Journal: Pink-eye and chicken pox and windstorms, OH MY!

TODAY

Out my window:  It is nothing short of gorgeous outside currently (aside from the sad looking trees that have been obliterated left and right around the neighborhood due to a recent windstorm...amazing what 89mph winds will do to even the tallest, established trees), but I digress...the forecast for the next 3-4 days is amazing, with highs in the lower 80s and lows in the lower 60s (and even a few upper 50s).  Bring it ON!  

Clothing myself in:  Sweat capris a tank and a fitted T.  Comfy.

Around the house: I cleaned the windows in the big kids' room.  I did not scrub the kitchen floor (if you know me well, this could actually probably be considered progress).

 

The kiddos:  Survived the chicken pox!  They were exposed (on purpose) about mid-June and Kolbe came down with them first, on Saturday the 22nd.  Gemma was about 36 hours behind him, which actually ended up being kind of nice as they each had a really rough night a night apart from each other, and while it made for two rough nights in a row, believe me in retrospect I will take that over the intenseness that one night with both of them would have been.  Does that makes sense?  Kolbe had probably less than 100 and took them like a champ.  Gemma had a little harder time with them but it was still not awful.  I have been more worried over other bugs they've come across.  She probably had 200+ I think.  I've nicknamed her "polka dots".  They are both past the contagious stage, but still have some visible scabs.    

The baby:  Did not come down with the chicken pox even though he was exposed at the same time the big kids were.  He was obviously exposed again this go-around so it will be a waiting game once he is potentially contagious (the incubation period is 14-17 days, and you are contagious a day-ish before you show symptoms).  According to the Merck Manual babies have cross-placental immunity (if the mother had the chicken pox...I did and was titered and am still immune) until about 6 months, which he is way past.  I have also heard from various sources that you can pass antibodies through breastmilk, and he still nurses on demand, so who knows?  In the meantime, once he is potentially contagious we'll be in quarantine mode again.  Fun times! He has been letting go of things and standing independently more often lately.  He is kind of in between needing one and two naps and this has been making his bedtime kind of late most days (when he has two naps) which, well, it is what it is but I'm not a huge fan.  OH sleep.  He really likes to play with toy cars.

All three kids also battled cases of conjunctivitis over the past week and change.  As healthy as they are, for whatever reason they seem to get that with decent enough frequency.

In the kitchen: Homemade Pizza and Enchiladas this week and then I think hubby is running the smoker around the 4th.  And probably Chile Rellenos on Friday as I didn't end up making them this past week after all.  We have had some TAAASTY honey dews lately.  And we've really gotten into brussel sprouts as well.  I chop them in half or thirds and toss them in olive oil and salt and garlic and then drizzle them with agave or maple syrup and bake them at 425 for 15-20 minutes and they are soooo good.  They are also tasty chopped in small pieces on a pizza.  The kids have been requesting french toast for breakfast lately.

Crafting: nope.  nada.

Learning:  We did quite a few learning activities this past week since we were cooped up in the house.  We had a sun/summer theme.  I got a bunch of summer-type books from the library.  We talked about warm colors and color mixing and made hand-print/painted suns, and water-color coffee-filter suns, and we looked at a book of seashell pictures and then glued sea-shells on big letter S's.  After the big storm we took a nature walk and collected various items and then made some solar prints.  We made one for our neighbor from a leaf from the big 30ft maple that she lost from her backyard and she took it home and (immediately) framed it and made this nice little arrangement (see right).  I was touched that it meant so much to her.  This week I have some "America" themed books for the kids and we will probably color a flag and US Map (we've been talking about maps lately).  I am hoping for a trip to the zoo in between quarantines as well.  I also have some watermelon books on hold and will probably do this craft with the kids.  Along with the summer theme, I'd also still like to make sun bread.  I thought we'd get to it this past week and we just didn't.  

Reading: I should finish St. Francis this week.  We finished Charlotte's Web, and are waiting for book 2 from the Fairchild Family series to come in at the library through ILL.

Watching: Not much of interest.  I have been indulging in a bit of HGTV lately when Aaron is putting the big kids to bed.  I roll my eyes at myself, but I still kinda enjoy some of it.  Sort of.  

