Journal: yep, it's been two weeks

TODAY

Out my window: Clear, crisp, cool.  It looks like November.  We've had some pretty picturesque days around here.

 

Around the house: Getting Gemma's upstairs room put together the rest of the way.  She's not moving back downstairs anytime even relatively soon, I am certain of this.  And I'm cool with that.  The basement worked, but it's nice (and convenient) having her back upstairs.  I like it.  A lot.  We have a mattress and box springs in there now (!!!!) with her owl bedding from when she and Kolbe shared a room, and the head/foot board and bed frame should be in next week.  Crazy story on those, we decided to shop and I had a little bit of sticker shock at the price of a twin bed.  Um, holy moly.  Well, we were at a particular store that was having some pretty good sales (especially in comparison to the previous store we'd been at) and the sale price of the twin bed that we liked (we are getting one to match(ish) the baby furniture since that is the dresser she is using) was pretty good.  BUT, the actual non-sale price was considerably LESS than the "HOT DEAL" price.  Odd, but we didn't want to press a lot about the difference and they were willing to give it to us for the insanely low price, so we felt pretty good about that purchase.  (So good that Aaron wouldn't even use the coupon we had.)  Because seriously, after looking at the prices of simple beds, I was ready to just have her sleep on a mattress and box springs.  I mean, she has been happy with a sleeping bag for the past six weeks!!  We moved the desk that our neighbor so generously handed on to us under the window and it can double as a night-stand.  And that will leave room for the dog box (grumble) on the other wall all winter.  And all's well that ends well.  If I would just listen to my husband who tells me to quit sweating things....

I cleared a few bags of donations out this week and have sold a few toys on FB.

 

The kiddos:  Our dear friend from church passed away this past week.  He was an older gentleman who had befriended us (the kids particularly) back when Kolbe was a toddler and we have grown to love him over the past few years.  If we were at the same Mass (he often attended more than one Mass a weekend) he would always be sitting in the pew directly across from us.  When Kolbe was smaller he would go sit with him through most of Mass.  He always gave the kids dollars after Mass and they have done many neat things with their Larry-dollars.  Larry was the first person close to our kids that they have lost, so it has been a process for them.  We attended the Rosary as a family and Gemma requested to attend the funeral so she came with Clement and me.  It was a beautiful tribute to one of the most interesting people I've known, and a good opportunity to say farewell and have some closure.  It has also prompted some really great conversations about this life and the afterlife with the kids.  God is good.  All the time.  Even amidst grief.

In the kitchen: 

This week we've had:

lasagna with steamed veggies and focaccia bread

stuffed green peppers (I used the filling to make super nachos for the kids and they hated them, so that was kind of a bummer)

pesto chicken with lentils and steamed green beans

salads 

smothered cod

Up next week:

a big 'ole November pot of chili

chicken parmesan with spaghetti and steamed carrots and fresh green beans (which were on sale at Aldi for cheaper than the frozen ones!!)

salads

some other stuff     

Learning:  the usual.  I really love keeping up with what the kids are doing at school and supplementing at home as I'm able.  Talking a lot about stewardship and Gemma had a neat Veteran's Day project and a patron saint one as well that we've enjoyed working on this week.  Kolbe's handwriting has improved by leaps and bounds the last few months, despite his continued abysmal grip.  And his reading!  Oh my!!!  It is so exciting watching him learn to read, and he is just loving it.

Reading: Of course the illustrious In November (since I haven't linked it enough times in this post).  Today the boys and I shared two of my fave picture books, May I Bring a Friend and A Sick Day for Amos McGee.  I didn't even think when I grabbed them how nicely they both fit together.  We've had some pumpkin books, and some stewardship books, (and then there was Pumpkins: A Story for a Field that worked for pumpkins AND stewardship) and I have stacks of gratitude and Thanksgiving books from the library ready to go. Getting ready to request our Advent/Christmas books (HOLY MOLY!), although as we grow our home library there are less and less that I find myself needing to request seasonally. For myself I am getting back into Introduction to the Devout Life and Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer and Theology for Beginners.

