Journal: Christmas 2014

TODAY

Out my window: It was sunny earlier but now it is cloudy.  It is supposed to get pretty cold tonight and for the next couple days.

Clothing myself in: Typical Monday clothes.  Trust me, that is enough of an explanation in and of itself.  I did have the decency to put on a pair of jeans when we headed out to the library a bit ago.

Around the house: Finding spots for (the kids') Christmas presents.  I have decided that we're not going to keep toys in the living room anymore.  We used to have a big bin, but it rarely got played with aside from a couple things, namely the playsilks.  We have our playroom in the basement with our kitchen set and food, balls, tools, dress up clothes, and a few other things.  And then Gemma has her things in her room, she is more into craft stuff and stuffed animals anyways.  The boys have a nice sized bookshelf in their bedroom closet, so I have some various sized little bins that we've collected over the years, and the rest of our toys that aren't packed away (new and existing) I've divvied up amongst the bins.  We'll see how that works out.  We also have some stuff stored in our kitchen that they play with.

 

The baby/toddler: He has hit a phase where he will only wear button-down plaid shirts.  For real.  Luckily we owned a few (I had to hit up the 3T bin) and he got one for Christmas.  I may pick up one more to get us through to spring, but oh my.  For real, if one of his button downs wasn't clean, he would refuse to get out of his pajamas, or if he finally got out of them he would go around the house in his underwear.  OH the life of a two-year-old.

 

The kiddos:  Christmas break has been nice, although today has been a little rough (understatement).  We really struggle with a lack of routine around here.  We got out and went to the library though this afternoon, and that seemed to help hit the reset button.  Sort of.  :-/

For Christmas, Kolbe got the Fighting Robots he had been yearning for.  He had seen them at Aldi a month or more ago and just been pining for them.  Seriously, every time we went he would just stand there and stare at them, listing all the things about them that were amazing.  We (Santa) originally weren't going to get them, but then after hearing his adorable desperation, and listening to Gemma tell him she wished she could buy them for him, we booted one of his Christmas gifts down the road to his birthday and picked them up.  Oh my was he thrilled.  We have video evidence of him opening it that is absolutely precious!  And despite my preconceived notions, they ended up being a really cool toy!  We're all having fun with them.

Gemma got quite a bit of craftsy stuff for Christmas, and a few duplicates that we're still trying to iron out.  ;-)

All the kids had fun, we spent Christmas eve with some of my inlaws and Christmas evening with my entire family.  We were originally supposed to make a day trip together this past weekend to visit Aaron's extended family, but we had boys on the tail end of fevers, so I stayed home with them and just Gemma and Aaron went.  That was a bummer.  We rarely travel as a family (we rarely travel at all), and Aaron is done with his time off for Christmas (he was back to work Saturday) and doesn't get New Years off, so I was really bummed that we had to split up Sunday.  But oh well.  Many people have it much worse, I should quit griping.

Oh and also, we went to the dentist last week and she recommended Gemma see an orthodontist this Summer.  At seven.  Does anyone know anything about this?  Seven seems awfully young to us to treat anything orthodontically.  She is still growing, her mouth is still growing, she only has a small handful of adult teeth that are at various stages of coming in and her pain tolerance is probably in the negatives on a scale of 1-10.  I realize I am not a professional, but as with anything health-related, our MO is typically to take the road of least intervention.  Orthodontics for someone her age would seem to me about as effective as trying to shovel your driveway during a blizzard.  Our thoughts are let things settle out, grow in, and check back when she is a tween or early teen.  I would welcome others' thoughts and experiences in this realm, as it is admittedly uncharted territory (as is everything with your firstborn).

In the kitchen: Lasagna with steamed broccoli and cauliflower, white chicken chili with sour cream and cheese, chips and guacamole, homemade pizza, and a tasty recipe for foil-baked fish our neighbor recently gave me.  These holiday weeks I have taken "the Fathers" (as we have dubbed them) all their food early in the week, so the bulk of my cooking has all been clustered towards the beginning of the week.

Crafting: HA! no.  I did pick up a kit for some foam picture-holder ornaments that I think we will make next year instead of salt dough.  A+ for planning ahead, even if I get an F for crafting.

Learning:  We will start work on thank you notes, probably tomorrow. 

Reading: I picked up Come Be My Light from the library but am not much further than the first chapter.  And I have 5-10 pages of theology I need to read.  I am feeling seriously unmotivated to read for whatever reason.  My parents got me my very own copy of The Hidden Power of Kindness for Christmas.  It is one of those books that I think I just need to continue to read and reread.  I also got the first three American Girl "Kirsten" books at the library today.  Gemma has been needing some new chapter books for us to read together at bedtime, and I think we'll both enjoy these.  I know I loved them years ago.

Watching:  My dad and I went to see Unbroken this weekend.  It was very good, I loved the ending.  But I still think the book was better.  We were loaned a copy of For Greater Glory that we are hoping to watch soon.  We needed something light and brainless last night before heading to bed so we turned on an episode of Finding Bigfoot.  Bigfoot stuff fascinates me, but those guys are just goofballs.