Bringing me joy: Confession and a great talk with my Spiritual Director.  Always gives me such a fresh and hopeful perspective on life.  My marriage and family.  The kids' excitement for "firecracker time".  Looking forward to taking them to their first parade.  An end to chicken pox.  A busy but fulfilling and enjoyable June.  Chatting with my uncle (yes, you) via the interwebs.  Flowers from our neighbor (different one than mentioned above...we have the greatest neighbors).  He often gives Gemma flowers from his yard, and he has some PRETTY flowers.  The other day Aaron asked me if I'd rather him (Aaron) buy me flowers or a bottle of wine.  Without hesitation I answered, "wine.  Gerry gives me flowers."  haha.

Thinking about: The overturning of DOMA and all the various repercussions.  Paula Deen.  The power of wind.  My lack of control over trees and life in general.  The future.  Priorities.  How's that for stream-of-consciousness?!

Pictures to share:  

Storm damage.

Food-for-Thought round-up (1st edition)

So many good articles to read and share, following the inspiration of Erika I decided to (maybe weekly?) round them up so I can remember them for all posterity.  Or at least when I go to look for them tomorrow.

The Hidden Oneness of the Family - I really liked this, especially this quote at the end.  "Children possess full personhood just as adults do — they don’t have to do anything to earn it.  Affirming their dignity means we don’t scare them or hit them; it means we sometimes put aside our own needs in order to meet those needs which they are unable to meet themselves; it means that we empower them over time to care for themselves, to manage their emotions, to manage their time & friendships; it means that we recognize that they are unique and unrepeatable, with their own way of feeling loved, their own talents and tastes, their own unique gifts to bring to the world."

The Fight for Marriage Continues - Some perspective on the over-turning of DOMA. 

Duck Dynasty adds beardless cast member - Set your DVR's...new season starts in August!!

Ten Things Generation Y Won't Tell You - I haven't read the whole thing, but my hubby shared this with me the other night and we both thought it was pretty interesting.  And spot on.  And a little scary.  OH millenials....

I Thirst - Another one from Catholic AP.  And another nice perspective, especially for growing families.

And this one about the Girl Scouts -  From the article, quoting: "In May 2013, WAGGGS participated in Women Deliver, a global conference with the purpose of 'call[ing] for action to improve the health and well-being of girls and women.'  The conference featured speakers such as late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart, philosopher Peter Singer, who supports infanticide and euthanasia, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius."  End quote.  Seriously.  I mean, really?  Just, wow.  I am not here to judge others' decisions, but I will say that unless there is some sort of huge overhaul in the upper levels of this organization, our family will never (and I have learned to use that word very sparingly) be involved with the GSA.  I just can't justify it, no matter how I dice it.

What Really Happened at the Komen Foundation - Still working my way through this one too.  Very, very interesting to learn about some of the inside things that went on.

A couple recipes I came across that looked tasty and EASY.  Chicken and Cheese Tostadas (especially now that we have a great local place to get authentic tortillas) and this Cheesy Beef and Rice.  I haven't tried either, so no promises!

And in closing, the Prayer for Religious Liberty, to be prayed by Catholics and people of faith everywhere, especially during this Fortnight for Freedom.

Journal: Summer is here

TODAY

Out my window:  Hot and windy.  Summer is here to stay, I'm afraid.  Spring was sure nice, if not fleeting, while it lasted.

Clothing myself in:  Meh, sweat capris a tank and a t-shirt.  And I haven't showered since the day before yesterday.  Oh yeah.  Keepin' it classy.

Around the house: Let's see.  I have moved some various furniture and vacuumed behind and under it.  As much as I would like to deep clean everything at once, it is just more practical these days to chip away at things here and there.  Oh, and the pillow.  We have a couple throw pillows on our love seat, and one of them got its zipper completely busted due to the sheer number of times it has been jumped on in some crazy and loud game that involves a stepstool, lots of pillows (and yelling) and is called "mudslide" (but pronounced "muttslide").  OH children.  Anyways, the zipper was beyond repair, so I figured there wasn't much to lose and took the hot glue gun to it.  Really, it looks [almost] new.  Take THAT, Martha Stewart.  Now if I could only find some sort of baby-friendly decoration for my end-table top...

 

The baby:  Is he really going to be a year in a few weeks?  Heavens. 

 

The kiddos:  Gemma has kind of been a pickle lately (understatement of the year).  Like, just when it gets really bad she continues to kick it up another notch.  Mainly sass and disrespect and blatant/rude refusals.  It has been an exercise in patience for me, which is good for me, but mainly I just want to teach her the importance of kindness and respect without manipulating her to get the results I want.  Does that make sense?  Oh, parenting is tricky.  And apologies...  How do you handle kid apologies (to each other and to parents) at your house?  Because boy, along with those other things I mentioned above she has a quite commendable stubborn streak...

