Journal: winter winter winter

TODAY

Out my window:  Cold.  Cloudy.  Blah.  There is a flock (seriously) of robins in the maple tree out back, I think they are mocking me.  First robin of Spring my tush.  

Clothing myself in:  Jeans, cami, Old Navy sweatshirt.

Around the house: We took the aforementioned (last week?) items to charity!!  It actually went really well with the kids and toys, I was very, very proud of them.  We talked about it prior to going through the pile, and said a little prayer, and they only ended up wanting to keep two items out of the whole pile.  WIN!  I got the sunflowers back out yesterday, I just couldn't stand the poinsettias any longer.  Aaron laughed at me.  I also had Aaron hang a calendar for the kids in the kitchen.  I had been making one in excel each month and this will be simpler. I do still intend to try and do pictures/stickers etc. for bdays, Feast days etc., which is a good thing as Gemma about freaked out when she saw the empty January (since there were only 2 days left when he hung the calendar).  And spring/summer wardrobes are starting to creep into my mind.  Much as I hate winter, I'm not super excited about updating everyone's wardrobes.  Again.  It just never ends.

 

The baby/toddler: He is starting to repeat some more sounds and syllables.  No words really though, he mainly speaks a grunt/squeal type language that we actually understand pretty well.  He has a handful of signs too, including "please" and he always says something that sounds like "boooofffff" when he signs please.  I find it amusing. 

 

The kiddos:  Kolbe got a foam robot building set from his aunt/godmother for his birthday and he is in. love. with it.  OH my.  If I had a dime for every time he has told me, "I am so glad I got my new robot thing, this is JUST what I WANTED for Christmas and my birthday."  He is one grateful little dude.  I have had to pick up some size 5/6 clothes for him recently, as he has grown out of most of the 4's (especially pants) that were too big for him in September.  Slow down, kid!  Maybe the new clothes will fit him again next Fall?  Maybe??

It was Catholic Schools Week for Gemma, so she had some fun activities for that, and then has the day off today for inservice, so we've all enjoyed that!  Tuesday was Family Read Night so the kids and I went and ate hotdogs and listened to stories and played some games.  It was fun.  Clem looked like such a big boy sitting at the lunch-table...ridiculous! 

The big kids also got to celebrate their birthdays with my side of the family this week.

In the kitchen: "Fish Muffins" (salmon/tuna melts with Swiss cheese on WW English muffins) tonight.  Next week I've got homemade pizza, tacos, honey chicken and chile rellenos on the menu.  Some brussel sprouts in the fridge for a side at some point, probably some steamed veggies and maybe some lettuce salads with leftover lettuce from the tacos as well.  I have been inspired to try kale on the pizza so we'll see how that turns out. 

Crafting: Oh my, I'm trying really hard here.  Does something I did with the kids count?

Learning: "O" week this week.  We had some fun owl books that Kolbe liked.  I need to make some plans and copies for the next few weeks, I keep dragging my feet, but I do have a good pile of library books ready to go for P, Q and Valentines.  I've also started thinking about Lent plans, though I haven't really "done" anything per se.  I've also started thinking about Summer and some of the educational things I'd like to have available for the kids.  

Reading: Still working on The Joy of the Gospel.

Watching:  We have so many Pawn Stars and Alaska: The Last Frontier on our DVR, we need to catch up.  I'd like to watch another episode of Catholicism.  We've caught parts of this show on Oak Island a couple weeks in a row now, and that is quite intriguing.  And of course it is a new season of Duck Dynasty!

Bringing me joy: The slower morning pace when Gemma is off school.  Going to Read Night with the kids.  A really good Monday.  Evenings with Aaron after the kids are in bed.  Tasty hot tea, a glass of wine, cream cheese frosting (not all at the same time...typically).  Clem, he is oh so cute! 

Thinking about: This earth isn't our home.  Suffering, sadness, and frustration are a part of life, and there is something much, much better to come.  Sometimes I think if I try hard enough I can make things "perfect" here, and I lose sight of the fact that that is just not the case.  Even the "good days" here are nothing compared to eternity.  Trying to stay focused on what is truly important.

Pictures to share:  

(Winter) Baptism Anniversaries 2014.

Journal: recovering

TODAY

Out my window:  Cloudy.  Cold.  Very cold.  Very very cold.  OHHHHHH January...