Bringing me joy: Is it bad that I have to sit here and think?  It has been a gripey day.  I love having time with my hubby after the kids are in bed.  The best.  I got up and went to early Mass by myself a couple days last week and it was glorious.  Gosh, now I sound like I don't like my kids.  I do, they just exhaust me sometimes.  We listened to Curious George on CD during snacks today and that was fun.

Thinking about: The kids' birthdays.  Less than two weeks away, sigh.

Pictures to share:  

Christmas morning.

At church before Mass.

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Product Review: Reduce WaterWeek Kids water bottles

I have recently been looking for a new water bottle option for our kids, as in the back of my mind I have known for a long time that the cheap ones from the Target dollar bin were just gross. Between the fact that they were probably leaching BPAs and pthalates and all kinds of other nasty chemicals into their water, not to mention the fact that they weren't dishwasher safe, so even though I washed them (not as frequently as I should), they were just plain gross.  Disgusting.  Like, even if I were dehydrating I would have to stop and think whether I really wanted to drink out of them.  Mom of the year.  Due to my severe Paralysis by Analysis, I sat on this way longer than I should have.  Finally, just in time for the Feast of St. Nicholas, I decided to go with the WaterWeek Kids bottles from Reduce.  At 10 oz, they were smaller than our Target cheapies, but I was worried the taller ones would be too tippy.  I am glad I went with the smaller ones.  I ordered sets in Cosmic and Simply Sweet, and ordered two sets of push/pull lids, as those seem to be the best option for my kids at the ages of 7, 5 and 2.5.  This gave us enough bottles for each kid to have two...one from which to drink, and one in the dishwasher, thus the bottles ideally get washed (GASP!) daily.  The Simply Sweet bottles worked like a charm, the Cosmic had something really funky going on with the threads.  The lids were nearly impossible to get on and then leaked somewhat once they were on.  I spoke with their customer service, and they very kindly and promptly sent me a new set of Cosmic.  The new ones are better, but still not as smooth as the Simply Sweet ones, which I find odd.  I am glad I ordered the Simply Sweet ones, if the Cosmic were my only experience with this company I would probably be ready to hang it up.  The 10 oz has ended up being a great size.  They usually need refilled now and then throughout the day, and we always freshen them up at bedtime, but for young kids around the house, they are just right.  My kids are very taken with the bright colors and fun patterns.  I am very taken with being able to throw them in my dishwasher to de-funkify them on a regular basis.  I think they are a little overpriced, and the issues with the Cosmic set are a bit annoying.  Overall though they are a huge improvement from what we had, and I appreciate their simplicity and ease of use and cleaning (no straws, or funky tubes or seals, etc.)  The leaking they may do is minimal enough that it is not an annoyance.  If you get the push/pull lids, be sure to loosen them about 1/8th turn before drinking, or there is enough suction created that drinking is very difficult. 

Bottom line, while overpriced and not perfect, I give the Reduce WaterWeek Kids bottles four stars.  If you are going to buy them, I would recommend waiting for a sale or discount code.

Journal: very quick update

Going to do this quickly.  Less than 20 minutes, I even set a timer.  My faithful reader has complained about my lack of updates.

TODAY
Out my window: It snowed last night, about 2 inches.  It was beautiful.  It is hovering right around freezing so the snow was perfect for Kolbe to build a little snowman in the backyard this morning.  Looking at the forecast, it should melt soon.  No white Christmas here this year.

Clothing myself in: My "uniform" (jeans, tank, hoodie, double socks).  I am the most predictable dresser in the world I think.

Around the house: Nothing of note.  Most gifts are wrapped.  Have just an itty-bit of shopping to finish up today at the meat store.

The baby/toddler: OH my, he is the main reason I decided to update.  He is a funny kid.  He  has started waking during the night and making very odd requests.  Demands really.  Sigh.  The other night he woke up about 3am asking for something.  I kept repeating different things, what I thought he was saying, and he kept telling me "NO".  Sometimes he is difficult to understand, but he was definitely saying the same word over and over.  Something like "pie-a-whoa".  So I picked him up and he laid his head on my shoulder and dozed off, so I just came out to the couch and laid down with him and fell asleep.  Well, he woke up about an hour later asking for the same thing.  Aaron even came out to help.  Apple? NO!  Water? NO!  Pineapple? UH-HUH!!!!  Well, OK.  "Show me where it is?" I asked him as I set him down.  He grabbed my hand, walked me back to his room, lifted up his pillow and proceeded to pull a (clearly imaginary) pineapple out to clutch.  "Did you find your pineapple?" I asked.  "Yes."  "Are you ready to go back to bed?"  Affirmative again.  So we laid down, and for the next 5 or so minutes I had to intermittently hand him pieces of pineapple from under his pillow.  Then he went back to sleep.  The end.  You can't make this stuff up.

 

The kiddos:  Gemma is now officially on Christmas break.  We will have fun.  Kolbe has been a bit trying lately.  Aggressive/destructive at times, strong-willed, stubborn, epic meltdowns about seemingly small things (that are certainly big things to him, but even so).  Sigh.  This is my path to sainthood. 