I don't want it to seem like I only complain about her though.  She can be so sweet and fun.  She loves to hear stories.  She is really into ponies lately and likes making houses and games for them and playing with them in the shower.  I am really getting excited for kindergarten, I think she is going to just love it, and I think it will be very good for her.  For both of us.  She has some hand-me-down jumpers ready to go, and I just ordered her polo shirts.  It's getting closer!

Kolbe is a funny little man.  He uses the word "anymore" a lot, only he pronounces it "amymore".  He is also obsessed with his boogers, which he calls "boobers".  He will often proclaim, "mommy, I not eat my boobers, AMYmore."  And then, well, I'll stop there...  He also often asks, "sit on my lap, mommy" when he wants to sit on your lap.  One time I actually went and sat on his lap, and he was very confused.  He has started gritting his teeth and screaming, "you not be very nice," quite emphatically when he is angry with someone.  He says, "I love you often," but he also says, "I like you," which I think is cute.  I mean, there are people out there who I love but don't necessarily like.  I'm glad my Kolbe likes me. 

In the kitchen: There were a lot of leftovers from my brother-in-law's wedding, so we enjoyed those quite a bit this past week.  Fresh broccoli and carrots and barbeque pork (and some beans).  And some really tasty cheese too.  I have been nursing a bottle of pinot noir for the past week or two and really enjoying that.  We had flounder and some salad and roasted sweet potatoes on Friday and that was a nice break from the leftovers.  Flounder has become our latest favorite go-to fish.  This upcoming week I have fajitas, Shepherd's Pie, homemade pizza and chile rellenos on the menu.  And lots of fresh fruit.  We have really been enjoying the summer fruit around here.

Crafting: The pillow.  Maybe I should have put the part about the pillow down here...

Learning:  We have been talking about maps lately.  I ordered world map and US map placemats from Amazon, and then made and had laminated a state and city map and have them hanging inside our pantry door.  We checked out Me on the Map and Follow That Map from the library and those were both really great selections.  We also have read a couple books that talk about various world cultures.  

My parents had one of my old watches fixed up for Gemma (new battery and sized down) and she is really excited about that and has shown some interest in learning to tell time, so I have some books from the library about that.  Any tips on teaching time telling? 

Reading:  Still working on St. Francis and the Catechism.  I haven't had/taken much time to read recently.  About to finish Charlotte's Web with the kids, Gemma has really enjoyed it. 

Watching:  Is Gold Rush going to have an off season or not?  Still waiting.  Some new Pawn Stars each week.  Evenings (as with June in general) seem to have been nuts lately. Less TV.  Not necessarily a bad thing.

Bringing me joy: Seeing the kids genuinely excited about things.  Especially little things.  Sometimes I think I don't appreciate or encourage their childlike wonder enough.  A wonderful husband.  An afternoon to myself to run errands (thanks mom!). 

Thinking about:  Whether my sanity will still be intact when I hit 40 (or tomorrow for that matter).  Here's hoping!

Pictures to share:  

Gemma with her friend Gianna.  They will both be in kindergarten at our parish school this year.

Kolbe sitting on the cabinet...I forget what he was doing up there.  Notice the cantaloupe in the background...I think we've gone through four or five this week.  And my go-with-the-flow Clem.  "Mommy didn't put me down for a nap at home so I'll just sleep here."  I can hear my former self scornfully turning up her nose at me just looking at this picture.

June recap

Wow.  Has it really been two weeks?  June has been insane.  I'll just do a recap with pictures for now and hopefully journal again soon. 

We've had two weddings (cousin and brother, both on Aaron's side).  We danced and wore funny hats and caught up with out-of-town family and ate too much candy (well Gemma and Kolbe did anyways).  

We took a fun family trip to the zoo. 

As I mentioned in my last post, Gemma spent a week at VBS and the boys and I helped in the daycare.  

We watched baby birds hatch in the nest in our birch and in our neighbor's tree (this might have been late May??) and Kolbe followed a baby bird that couldn't fly yet around the lake (and into the neighbor's yard where he belonged, we could hear mama squawking at us).

We went on a froggy walk (that turned into a swim) in the temporary pond behind the house. 

We had professional pictures taken of the kids (see sidebar too).