Watching: The World Series of course (hey, I am less than a week belated).  Those were quite the exciting games and we are pretty jazzed around here!!!  Keeping up with Gold Rush and I think Survivorman starts a new season and there is this new show called Mysteries at the National Parks, and as much as I like Mysteries at the Museum, I really despise the National Parks one.  They go out of their way to make it too creepy and just... I don't know.  It weirds me out and I certainly wouldn't want my kids watching it.  For all the education value in the Museum edition (which I would watch with my kids when they are a bit older), sadly the Nat'l Parks one is completely lacking.

Bringing me joy: The opportunity to reflect on life and death, on my own and with my kids.  Prayer.  The saints.  Beautiful November.  There really is something magical about November I think.  A World Series WIN!

Thinking about: Life and death.

Pictures to share: (picmonkey is cool. yes i am slow)

Professional pictures.

Halloween.

Journal: moving things around

TODAY

Out my window: Sunny and warm.  Same thing it has been for the past month.  HOWEVER, by the looks of the forecast we have one more day in the eighties and then autumn should arrive for real, complete with a few rainy days and one that doesn't get out of the fifties (so they say).  I am ready for the change.  I have mums and pansies on the deck, and another flowering plant that I got in the summer and it has really taken off these past few weeks.  Wish I kept the tag so I knew what it was...

Around the house: Well, I mentioned last week that after 13 months, Gemma seems to have gotten cold feet about sleeping in the basement.  Maybe it was the puking incident?  Maybe just the length of time not being in close proximity with the rest of us??  Who knows.  I need to quit analyzing it.  She spent a week on the floor in the boys' room, which worked out well enough but it definitely wasn't a good permanent solution, and there was no talking her into going back downstairs.  SOOOOoooooo, we decided to move her (temporarily, with the option of being permanent) back upstairs and into the "baby" room.  We would like to have another baby, but so far nothin' doin', so the room has just been sitting there empty.  For now we have moved some of the baby stuff out (sniff sniff) and all of her stuff up (I told her she could not keep things in both rooms) but she is just sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor.  We don't have an extra twin bed, and the room is too small to move her queen into.  We're not opposed to buying another twin but I want to know for sure that she intends to stay upstairs before I do that, so we're going to give it a month or two. And if we have another baby...well...we'll figure it out.  I am in a little bit of a quandary about the bathroom situation, she had been using the bathroom downstairs, but still needs help with things like doing her hair, turning the shower on, and not showering for 45 minutes.  So it is a lot of up and down (for me and her), especially now that she's not rooming down there.  So I am weighing my options.

 

The kiddos: Meh, the usual.  Nothing standout really besides aforementioned bedroom drama.  They have Thursday and Friday off school this week, so everyone is looking forward to a Friday on a Wednesday!!

In the kitchen: Aaron got a new smoker (his was falling apart, he literally poked a hole through the bottom of the smoke box the other day).  What he got was quite an upgrade (bigger, heavier gauge steel, etc.)  He took it on its inaugural voyage yesterday and mmmmm YUMMY!  I am really excited for him, smoking is something he has come to enjoy and is really good at.  He has his sights set on a brisket this fall.

This week:
goulash and steamed carrots
honey sriracha chicken bites
family dinner
smokey hamburgers for guests
something with cod maybe?
The farther out I get, the vaguer I am this week.

Learning: School is in full swing, so we are just keeping up and reading lots of books at home.  

Reading: With the super-dee-duper-blood-harvest-whatever-else-moon (which my kids did not stay up late enough to see, but they watched it rise and heard about the eclipse), we read Kitten's First Full Moon (LOVE this one), By the Light of the Harvest Moon and Possum's Harvest Moon.  Here are some fall-faves in our book basket this past week.

Watching: MLB.

Bringing me joy:  the papal visit: following it via Facebook, TV and reading articles was pretty cool.  The upcoming cool-down.  Having all my babies sleeping upstairs again. Laughing with Aaron about dumb stuff. 