Clothing myself in:  Jeans, tank, sweatshirt.  This is the time of year I get really tired of my wardrobe.  I am yearning for shorts and t-shirts about now (which is pathetic in and of itself, but at least it's something different).  Bleh.  OH, I am excited about some new dress pants I have on order from Maurices.  I tried them on over Christmas, but they didn't have my size (long) so I kind of sat on it and kept checking to see if they had them online.  They never got them in online, so I called the store again and the gal remembered helping me (really?  am I that, um, memorable?  This worries me a little...) but anyways, she looked and found a pair in Utah and Maine or something, and said since I'd been in before and they hadn't gotten them in they'd waive the shipping.  I am excited!  It is time for new pants.  

Around the house: Everyone seems to have recovered from last week's illness.  Kolbe was the slowest to get better (he always seems to be) as he was getting better over the weekend and then relapsed with a presumable double ear infection on Monday.  Aaron yanked on his ears a couple times, he had a horrible night Monday and slept most of Tuesday and seems fine now.  Hallelujah!  Last week was not  a fun week.  

I have a box of donations to take in, but first I need to talk to the kids about the toys I have in that pile.  It is stuff they never play with, but I still feel badly getting rid of it without telling them.  Still trying to psyche myself up for that conversation.  I will be glad when it's all gone though.  I feel like we've really cut down on clutter the past several months, and it just makes living here more pleasant.  I honestly think the kids play better when they have less to get out.  It's weird...

 

The baby/toddler:  Has learned to climb on the kitchen table.  None of my other kids have ever climbed anything, so this is a bit of a mystery to me.  An annoying mystery.  If the table is clear it's no big deal (until he falls off).  He probably thinks I am psychotic though because sometimes I go all AWOL on him, and other times I pretend I don't notice he's up there because he is contained and not causing any trouble.  This new-found talent of his makes playing games (or doing anything with lots of pieces) with the big kids a huge exercise in not losing my mind.  Sigh. 

 

The kiddos:  Speaking of games, Gemma got Trouble, Sorry and Spot-It for Christmas and we have been having lots of fun playing games (when the baby is not sitting on them or throwing the pieces).  She and Kolbe both do really well with Trouble.  Sorry has a little more strategery that they don't get, but they (especially Gemma) get better at Spot-It every time we play.  And I have been really enjoying the games.  As much as I hate Candyland (and oh let me tell you, I would burn Candyland if I didn't think it would send the kids to therapy later in life), when Gemma asks if she can pull out Trouble I actually find myself looking forward to sitting down and playing a game with her.  It's been a fun Winter activity.   OH Winter...

In the kitchen: I made some Tomato and Chicken Tortelloni soup the other night that was pretty tasty.  Pot of chili last night, "breakfast" tonight, we had meatloaf and brussel sprouts on Monday and fish crisp is on the menu for tomorrow night.  Gemma has been a tricky eater lately.  Like, she just won't eat dinner.  "I don't want a treat mom, I'm done with dinner," she has told me the past two nights.  I have been just letting it go, I mean, she's not going to let herself starve.  She requests that I make her something else which I usually deny (if she were old enough to fix her own food I'd probably consider it, but I refuse to be a short-order cook...) so we just move on and I offer her a (healthy) bedtime snack.  Not sure what to make of it though.  It makes mealtime not incredibly pleasant listening to her sit there and wine (er, whine, wine is what I am drinking) about not wanting what I fixed, but honestly I don't like putting her plate away and then pulling back out.  To me it's water under the bridge at that point and I'm not in the mood to pick up the battle where we left off later in the evening or the next day.  Sigh.  Why can't anything be straightforward??  We've been on a French toast kick for breakfast this week, which has been more pleasant than muffins.  Kolbe and Clem can crumb-out muffins like no one else.  You should have seen my kitchen floor Monday.  It was sca.ry.    

Crafting: 

Learning:  "N" week for Kolbe,  he has been really into doing preschool stuff this week.  Usual homework for Gemma.  She has had a rough week of mornings not wanting to go to school this week (even though she is fine and has fun once she gets there).  Say a little prayer for her if you will, it's been hard on all of us.  Hoping for a better week next week...it is Catholic Schools Week and they have some fun activities planned!  She has also been doing extra chores around the house to earn money for the St. Katharine Drexel fund (a fund in our diocese that gives extra money to children in need in the lower-income schools).  This is the first time she's ever been paid to do chores, so that has been interesting.  I realize I probably need to give her some daily (unpaid) chores to help the family out now, aside from the things she already does for herself (making bed, etc.), so I have those ideas bouncing around in my brain now...  I'd love to hear how others handle chores with the 5-10 year old crowd.  Gemma gets a $1 a week allowance, but it is not tied to any chore doing.  Anyways...

Reading:  My spiritual director recommended Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of the Gospel.  I like it a lot and would highly recommend it.  It is easy reading and very applicable. 