We've had fun going to daily Mass (trying to go once a week) and playing at the park with friends.

We are working on our goals for the Summer Reading Program at the library.  Gemma chose the lofty goal of 100, and Kolbe 40.  G is about half way there and Kolbe is pretty close.

The older two just completed two weeks of swim lessons at the Y.  It was their first time to take and I'm calling it successful.  Neither of them "passed", but they definitely progressed and had fun (aside from a few small hiccups with Kolbe) and that was what I was looking for.  They needed to learn how to put their faces in the water from someone other than mama.  We signed up with a couple friends, so Clem and I enjoyed some chat/playtime every day while the big kids swam and that was really nice.  Kolbe even ventured down the "big blue slide" with his teacher on the last day.  Gemma did not.  The apple does not fall far from the tree, folks.  I am debating another round of lessons later in the summer. 

We celebrated Flowercup the fish's first birthday.  I think I will blog about this separately as I have some really cute pictures I haven't gotten off my camera yet.  Yes, you read that right.  We had a birthday party for our fish.  Bet you'll never guess who planned and executed that one...

The rest of the month should be a bit more quiet.  The heat has settled in here and we have made the decision to put in a well, in an effort to keep our yard alive in a less expensive (long-term) and time intensive manner. 

HAPPY SUMMER!!

Journal: Bible School

We just finished off a busy week of VBS.  WHEW!  So here I am, better late than never.

TODAY

Out my window:  Maybe some rain moving in?  It has been so mild.  VBS was outdoors and the weather was just perfect.  We have spent some quality time on walks and at the neighborhood park or just playing in the yard lately.  I am so grateful for the beautiful (albeit a bit late) Spring we are having.  Hopefully summer will keep itself in check and we can keep on with this mild, rainy pattern we've been in since February.

Clothing myself in: jammies now, but I wanted to share... I ordered a couple pairs of these capris on a whim because they were on sale earlier this week (they still are, just not quite as good a price) and they are everything I dreamed they would be and more.  It is funny how excited a $10 pair of "bum around" capris can make me these days.  Yup.  True story.  Buy me a new t-shirt that fits well and it may just send me over the moon.

Around the house: Oh goodness, trying to find a balance between staying caught up but not being so OCD that I put housework before people.  I've been doing more stuff after the kids are in bed and that helps.  This week I moved the kids beds and vacuumed around/under them (not while they were in bed), and little jobs like that always make me feel good, even though no one probably notices them besides me.

 

The baby: He is so cute, have I mentioned that?  He loves waving at people.  This week I helped in the daycare for VBS, so he and Kolbe were with me and my boys and I had a very fun time.  Clem enjoyed the interaction and the middle school girls who were helping out really doted on him too.  He is a very "go with the flow" kind of kid.  I'm beginning to think that's just the way it has to be with the 3rd, 4th, 5th etc. child.  They just don't really have a choice. It's funny, I never would have volunteered for something like this when Gemma was a baby, or even when Kolbe was, because it would have interfered with naps, meals, etc.  The more kids I have the more I stretch and grow, and for this I am grateful.  Grateful that I have children who put me outside my comfort zone.  Grateful that I have children to help me realize that life is about others, not me.  Now I'm losing focus though.  Moving on...

 

The kiddos:  Gemma had SO much fun at VBS.  And speaking of change, my how she has changed and grown in a year.  Last year she had fun, but there were tears every day when mama left.  This year (I only took her one day since I was helping with the daycare back at Church) it was a wave and a smile, a quick kiss and off to join the fun.  It is a joy watching her grow, if not a bit bittersweet.  We had a very bad day on Tuesday, and several horribleawfulohmygoodnesshowdoIevenhandlethis episodes in the days leading up to that.  Some refocusing on my part, prayer (and a trip to confession for me to re-center) and the rest of the week has been pretty darn good.  Thank you Jesus.

Kolbe also had fun with VBS at the daycare with me.  Next year he will be old enough to attend VBS with big sis so we will see how that goes.  He had fun playing with the other kids, although by the end of the week I was glad we were done because he was starting to get a little too familiar (read: there was a little more fighting/typical kid stuff) once the novelty had worn off.  It was fun to watch him warm up to other kids though, he is often a loner at play when we are in a big group, so it was nice to see him have fun playing together.