Thinking about: We bought some fair-trade coffee at Sams the other week.  It is very tasty.  And I will be honest, we bought it more for the fact that it is good coffee than the fact that it is fair trade, but the fair-trade thing has me (Aaron too) thinking.  It would be nice if more stores (clothing comes right to mind) offered fair-trade items and really marketed them as such.  I know the coffee story kind of makes me sound lame, but seriously, I would spend a couple bucks more per item if I knew the clothing (or whatever else) I was buying was made or farmed or whatever by someone who was given a fair living wage for their work.  OK, end rant. 

Pictures to share:  

A couple pics of Gemma's new digs. It is a work in progress (and probably will be for the foreseeable future).

Journal: Malbec! Happy Friday!

I am thankful for: Spring. The kids. Prayer. Good books. My wine re-corker thingy. Theology. My job. Awesome neighbors...they bring us tasty Asian food, love our kids, pick us flowers...  I could go on. We have got some great neighbors for sure. And shot glasses.  I am thankful for shot glasses because they make the best little vases for the flowers the kids bring me.  Couldn't tell you the last time I used a shot glass for its intended purpose (never?), but they make great dandelion vases.
 

I am enjoying: a glass of Malbec.  MMMMMmmmmmm...  Having our bookshelf upstairs and all our books OUT and AVAILABLE to little (and big) readers.  Oh my heavens, why did it take me upwards of 4 years to figure this out??  Previously our picture books had been behind closed doors in the TV stand, and my books had been on the bookshelf in the basement.  I finally decided I needed to do something about this (I am not sure exactly of the straw that broke the camel's back, but something snapped this week) so in a fit of impulsivity I moved the end-table downstairs, the bookshelf upstairs, put the kids' books on the bottom shelf, the ones I read/use all the time on the top shelf, and the rest of my books behind the closed doors of the TV stand.  Our former book basket resides beside the shelf and now we keep the library books there (instead of the fireplace).  I did all this realizing that the setup probably wouldn't be ideal but at least we'd have our books out and that was the important part...and we actually like it better than having the end table over there.  It has really opened up the corner and it looks soooo cozy. I am also enjoying the Benedictines of Mary Easter CD.  Sometimes I close my eyes standing in the middle of my kitchen and honestly it is like a little taste of heaven.  So beautiful.  Track 3 (The Clouds of Night) is one of my favorites. 

I am working: on a glass of Malbec. And a summer routine for the kids. We are planning to make a list of things we would like to do here in a bit.  I have been working on my library lists, and trying to keep us well stocked with good books.  I found a great list of picture books to inspire some library check-outs.  I have a thing for book-lists.  What are your favorites (book lists that is)?  We have read about 1/4 of these so looking forward to some new-to-us titles. Spent entirely too long planning next week's menu but got the grocery shopping done and forgot under 5 items. Yay me? It is a very lucky thing we are only a mile from the store.

I am reading: the usuals.  Theology, Philosophy (I cannot believe how much I love Philosophy, oh my word...), dabbling in a bit more Confessions, (I am just convinced this is one to read slowly) and have been working my way through Mark (almost done with my commentary) and the Acts of the Apostles as well.  Upon the recommendation of my faithful reader, I received a copy of Molly and the Tornado from inter-library loan today to read to the kids. We had a not-very-close-but-close-enough-to-pull-my-"things to take to the basement"-list-out-call the other night with a small storm cell, so the kids should get a kick out of this one. Or it will freak them out.  You never know...  We've been revisiting some of our old favorites as well, now that the picture books are out in the open.  Anyone else out there read And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon?  We love it! For Mother's Day I really did not need (or want) anything, so I told the kids we would pick out several new (well, used on Amazon but new to us) picture books.  So far we have ordered Little Pea and Adele and Simon in America.  I am particularly excited about the latter.  Started the Samantha books with Gemma this past week, we are on book 3. I will be honest, I like American Girl books but do not think they are great.  If I had it to do over again I would just have waited and let Gemma read them on her own rather than using them as read-alouds.