In the kitchen: This is my first week cooking for "the fathers" (as we have been referring to them around here).  So far so good.  I think this job is going to be a super-great fit.  This week, beef and veggie soup, loaded baked potato and chicken casserole with tasty (on sale) avocados on top, shredded pesto chicken with pasta and steamed veggies, salmon and sides TBD tomorrow.  Something simple tonight (probably leftovers for us and a quesadilla for the kids).  Next week will be hit and miss with the holidays, I know I'm making a broccoli salad, and I think I will do shepherd's pie on Monday, but that is about all that has been determined at this point.  I need to menu-plan the next month or two here sometime soon.

Crafting: ha.  yeah.  Food is my craft.  Oh wait!  I do actually have something!!  Been working on our salt dough ornaments for the year with the kids.  Good times, good times.  I pulled Kolbe's khakis out of the dryer the other day and was like, "WOW, next time you will need a paint shirt AND paint pants."  Oh well.

Learning:  Kolbe has been into reindeer crafts this week.  Lots of santa games and dancing to Christmas songs on the AT&T Uverse Santa Tracker thing on our TV. 

Reading: Finished My Sisters the Saints (very good).  Started Happy are you Poor.  Reading Christmas at Stony Creek with Gemma.

Watching: Team Umizoomi is currently competing with the beautiful Christmas music on NPR.  It's never dull around here.  Or quiet.

Bringing me joy: Advent, the closeness to Christmas.  Prayer and meditation. 

Thinking about: I am out of time!!

Pictures to share: 

1. Gemma painting ornaments. 
2. Kolbe with his Christmas present from speech for us (a handprint 2015 calendar).  He was so proud. 
3. "Let's use this to make a pumpkin pie with daddy!" he said as he was helping me put dishes away.  

Journal: odds and ends

TODAY

Out my window: Sunny (after a cloudy rainy morning) and wet.  Low 50s.  Very moderate 10 day forecast.

Clothing myself in:  Jeans, black tank with a gray design on front, gray 3/4 sleeve cardigan.  Double socks.  Unless I am wearing athletic socks, I always double socks.  And they have to be mostly cotton or they drive me nuts.  Odd?

Around the house: The holiday decorations give our home such a cozy feeling.  I love it.  The boys and I took a load of donations in early this week.

 

The baby/toddler:  Oh goodness.  He tells two knock-knock jokes.

1. Knock knock.  Who there?  I ARE!!!

2. Knock knock.  Who there?  Poop.  (said in the most delicate voice you could imagine).  

That kid.

He has such a strong mind and will.  This is very challenging at times.  Oh patience. (click on the article, it was very good.)  I am sure this will serve him well later in life.  Hopefully I can escape his (and his sister's) childhood with at least a few shreds of sanity left.

 

The kiddos:  Gemma was back to school this week.  We enjoyed the break, but it's always nice to get back into our regular routine.  I was talking to Aaron, and he was commenting how the kids get the whole week at Thanksgiving, and two full weeks at Christmas, and that's so much more time off than we got as kids.  I reminded him how much longer our summers were (3+ months) as kids.  Honestly though, I will take more breaks and less summer.  If it were up to me, several 1-3 week breaks during the year and a 6ish week summer would be perfect (or better anyways).  HA!  Like it's up to me.

Kolbe is Kolbe.  We have been so careful with his (and consequently the whole family's) diet.  Nothing that has the word "artificial" or anything unpronounceable (for the most part) in it, and his face looks great!  He had a rough time about the first two weeks of November, and I am convinced it was the Halloween candy.  Debating our options for next year.  For Halloween, and all the extra food that comes with school as well.  I have been very unmotivated to do much "school" work with him.  Part of it is probably laziness, but part of it is just wanting to let him play and do stuff that is self-led.  School is so much work, the rigor of Kindergarten was a bit shocking to me last year (I am not being sarcastic).  I want him to be prepared, and I do think he will be "ready" for school, but I don't want to overwhelm him before he has even started "real" school.  I know for a fact he is not in the same place academically as Gemma was at almost 5.  Not that it matters.  So much about which to think... 

In the kitchen: honey chicken with brown rice and edamame, meatloaf with roasted brussels sprouts and broccoli, spaghetti and meat sauce with canned green beans (I have a very soft spot in my heart for canned green beans. odd?), and a very hearty batch of chicken noodles.  We will be eating leftovers tonight.  Next week looking at a new chicken recipe our neighbor gave me, a batch of chili, some baked fish and maybe the bean enchilada casserole I was going to make tonight.  Speaking of the kitchen (I suppose this fits best in this category), I got a job!  A very part time one.  A priest friend of ours asked if I would cook part time for him and the other priest in residence at his parish (which is just a few miles away, not our parish).  I wasn't looking for a job, but have often said I like the idea of parish work long-term.  To have such an offer fall in my lap seemed like something I should seriously consider.  I have high hopes it will work out quite well. I will cook all the food at home and deliver twice a week + some light grocery shopping.  I start Christmas week.

Crafting: hahahahahaha, yeeeaaaahhhhh...