Watching:  The back of my eyelids.  We went to bed at nine, yes 9:00 PM, last night.  

Bringing me joy: Celebrating both older kids' Baptism anniversaries this week.

Thinking about:  Discipleship, evangelization, the poor, stewardship, my vocation, use of my time, living simply with less.  Pope Francis has given me a lot to mull over this past week.  And chores, haha.

Pictures to share:  

A few of my favorites from Kolbe's four-year professionals.

Journal: I'm still here

TODAY

Out my window:  Sunset, cold, calm.  I'm not sure what the weather was today, or yesterday for that matter, or really any day the past week but I heard we hit 70, last weekend??  Who knew?!

Clothing myself in:  CLOTHES!  First time I've been out of my jammies since last Friday.  For real.

Around the house: Well, I feel like I'm finally doing more than just treading water, so that is a good thing.  Last Friday afternoon I got hit with some bug, and let me tell you, it was SOME bug.  I am guessing flu??  At any rate, I was sicker than sick for four days.  FOUR!  I haven't been that sick since, well, ever maybe.  At least not in the last 15 years I know.  The kids and Aaron have all had it as well, although (thankfully) no one else was nearly as ill as I.  We're all still at various stages of recovery.  Maybe next week we'll be back to normal.  I'll just say it, I HATE January and February.  So much.  Gemma's birthday was Saturday.  I'm pretty sure I wished her Happy Birthday somewhere in between yelling at her for this that or the other while Aaron was at work and being passed out on the couch.  It was great, let me tell you.

 

The baby:  Still doesn't feel great.  Super clingy today.  Nursing a ton, which is hard on me because I'm still recovering and his marathon nursing sessions are wearing. me. out.  He did however sleep mostly through the night (in our bed) the night before last and it was woooooooonderful (he'd never really done that).  I don't expect it again anytime soon, but it came at a good time.  We noticed last week that he has both his top molars. 

 

The kiddos:  Gemma is six now.  Like I said, her birthday was kind of a bust but we did get out last Thursday to bday shop with the kids at Academy Sports.  Gemma picked out a new girlie 20" bike and a cat helmet.  She asked us to take the training wheels off our other bike about a month ago, and she really is too big for it.  This one should last her awhile.  It is pink and yellow and white and subtle yet very girlie.  It has foot brakes and was just what I had in mind.  I'm glad we were on the same page on that one.  ;-)  Kolbe is four now.  He had a super duper birthday yesterday (according to him).  I am grateful his expectations are so low.  We got him a RC car which was kind of a bust because it is a battery hog and has broken really easily, but he spent the whole day with it yesterday so I guess that's what matters.  He also got a fishing pole at Academy that he is in love with and has been practicing casting in the yard.  He was so mad last weekend when the weather was warm but there was still ice on the pond.  Stinkin' Winter.

In the kitchen: I haven't cooked much but am baking some fish tonite.  Aaron made some amazing Chicken and Brown Rice Soup last night.  It was like healing in a bowl.  MMMMMmmmmmmm.  Hoping to get back to cooking next week.

Crafting: Nothing really, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.  Oh wait, no I didn't.  That was just my couch.  Again.  Sorry, lame attempt at humor.   I put together our Family Fall Photobook on Shutterfly and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.  That's such a more fun option than regular old photo albums. 

Learning: It's pretty much been survival mode.  Gemma has missed three days of school now.  She was really sick on Wednesday, and then Thursday we didn't send her because she had been so sick all day the day before and was a little warm in the morning.  She bounced around happy all day yesterday and was so excited to go today, but then woke up with a 2 degree fever, so even though she felt fine and has acted fine it's not like I could send her.  She cried, they were supposed to have Show and Tell.  Pretty big deal.  We've been keeping up with her homework and such.

Reading: nothing

Watching:  I have a children's television, HGTV, FoodNetwork hangover.

Bringing me joy: health.  for all of us.

Thinking about: Spring.

Pictures to share:  

Gemma, the bracelet maker extraordinaire

One for everyone!

Journal: The New Year

TODAY

Out my window:  Sunny, windy and cold, a few remnants of a light snow we got the other night.  Very cold temps in the forecast.  It is Winter, bleh.  Although it is now January so that just means this month and then Feeeebbbbbrrrruuuuuaaaarrrrryyyyyy and then Spring, right?  Right???  Right.......

Clothing myself in:  Jeans, tank, sweatshirt, socks.  Casual Friday around the house.  Haha.