I am cooking: black bean tortilla soup (this is no way an endorsement of Martha Stewart, it just happens to be a good recipe.  I did modify it a bit though...) for tonight, only it is already done!! I made it yesterday for the fathers' Friday meal and made enough for us so all I have to do is reheat!  My kind of dinner!! Next week we've got breakfast casserole, honey sriracha chicken for us and pesto chicken for the fathers, baked salmon for us, Nantucket baked cod for the fathers, some roasted cauliflower and potatoes and sauteed green beans as sides. Still have a few gaps to fill in next week. menu-wise. I made a tasty banana "cake" (quotes because it is pretty healthy for a cake) and we have more bananas in the freezer, so I may make another one in the next week or so.

I am watching: baseball! Catching an episode of Alton Brown here and there. I swear, I learn some sort of new trick or tip from him almost every episode I watch.  Good stuffs those Good Eats. Many evenings I watch the back of my eyelids. 

Pictures to share:

The kids and their grandma Mary (hubby's mom) on May day!  We made some impromptu May baskets and had so much fun!

Silly kids!

Journal: the great bedroom switch 2014

TODAY

Out my window:  Sunny.  Hot.  Feels like summer.  Albeit late summer, but summer for sure.  We had 6/10's inch of rain last night.

Clothing myself in:  Running shorts.  T-shirt.  My flip-flops are almost busted, I'd say I got my $2.50 out of them this year.

Around the house: We got our basement carpet laid this past Thursday and it looks great!  The house seems so much bigger now that Gemma's bedroom is down there, and she is also using the bathroom down there.  It is great having our play-space/basement living space back as well.  Nothing like going without something to realize how much you appreciate it.  Mornings have been much less stressful, with Gemma doing most of her readying downstairs, it makes the upstairs bedroom/hallway/bathroom much less crowded, with much less potential for all the little spats that seemed to come up over every.little.thing.

 

The baby/toddler:  Is officially moved into his big boy room (with Kolbe) and big boy bed.  He is doing pretty good.  He is still nursing to sleep.  I am kind of ambivalent about it, part of me is ready to be done, part of me knows it is my "secret weapon" to help get him to sleep easily at nights and naps.  He naps about 30 minutes in the late mornings.  Nights have been decent, he wakes up once or twice but resettles easily and now that he has his big boy bed he feels pretty strongly about staying in there vs. coming in our bed.

He is showing some major interest in the potty too.  After weighing my options (cloth diapers, disposable diapers, cloth trainers, pull ups) I have him in disposable pull-ups and a disposable dipe at night.  He is telling me about 1/2 the time he has to potty, and is pretty acquiescent to trying when I ask him to.  He can stay dry for such a long time that we just weren't generating enough diaper laundry to make it worthwhile, but he has enough accidents that cloth trainers aren't super practical either.  We'll see how he does the next few months in the pull-ups and if he's still making forward progress I might try some pants-free days later in the fall and see if we can get the rest of the way there.  Not opposed to going back to dipes if he's not ready though.

The kiddos:  Clement is in Kolbe's old bed, with Kolbe's old bedding, and Kolbe got to move up to Gemma's bed (with new bedding, pink owls weren't quite his thing).  He is pretty proud of his dump-truck bed and he and Gemma's relationship already seems better now that they have some space from each other.  In fact, she spent $6.75 on a Minion t-shirt for Kolbe that she saw at Target and wanted so badly to go back and buy for him.  No reason, just wanted to get it for him because she knew he would like it.  That was the majority of the money in her spend jar too.  And even after seeing a My Little Pony t-shirt and asking if I'd buy it for her (no) she still got a shirt for him.  I need to remember these things when I want to explode at her.

Gemma has her own room, her own space, and can shower herself!  I was hoping we'd have her showering on her own by Christmas, but it took walking her through things like twice (she normally showered with me) and she had the hang of it and has been showering in the basement stall since she moved down.  