In the kitchen: Might as well cover last week and this upcoming one.  I tried to have easy meals last week since I was gone all morning each day, so we had Breakfast Casserole; some enchiladas that I had ingredients for already prepped and frozen; crock pot roasted chicken with green beans and potatoes on the side; Aaron cooked some chicken and sausage on the smoker one day; and baked flounder (a new fave around here) with leafy green salads.  Our neighbors garden is starting to produce and she is sharing with us again.  She told me that back in China, the saying went, "a neighborhood with a garden in it is a happy neighborhood."  I've got to agree with her.  This upcoming week we have minute steaks with probably more salad; homemade pizza; a family dinner and a family wedding on the "menu". 

Crafting: My Bible school t-shirt was too big on me, so I took the sides in and it turned out just to my preference.  I was pretty proud of this accomplishment.  Oh, and I hot glued a broken box together and helped Gemma with a couple bead necklaces.  Namely the one that she threw across the room in a fit of rage since she couldn't find a letter "A" bead.  Yup.  True story.

Learning:  Mainly Bible School.  Oh, and the Unifix Cubes came and the kids just love "playing" with them.  They are pretty awesome.  They came with a little booklet, and the number of hands-on math activities you can do with them is literally endless.  We've been mainly working on patterning, and some counting by 2's, 3's and 5's (with Gemma).  Gemma has also been really enjoying some of the Glory Stories MP3's I've purchased and burned to CD for our van (they are short enough that even though we're never in the car for long we can usually get thru them in an outing).  We currently have Bl. Imelda, St. Juan Diego, St. Therese, St. Anthony and St. Joan of Arc.

Reading: Didn't have as much time to read this week, but still working my way through St. Francis.  I'm reading Charlotte's Web to the kids and Gemma really likes it.  I have a sound recording (from the library) of All of a Kind Family Downtown that we may start listening to at mealtime, instead of me always reading out loud.

Watching:  New season of Pawn Stars!!  I find this show so interesting and fun to watch, even if some of the drama between the people who work there is pretty staged.  

Bringing me joy: Aaron's cousin's wedding we went to last week.  It was so beautiful.  One of those weddings that you left with your heart just bursting with love and joy.  Made me happy.  And the kids had fun (aside from being absolutely and positively horrendous during Mass. Sigh.)  VBS and watching Gemma dance around the house singing all her new songs.  Good friends.  Good, good women in my life.  Oh I am so blessed.  Helping out with VBS.  This was one of the more substantial stewardship things I've done since having kids, and it made me very happy to help out and feel involved and active in the parish.  I am hopeful that having kids in school will continue to guide me to these opportunities, and that we can find a comfortable balance for our family.

Thinking about: School next (well, this I guess) year.  Seeing Gemma at VBS, and hearing about what she learned and experiencing the fun she had and joy it brought her really made me excited for her to start school.  As much as I like doing things at home with her, having her away at VBS made me realize how much (at least at this point in our lives) I need others' help with her education, and I am excited to begin that partnership with our Catholic parish school.  Will it be perfect?  Heck no, I'd be kidding myself if I wanted that.  But I am confident, at least for this coming year, that it is the right thing for her.  The right thing for all of us.  Hard to believe we have just two months and change until the big day. Oh, and respect and discipline.  This was interesting.  And this...was interesting too.  Maybe I should just start a Saturday roundup...

Pictures to share:  

VBS last year (orange) and this (green).  Wow, time flies.

Veggie, Sausage and Egg Casserole

We were at a brunch at my MIL's a few months ago and I commented on how tasty the breakfast casserole was.  She shared the recipe (which was her neighbor's) and we made it our own.  It is tasty.

You will need:

8 oz. (more or less to your preference) frozen shredded potatoes

a dozen (ish) eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1-2 cups shredded cheese (I usually use an 8 oz block of extra sharp cheddar) divided

half to a pound of breakfast sausage, browned and drained; or diced ham

1 cup whipping cream (or half-and-half or milk would work)

Your choice of vegetables, I usually use:

1 diced pepper (I like the colored ones, green works too)

1 can green chiles

some chopped baby bellas

lightly steamed asparagus and/or broccoli

1/2 onion, diced

METHOD

Oil a 9x13 glass baking pan.  Line bottom with potatoes.  Beat together eggs, cream, salt and pepper and pour over potatoes.  Sprinkle on half the cheese.  Mix meat and veggies together and add to top, lightly pressing down into eggs.  Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

ENJOY!!!  We usually eat this as a dinner rather than a breakfast.