Learning:  See above.  ;-)

Reading: Still working my way through My Sisters the Saints.  I read Clare's Costly Cookie with Gemma a couple months ago, and she loved it so much she has been requesting random chapters each night at bedtime.  If you have a precious daughter between the ages 6-9, I would highly recommend this compilation of stories to help children (namely girls) grow in their personal relationship with Jesus.  It is truly beautiful.

Watching:  We watched an interesting show on public television about Neil Armstrong the other night.

Bringing me joy: Advent.  New job.  Hanging out with the boys during the day.  A shopping date with just Clement. Finishing the mail merge and Christmas letter without killing anyone or breaking any pieces of electronics.  And getting a family picture with everyone looking and smiling!!  Christmas cards just need assembled now.

Thinking about: I think we already covered that.  At any rate, I am not in the mood for any more thinking currently.

Pictures to share:  

The boys with their homemade air hockey game.  We have gone through wayyyyy too many straws the past few days.  And somehow this game always ends in a straw/light saber fight.  Star Wars, you had to make your presence known in our home at some point.  It has happened.  My husband is thrilled, I am just confused.  I think there is something in the male genome that must help you understand all that.  I still am not even sure who's a good guy and who's a bad guy.  #boys

Gemma at her new homework workspace, the desk in the basement.  Why it took the entire semester to realize this may be a better fit than the kitchen table still has me shaking my head...

Journal: December?!

TODAY

Out my window:  Sunny and warmish.  We had such a really cold snap a couple weeks ago (like, it got down to single digits one night), it froze all the leaves that were still on the trees and now they aren't dropping.  Hoping for no significant ice in the near future...  Looks like it's cooling down some again tomorrow for the week.

Clothing myself in: Jeans and a new red hoodie from Old Navy with a gray tank under it.  Old Navy, Maurices and a little bit of Target here and there.  That is what you will find in my closet, folks. 

Around the house: Over the course of the holiday weekend we've gotten our indoor and outdoor Christmas decorations up.  It makes me smile.  I am always ready to take decorations down come the Epiphany, but oh how I like them when we first get them up.  We're starting to have items that the kids remember and ask about each year and I just love that we are developing those traditions.  Although if someone asks me to wind the snowman music box one more time...

The baby/toddler: Cute.  Hilarious.  Tenacious.  Loves to climb on the counter and "help" while I am cooking (sigh).  Has napped for about 10 minutes the past two days and fallen asleep on Aaron's lap before 7pm (sigh).  He has soooo many words and sentences, but not necessarily more sounds, so he is getting a little harder to understand...

 

The kiddos:  My sister and I took her and my kids to the local science museum over the Thanksgiving break and OH MY we had fun.  We were there for almost 4 hours and the only reason we left was because they were closing.  I foresee going back again sometime in the next 4-6 months (or sooner!!)

In the kitchen: Spaghetti, Honey Chicken, Meatloaf and Bean Enchilada casserole are on the menu this week.  Yesterday I made some roasted brussels sprouts and broccoli and it was so.freaking.good., so I think I will be doing a repeat of that soon.  Maybe some broccoli salad?  I made some for Thanksgiving and already want more.  We've been making fried potatoes with relative frequently of late as well.  Yummo.

Crafting: blah.

Been chipping away at the Christmas shopping.  Probably 80% there. 

Up next: wrapping.  blah. 

Learning:  meh.  Science museum?

Reading: I have our Advent Picture Book a Day selections all ready to go, and am super excited about those.  Started The Family Under the Bridge with Gemma and am reading (and loving) My Sisters The Saints myself.

Watching: Had to break out Elf while we put the tree up last night after kids were in bed.  Keeping up with Gold Rush Alaska, and have caught a few episodes of Eat: The Story of Food which was really cool.  Have DVR'd a few things (Up, the second Ice Age movie and Horton Hears a Who) for the kids to potentially watch.

Bringing me joy: Advent.  The coming holidays.  Christmas decorations.  Clem, in all his cute glory.  Afternoon with my sis (et al) at the science museum, it really was so great.  My super great hubby.  The kids, even when they make my eyeballs want to pop out of my skull.

Thinking about: 

Pictures to share:  

Clem likes to color.

 Turkeys

 

Found him sleeping like this one night when we went to tuck him in.

Advent Picture-Book-a-Day 2014

A dreary, cool Saturday morning the weekend before Advent begins seemed the perfect time to grab our stack of books, the library books I've requested thus far, and the laptop and make our Picture Book a Day plans for the year!  I have books selected up through Christmas Eve, and will probably request some more Christmas books as well as some Epiphany-themed ones to round out the season. Thought I would share here what I have so far:

11/30 (First Sunday of Advent) - This is the Stable (library)
12/1 - Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (library)
12/2 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (own)
12/3 - A Gift from Saint Franics: The First Creche (library)
12/4 - Mortimer's Christmas Manger (own)
12/5 - Santa's Secret Story (own)
12/6 - Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend (own)
12/7 - (Second Sunday of Advent) B is for Bethlehem: A Christmas Alphabet (own)
12/8 - Mary (library)
12/9 - (the apparent beginning of our Ode to Tomie dePaola) The Night of Las Posadas (library)
12/10 - The Friendly Beasts (own - we also own the Paola version)
12/11 - The Legend of the Poinsettia (own)
12/12 - The Lady of Guadalupe (library, unfortunately)
12/13 - Hanna's Christmas (library)
12/14 - (Third Sunday of Advent) The First Christmas (library)
12/15 - Apple Tree Christmas (library)
12/16 - Great Joy (own)
12/17 - Just Right for Christmas (library)
12/18 - Christmas in the Big Woods (library)
12/19 - The Night Before Christmas (library)
12/20 - Winter Story (I purchased this on a whim because I thought it would be fun for the [day before the] first day of winter...we'll see....)
12/21 - (Fourth Sunday of Advent) Mary's First Christmas (library)
12/22 - Christmas in the Stable (library)
12/23 - Silent Night: The Song and its Story (library)
12/24 - The Christmas Story (own)

Journal: Winter is cold

TODAY

Out my window:  Cold.  Winter blew in this week.  Like, it has hardly been above freezing since Monday evening.  My pansies and mums are dead.  There is ice on the lake.  The winter birds are here (or haven't left, rather.  They are definitely making themselves known at the bird feeder.)  It's cold.  I wasn't ready for this.

Clothing myself in: Jeans and a tank and a long-sleeve T.  I hate winter clothes.  I am always so...cold.  Or if I am warm and comfortable I look like a slob.

Around the house: I have a box of donations I'd like to take in before Christmas.  We got a new ceramic pan from Aldi (we find the neatest stuff there) and were able to swap it in and swap out two of our non-stick pans.  Win-win, less kitchen clutter and less potential chemicals flaking off in our food.  Starting to think about Christmas, shopping, etc.  Wanting to keep things simple this year.

 

The baby/toddler: He thinks "poop" is a very funny word.  He will say it in this sweet, coy little voice and then go into this maniacal laugh.  It is funny.  Sort of.  Until he does it at Church after Communion when the music is over and it is very quiet.  And we're sitting in the front pew.

 

The kiddos: Gemma missed a little school this week.  She had a nasty cold and spiked a fever one evening.  She was back at it this morning (after not a little bit of protest) but seemed to have a good day and seems mostly better.

In the kitchen: Batch of White Chicken Chili tonight, and I have regular chili on the menu for next week.  Some tostadas probably, and a batch of Sesame Chicken with rice, and some Fish Muffins and Aaron shot a pheasant the other day so we will probably fix that this weekend with some other stuff on the grill.  I feel like baking, but I suck at cookies and we don't do a lot of treaty things around here, or bread.  Maybe I will just turn my oven on and leave it slightly open to warm up the place a bit.

Crafting: Oh seriously?  For real??  Nope.  No.  I think my crafting bone fell out.  Did I ever even have one??  I mended a couple things, but heaven forbid that should "count".  Who put this category on here anyways?  Probably someone crafty.  Figures.

Learning:  The usual.  I think I mentioned this last time, but Kolbe really seems to be making progress with his letter writing.  I am very curious as to how he will do with Kindergarten next year... 

Reading: Gemma has been reading a story from this saint book every night.  I like this book a lot.  If you are looking for a gift for someone between 3-8 I would highly recommend it.  We have started Happy Times in Noisy Village as well.  Trying to think of some chapter books I can start reading with Kolbe.  Suggestions??  The usuals for me.  I need to get back into some fiction.

Watching: The back of my eyelids most nights, it seems.  Keeping up with Gold Rush and catching an Alaska: The Last Frontier now and then.  Seems there are a few new Survivormans coming up as well.

Bringing me joy: Early mornings, before anyone else is up, praying morning prayer.  Theoretically.  Doesn't always work this way but when it does it is nice.

Thinking about: Christmas.  Materialism.  Advent.  Snow.  Winter, BLAH!  School.  Education.  Family.  Sin.  Life.  I really run the gamut some days. 

Pictures to share:  

Creativity.  Sometimes I wonder why we even bother with toys.  They typically spend well over half their time doing this type of stuff.

Boys in their new coats.  I was the mom rushing to the store with her poor son in his thin hoodie on the first 24 degree morning to buy a Winter coat.  Oh well, at least he likes it!  A lot.  He (Kolbe, Clem's is a hand-me-down) has told me no less than a dozen times how great he thinks it is.  He is so easily pleased.

Journal: Halloween 2014 + November

TODAY

Out my window:  Cool, cloudy, dreary.  Autumn.  November.

Clothing myself in:  Jeans.  Tank.  Hoodie.  I call these my "work" clothes.  Sounds more professional that way...  

Around the house: A bit more decluttering.  It is ongoing.  I've said it before, but the more we get rid of, the less I find that we really "need."  I'm also finding that we are finally getting to the point in our declutterization (that's a word, right?) that I am spending far less time organizing our things, and far more time just living.  This is what really draws me to minimalism.  To that note, I really enjoyed reading this short article, The Simple Joy of One. 