Around the house: Packed a bunch of toys away before/during Christmas.  They are the ones that rarely get played with.  If they stay packed away and no one asks for them by March we will have a chat with the kids about getting rid of them.  I am ready for the Christmas decos to come down, and since we're about to the end of the Twelve Days we will probably take them down this weekend.  I leave my Nativity on the mantel until Candlemas and the other winter things up until Februaryish as well.  Can you tell I am ready for Spring, already thinking ahead for it.  heh.  Trying to think about and plan what needs to be done for our January birthdays as well.  Goodness they always come so quick after the holidays!   The rush of presents and then ensuing present drought (from January to December, haha) for the kids is getting more difficult as they get older.  I suppose they probably don't care, but it just makes shopping for them really hard when it all has to be done in 3wks time.  Sigh.  OH well. 

 

The baby:  Cuteness.  I love how he throws his clothes in the dirty clothes each night before getting in the bath.  He loves the big kids so much and wants so badly to play with.  Most of the time they are pretty good sports about it.  He understands and follows simple directions and really seems to keep up with what is going on around the house.  I suppose it is about time to quit referring to him as "the baby"...

 

The kiddos:  Have had a really nice Christmas break.  I am kind of sad it is over, it has been nice having Gemma around and the more relaxed wake-up time/mornings that brings.  Although I think she is ready to get back to the structure school brings (even though she would never admit it, haha;-).  For the most part they have had some really good playtime together over the break, and our schedule really hasn't been too crazy or out of the ordinary.  For the most part.

GEMMA has learned to tie her shoes!!!  We had worked on tying on and off the past year or so and it has never clicked.  I told Aaron I thought if I bought her a pair of tie shoes that she would figure it out before too long.  She was on the cusp of needing them, and we could demote the velcro ones to "play shoes" so she got to pick out a pair of tie shoes.  I showed her twice how to tie them and she has it down pat!  She is very excited to get a shoe bead when she goes back to school.

I know I mentioned previously that KOLBE had seemed to kind of hit a rough patch, and well he seems to be mellowing back out to his usual self which has been nice.  Still an oh so strong will, but I have resigned myself that's just how my kids are so that aside he really has been much more manageable lately.  He was able to survive the holidays and all the extra food mainly unscathed when it comes to his dye sensitivity (I am particularly glad for this as I want to take him in for four year pics soon and am glad his face is not broken out).  I ordered some natural food coloring for frosting for the upcoming bdays, so we'll see how that works out.

In the kitchen: This week we had Shepherd's Pie; Chinese carry-out (or "Chinese Lemonade" as the kids call it, haha); homemade pizza; smoked salmon with steamed broccoli and tater-puffs; and Loaded Baked Potato and Chicken Casserole is on the menu for tonite.

Crafting: nope, nada.  New Years, shmoo-years, what resolutions??

Learning:  I have M, N and O weeks planned for Kolbe.  I am backing off a little and just planning one thing a day for him to do during "homework time" in the afternoons, and even then I'm going to try to pull out more manipulatives and such.  Mornings will be for reading books or doing other non-paper and crayon related things.  Kolbe is still struggling a lot with his pencil/crayon grip and I just don't want to force too much before he is ready.  Looking forward to starting our co-op back up next week as well!  We will be using Mouse Paint, one of my favorite picture books!  We've all been working on a thank you note a day since Christmas so hopefully those will be hammered out soon.  Just in time to turn around and write more for birthdays.  OH these January birthdays get me very year.  Sorry, tangent.

Reading: Well, Larry's Christmas letter, - at 17 pages - is at the top of the list for this week!  If any of you other readers know Larry from Church (anyone?) you will know how great this is.  Seriously, it was awesome.  My dad got me The Better Part for Christmas and I have been trying to pray with it daily.  I started with the Gospel of Luke.  I really like it.  The best way I would describe it is a loosely structured Lectio Divina.  I will be able to munch on this book for years, probably decades.  It is nice. 

Watching:  We watched all but the last part (don't spoil it, we're finishing it tonite) of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night.  I am not a movie person.  Aaron literally has to just start a movie and then ignore all my kicking and screaming and whining.  And whining.  It was really good.  Gold Rush also resumes tonight, and the goats on Alaska: The Last Frontier had babies.  Seriously, the noise that a goat baby makes is very adorable.  

Bringing me joy: Faith and Family.  Prayer and the Mass.  Hubby, kids, parents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles....so grateful. 

Thinking about: Life and death.  Between the movie we watched last night, the sudden and rather tragic death of a friend of ours, the death of my aunt last month and visiting Aaron's aging uncle and grandparents last weekend it just really has me thinking about mortality. 

Pictures to share:  

I think I will love this picture forever.