissors rather than just buzzing it--this kid still screams in terror over the vacuum, so I thought I had a better chance with the scissors. He mourned every piece of hair that fell, and now truly looks like a big boy--albeit with a bad hair cut! He must've thought it bad, too, as I couldn't get a decent picture of it. As if I've figured out how to post pics here, anyway. Well, I can, but only at the top of the page...gotta work on that;).

Today I caught Aiden 3/4 of the way through drawing a goatee with a black Sharpie. On his face. As in on his skin. He was preparing to play Captain Haddock, a character from the TinTin books (http://www.timberdoodle.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=tintin+&Search.x=21&Search.y=13). I couldn't help but laugh, until it occurred to me that the Sharpie ink might be hard to get off. It was. But not as hard as I expected--must've gotten to it in time. He was sad about not having a goatee, so I finally put my mascara (yes, I own some!) to use. Got great pics, which I will hopefully figure out how to post soon:).