 

The baby/toddler:  He had a fun Halloween.  Oh he was SOOOOOOO excited to be Spider-Man and just for Halloween in general.  You'd think he remembered it from last year, although I don't see how that would be possible.  He was probably just taking his cues from sis and bubby.  I didn't think I was going to be able to convince him to dress up, but when we went to Target to get Kolbe's costume they were BOGO, and it seemed silly not to walk away with a free costume we would use, so I let him look around, and drew his attention to the "blue (he loves anything blue) Spider-Man."  And boy did he bite.  It was all he talked about the past few weeks.  He was a very enthusiastic Spider-Man the day of Halloween, and had a blast visiting our friend Bernadine and grandparents before dinner.  By the time we donned our costumes to trick-or-treat he was a bit less enthusiastic, and about halfway around the neighborhood he was just weeping with tiredness.  We actually had to cut it short with him (at which point he wept the entire way home, the entire way through his bath, and the entire time it took to lay with him while he fell asleep, which was pretty short, but still...), and as it turns out he woke up the next day with a fever.  Thankfully that was short-lived, and he still got to enjoy most of the day.  He is still talking about "Ha-ya-YEEN!!!!"

The kiddos:  They both had fun Halloweens as well, Gemma as a pony and Kolbe as a blue robot (Optimus Prime, but he was adamant that he was just a blue robot).  We got a lot less candy this year, probably hit at least 1/3 less houses due to either lights not being on or people just not being home.  Not sure if it was due to Halloween being a Friday, a HS football night, or what.  But honestly I am actually grateful for less candy.  Although it makes it harder to pilfer...  I did toss a lot of the junk stuff after they were in bed Friday (makes it easier with Kolbe's dye allergy), which I felt mildly bad about, but I also feel mildly bad about giving them dye-laden Skittles, so oh well.  Last year I ended up throwing the rest of our Halloween candy away after Easter (we packed it away for Lent and the kids forgot about it).  Don't think that will happen this year.

Oh, oh, OH!!!  And for the first time ever, we -- by some amazing miracle -- actually got the extra hour of sleep that the time change brought.  I don't know how but the kids slept in AND we slept in (until 6ish new time, haha, perspective...).  It was glorious.  Clem has been a pretty early riser since then though.  Oh well.

Clem was just sick for a day (about 24 hrs) with his fever, Kolbe caught it the next day and now seems better as well.  Gemma was a little under the weather last week (although not enough to miss school) so I am not sure if that was a less severe version of what the boys had or if she will be going down soon.  I am betting on the former.

In the kitchen: Lasagna and green beans, Crispy Chicken salads, Fish a la Foil (a new recipe from my neighbor involving white fish, swiss cheese, shredded carrots and green onions, YUM!) and leftovers, as we are still eating on stuff Aaron grilled last weekend.  I spilled an entire cup of hot tea on my recipe binder last week while trying to get a jump-start on dinner one afternoon, so that was mildly stressful.  It dried alright, and I reorganized it, grouping main dishes by meat (chicken, beef, etc.).  I am not a huge recipe person, but I have enough that it is helpful to have them organized in a user-friendly way.

Crafting: uuhhhhhhh, I dyed some pumpkin seeds to use for a craft with our little pre-school co-op.  A couple teaspoons of rubbing alcohol+food coloring of your choice in a jar with the number of seeds you want to dye.  Lid the jar tightly and shake them around, adding color until you get the desired shade you're going for.  I dried them in a very low-heat oven and they turned out really great.

Learning:  The usual.  Kolbe has really taken off with writing and drawing.  Just like Gemma, he is reaching a point where he spends a good portion of his time during the day with his color box and paper.  He has started asking me how to spell words and today he wrote Gemma a letter that said, "Dear Gemma I hope that I really love you so much."  I hope that she likes it, he spent like 45 minutes pouring his heart into it.  Last week I thought I'd see how he did writing on the kindergarten lined paper and was amazed how he took to it (we work specifically on handwriting once a week).  He is making great progress with his letters.

Reading: In November with the kids.  One of my favorite pictures books.

"In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle.  The sun is a sometime friend.  And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring."

And The Clown of God, as I think it goes so well with the stewardship renewal this month. 

For myself, still working through The Hidden Power of Kindness, Clutterfree With Kids, Theology and Sanity and a few others.  I am making progress, really, I'm just reading too many things at once.  And it has been too long since I've read any fiction...

Watching:  The World Series.  Well, last week anyways.  The Royals played a good season and an especially good postseason.  I was surprised how emotionally invested I was. in the series.  Anyways...  Hoping to maybe make a game at the K with the hubs next Spring.  Now that baseball is over we have Gold Rush and there have been some new Survivorman episodes and we have a bunch of Alaska: The Last Frontier from last season and this on our DVR.

Bringing me joy: November.  As much as I despise winter, November and Advent bring me so much joy.  This may be my favorite time of year, although November and Spring are probably a tie, for different reasons.

Thinking about: Advent.  I'm doing a presentation with our moms' group at Church this week so it has has me thinking (and planning).  Trying to decide what will work best this year for our family.  Starting to also think a bit about Christmas gifts...

Pictures to share:  

One more from Halloween.

Journal: quick update

TODAY

Out my window: Dark.  It is unseasonably warm this past week and weekend.  Looks like Autumn returns on Tuesday.