School has started and first grade seems to be off to a great start.  No separation-anxiety tears at drop-off, and full day school seems to be suiting Gemma (and us left at home) quite well.  I tell you, give that girl a bit of autonomy and independence and the change in her personality is remarkable (in a good way).  Summer was getting too long in the tooth, we are glad to be back at our Fall schedule.  And speaking of teeth, Kolbe sat on her head and she lost her seventh tooth on Saturday.  She actually really lost it for awhile (in the new basement carpet), and had even written a heart-felt letter to the tooth fairy when we ended up finding it, so the tooth fairy had her first visit to the new bedroom.

In the kitchen: Homemade supreme pizza, BBQ chicken and Black Bean Quinoa Salad, family dinner, grilling out (probably), and baked fish (cod or salmon) on the menu for this week.

Crafting: I consider putting two bedrooms together to be quite crafty enough thank you.

Learning:  I have been thinking about a reasonable preschool schedule for Kolbe for this year.  He just isn't quite as into school-work as Gemma was, which is fine, but I'd still like to have him writing his letters (with a correct pencil grip) by kindergarten.  Here is the tentative schedule I've come up with:
MONDAY: Practical Life (helping with chores, he likes to load the wash  machine and sweep the kitchen) and trip to the library.  I also have the most energy on Mondays, so we will probably do things like play-doh and watercolors when my patience is still abundant (ish). 

TUESDAY: Handwriting work (working with his workbook, the magnadoodle, and the HWT wooden letter forms) and Speech with his speech teacher

WEDNESDAY: Kumon-type work books (cutting/gluing and coloring namely)

THURSDAY: Science experiment (Gemma's godmother gave him this science experiment book that he absolutely adores, and Aaron is off on Thursdays so I told him we'd find special time just him and me to do a science experiment then.  This also helps curb the constant begging to do one.) and Speech with his speech teacher.

FRIDAY: preschool co-op with his friend Levi.  I am going to do a book each week, using the alphabet as a guide (A, B, C, etc.) and some sort of literacy extension activity.  Our first book will be An Ant's Day Off.  It's been a fave around here for years, and I'm excited I found a used ex-library copy on Amazon for around $5.  I love the ex-library books, with their attached mylar dust-jackets.  Book nerd much?

Reading: Haven't read much this past week, but have been flipping through Parenting With Grace some.

Watching: A few shark-week things (have I mentioned how much I hate docu-fiction?) and some MLB, always fun watching the Royals win.

Bringing me joy: Time with family.  Having the basement back.  Upcoming day-trip date with my hubby!!

Thinking about: hmmm, not much really.

Pictures to share:  

Gemma's new room.  Yep, that's a bedrail at the bottom of the bed.  Had to have somewhere for the ponies to lean.

The boys' room.

Journal: basement/bedroom renovation part I

TODAY - I am going to do this in twenty minutes.  I even set a timer.

Out my window:  Rainy.  Thunder rumbles.  Warm.  Perfect weather to not send the kids outdoors to play.

Clothing myself in:  A college basketball t-shirt and some new running shorts I got from Target and have (literally, not figuratively) lived in the past week.  

Around the house: Sigh.  We were going to re-carpet the basement in time to get Gemma moved down to her new bedroom before school starts (this coming Wednesday).  The carpet was scheduled to be laid on July 31.  We moved all the furniture (haphazardly I might add, since we'd be moving it back the next day) into the storage room, they came out (I will give you the Reader's Digest version), did the demo, installed the pad, unrolled the carpet...and it was the wrong color.  They (I won't name the store right now, I don't want to bad-mouth them as they have actually been very accommodating, and the mistake was not their, but the manufacturer's, fault)  sent a sales rep out to convince us that that was the color we had chosen and we were simply having buyer's remorse.  The rep took one look at it and said, "that's not the right carpet."  Sigh.  So here we sit, hottest part of summer, all three kids home all day, without our basement (which is coincidentally also our playroom/we allow the kids to be crazy and run and jump and throw balls room).  Nevermind the fact that we were really hoping to make the bedroom transition before school started.  The new order of carpet is currently in (as of Thursday or yesterday), but we have yet to confirm the correctness (or lack-thereof) of the color, and have not heard from the installers yet, which is making me more irate by the minute because WHY IS MY CARPET, THE CARPET THAT I HAVE PAID FOR IN FULL AND WAS TO BE INSTALLED OVER A WEEK AGO, SITTING IN A WAREHOUSE WHEN IT SHOULD BE IN MY BASEMENT?????????  OK.  I'm done sounding pathetic.  Suffice it to say it's been a rough week-and-a-half.  