Clothing myself in: jammies.  

Around the house: I finally put an art-line up for the kids.  Fridge-door space just wasn't cutting it.  Gemma has so many things from school, plus the things she makes at home, and now Kolbe likes to make projects plus his speech teacher will do little crafts with him.  Even Clem painted a paper plate pumpkin today!  So I got some twine from the dollar bin at Target and some clips and strung it across the fireplace on the two end-hooks where we hang our Christmas stockings.  It is sweet.  Definitely looks like children live in our house, but I like it.

The baby/toddler: He has this little swagger he does sometimes when he walks.  Cracks me up.  For whatever reason he hates having to go to the bathroom before his bath every night, so every night, without fail, I hear him tell Aaron, "but I ah-yeddy MAKE my pobbies!"  Even if it's been hours.  He is such a funny kid!

 

The kiddos: Lots of time outdoors lately.  Everyone is happier when we are outdoors.  Gemma has had a good week.  Kolbe tried to sharpen his finger in the pencil sharpener.  They have played together really well (mostly) this past week.  I record these things so I can look back and actually believe they happen.

In the kitchen: Tostadas, Breakfast Casserole, Spaghetti and a big 'ole pot of Halloween chili on the menu this week.

Crafting: The kids made paper plate jack-o-lanterns today, so I'm claiming that along with aforementioned art line, thank you.

Learning:  the usual.

Reading: I picked up The Mitchells series for Gemma and we started Clare's Costly Cookie tonight.  I have ordered used copies of The Children of Noisy Village and its sequel.  And I have The Family Under the Bridge from the library, but think we will wait on it until closer to Christmas.  I also picked up a couple used hardcovers for our Advent/Christmas library at home and have requested our November books from the library (I thought we'd take a break from our [formal] Virtues and discuss gratitude, aptly).

Watching: The World Series, of course.

Bringing me joy: The kids.  I love them.  They  make me nuts and test my patience in ways I never dreamed (or hoped) possible, but oh I love them.  They are each so unique and special and delightful in their very own ways.

Thinking about: The Ebola outbreak.  It didn't really have me too worried, until the few cases in Texas.  Even then I knew I was being unreasonable worrying about it, a.) because it wasn't incredibly likely to spread, and b.) if it was going to spread, there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it anyways.  But as I thought about it, it really hit home how many people, people...moms and dads, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers...are dying in Africa.  And how scared, and sad, and lonely and horrifying that must be.  I can't even imagine.  It is hard for me to fathom, or even think about for too long.  But it has made me pray more consciously for those directly affected, on my own and with the kids. 

Pictures to share:  

I like this little montage of Clem, at the park one day last week.  He was so focused on balancing.

12 ways I'm trying *not* to be the meanest mom in the world

I recently stumbled upon the article 12 Ways to be the Meanest Mom in the World.  While I actually agreed with virtually all the points the author made, I thought the way the article was framed was awful.  Yes, I want my children to learn responsibility for themselves and their actions.  Yes, I want them to learn independence and confidence and all those other good traits.  But children are children.  They are people, but they are not miniature adults, and I don't feel like it is right or responsible for me, as their mother, to treat them as such.

As a Catholic mother, the "mean-mom badge of honor" is just not something for which I am striving.  The "us-against-them" mentality when it comes to parenting really grates on me.  No, I certainly don't think it is my job to be my kid's BFF, but I like to think it is important for them to know that, no matter what, I am on their side.  That I am here to help them when no one else will be.  That my job description is something more along the lines of tenderly guiding them through experiencing the emotions and realities of life versus standing on the sidelines and watching them fail, all in the name of teaching responsibility and independence.  So I am taking the same concepts, re-titling, re-framing, and giving you 12 ways I'm trying not to be the meanest mom in the world.

1. Establish healthy sleep-routines from an early age, so your children learn to listen to their bodies and recognize their needs
   Good sleep is important.  A child who lives in a home with an established bedtime/naptime routine (at generally the same time each day, give or take) will not generally balk at bedtime.  Sure there are holidays and vacations and such where routines get out of whack, but then can the child really be blamed for "off" behavior?  Think about the last time you spent several days eating bad food and getting too little sleep.  If your mood wasn't very good, is it really reasonable or fair to expect more from a child than you expect from yourself?  Bedtimes will occasionally be rough, and your kids may need more from you on these nights.  If a child learns from an early age that sleep is a good, healthy thing, he will be much more likely to see entering into sleep as a desirable thing.  Seriously, my two-year-old comes to me at roughly the same time each morning and says, "I ready nap."  A child who is forced to bed at random times with no routine and no explanation as to why will likely balk.  As a child, and later in life as well.
2. Make family mealtime and healthy eating an important part of each day
   Mealtime is such an important time for families.  At the dinner table we nourish not only our bodies but our spirits!  Make after-meal treats something special for which to look forward.  Mark them on your calendar.  Only have them on Feast days or weekends.  Show your kids the importance of healthy eating, and that treats are really something special.
3. Empower your children to be savvy savers, spenders and givers and teach them the difference between "needs" and "wants"
   When you are a kid, your parents typically buy you everything you need.  Sometimes kids need a gentle reminder of this.  Birthdays and Christmas are exciting times to get things you need and possibly want as well!  Maybe your mom or dad even picks up a special surprise on occasion for no reason.  What a neat way to speak to a child's potential love-language!  When your son or daughter is old enough to begin learning that money has value, talk to them about saving, spending and giving.  Give them some proportions with which to work (it is 50-40-10 respectively at our house).  Point out the things that you buy for them so they can live comfortably (pants and shirts, groceries and warm jammies in the winter!).  Encourage your child to save for something they really want!  How satisfying it must be for them when they make that purchase all on their own!  Be excited with them.
4. As your child grows up, he or she slowly grows into more personal responsibility as well
   Growing up is hard work.  Sometimes your child may forget her homework or library books.  Maybe he doesn't like his teacher.  This can be really disappointing and tough to handle when you're seven.  Or eleven.  Or thirty-four.  Make sure he knows that you're on his team.  People make mistakes.  "Son, you must have felt awful when you realized you'd forgotten your books.  What do you think you could do to help you remember them in the future?"  Brainstorm a little bit together.  Maybe he can put a little reminder on the calendar or chore chart in his room to help remember in coming weeks.  Find some cool stickers or bright markers he can use to write the reminders himself.  If they don't like their teacher, empathize with this tough situation.  Sometimes we have to work with difficult people, that can be a tough reality to grasp for anyone.  We can teach our kids responsibility and lessons without rubbing their nose in the proverbial pile of poop.  They are children.  They are still learning how to be adults.
5. When going gets tough, be your child's coach not her critic
   There is no ruder awakening than getting to adulthood and realizing you have no idea how to do something.  Chances are if you come to a seemingly insurmountable task as an adult (I'm thinking about the first time I visited the meat department at the grocery store as a young-married), you'll ask someone to show you how to do it (not to do it for you, hopefully!)   As your children get older, expect them to do hard things!  Let them know you have confidence in them.  If they fail or don't understand, you'll be there to troubleshoot with them so they can do better next time.  It's a process, a lifelong one.
6. When your child learns to tell time, he or she should also be ready for some of the responsibilities that go along with time telling
   When my daughter moved into her own bedroom at 6.5 years, we bought her her own alarm clock.  She was so excited!  I showed her how to set it and she felt so grown-up having a piece of electronics that was her own and something for which to be responsible.  I have yet to get her up in the morning.  She was ready for this responsibility and readily embraced it.  Independence is something into which a child emerges and eventually embraces (with our gentle help and guidance of course).  It is not something to be arbitrarily forced.
7. There is value in simplicity
   Your child doesn't always need the latest and greatest electronics, etc.  Neither do you.  Teach by example.  Your children will probably listen to this better than your words anyways, and it won't be such a shock to their systems when they get to their teen years and don't always have the latest and greatest gadgets if you don't either.
8. Be there for your child when he experiences loss
   This one really goes hand-in-hand with #4.  I don't have a whole lot more to add so see above.
9. Teach self control
   If a TV show or video game is inappropriate, tell your child.  Explain why.  Teach them how to see these red-flags for themselves when viewing media, and what to do when they come across them.  A controlled child never learns to self regulate when you're not around to control them.  Teach them why they shouldn't jump off the bridge, not just that they shouldn't.
10. Show them the importance of apologizing for their actions... 
    ...and teach them how.  Apologizing doesn't always come naturally for kids...or adults.  It's handy to have some tools in your belt.  To that note, I really liked this perspective.
11. Model manners
    I agree, one catches more flies with honey than vinegar.  To me there is a disconnect between the author making this statement and the tone of her article as a whole. 
12.  Families help each other out
    Why do we do chores?  Because families help each other out.  Why might I ask you to do something out of the blue that needs to be done?  Because families help each other out.  Why are we going over to grandma's to rake leaves?  Because families help each other out.  Not because you are my God-given slave labor.  Not because I am mean and want to make you suffer.  Not because I am going to bribe you with money or because I am lazy and don't want to do it myself.  Families help each other out.  Plain and simple.  

And because I'm not trying to counter-balance my meanness, the need for excessive praise and rewards seems null or at least over-stated.  I really do believe the author of this article had her heart in the right place.  She wants to raise kids who are responsible, respectful, self-sufficient and generally pleasant to be around as kids and as adults.  Who doesn't?  It's her method -- or at least her mindset -- that I find flawed.  In what other relationship do we consider meanness an attribute?  In fact, I would argue that with the advent of the mean-girl persona, more people than ever are going out of their way to encourage the opposite of meanness.  Why strive for it in motherhood?  Yes, there are times that my children think I am mean, I won't argue that, but I'm not going out and looking for those opportunities, and I certainly don't  rejoice in them.  Rather, I look at it as a reminder to reconnect, reassess, and make sure I am taking the time and effort needed to build and maintain a healthy, loving relationship with my child.  Our children are people too, young people (not miniature adults) who have so much to learn about life.  I hope that when they are grown they will look back and think, "wow, my mom sure worked hard to help me learn and grow," and not, "man, she was mean."