 

The baby/toddler: So many words.  Sentences even!  He has some strong opinions, particularly lately about the color of his diaper cover, and his clothing.  He has one pair of pajamas he prefers (blue fish), and two shirts (baseball and blue) and if they are dirty getting him dressed is a chore (understatement of the year). 

 

The kiddos:  Gemma has been having a rough go.  I am hoping she is just nervous about school and acting out (we had issues with this last August).  She had such a great stretch from about early spring-ish to mid-summer, and I feel like we've lost all ground we gained.  Hoping that once we settle into the school-year things moderate out a bit.  Bickering, sass, lying, hitting, pushing.  It is stressing me out.  The basement situation doesn't help the personal space issues.

In the kitchen: Meatloaf, salads, family dinner, baked cod, lasagna, honey chicken, breakfast casserole on the menu last week and this.  Lots of fresh fruit.  Fasting as a family from treats and praying together about the Black Mass scheduled in OKC.  Trying to think of fast easy snacks I can prepare ahead of time and put in baggies to bring in the car when I pick G up from school, that way we can hit the ground running when we get home for the rest of our day.  Full day school will be an adjustment for all of us.

Crafting: oh please.

Learning:  Just enjoying the rest of the Summer.  We have made some good trips to the library, and "Work" is our family virtue for August. 

Reading: I have a big pile on my end-table, but the two that are on top now are (my first timer just rang, five minutes to go!!!) The Rest of her Life (a very thought-provoking fiction, I'm almost finished) and Beyond the Birds and the Bees: Raising Sexually Whole and Holy Kids (fantastic).

Watching: Royals MLB baseball mainly (I have always thought MLB baseball was very redundant, anyone else think this?), a bit of channel surfing after kids are in bed.

Bringing me joy: Prayer time.  Pool time with the family.  My hubby, he's so wonderful.  Tooling around Lowe's and Academy Sports with the family last Saturday.  We didn't buy a thing but boy we had fun.

Thinking about: School.  Carpet.  Relationships.  

I made it to the end of the post and the timer is just ringing!!!

Pictures to share:  

Water balloons.  Clement's face in this picture makes my day every time  I look at it.

Journal: a rainy afternoon

The big kids are watching Clifford and the baby is napping on the loveseat (don't judge), so I think I will journal.

TODAY

Out my window:  It is rainy and cool outside, very late Fall looking and feeling.  I like it.  But I still dread winter.

Clothing myself in:  Jeans, tank, Old Navy sweatshirt.  Debating about some socks, it's getting chillier as the day goes on.

Around the house: Kitchen renovation is COMPLETE (aside from sealing the travertine backsplash which needs to be done towards the end of the week when the grout is done curing).  It took about 72 hours from start to finish, and while we didn't do any of the work ourselves Aaron did a great job playing contractor.  Everything went off without a hitch until the very end when Aaron and our tile guy were installing the over-mount microwave (those things are tricky) and one of the brackets fell into the inside of the microwave.  Thankfully Lowe's had another microwave in stock and let Aaron come and switch it out.  Other than that, everything went so very smoothly!  We are grateful and enjoying our "new" space immensely.  We are also enjoying homecooked meals again.  72 hours of carry-out left us with some hung.over. guts.  Oh my goodness...

 

The baby: Is sleeping.  By himself.  I don't care if it is on the couch.  He is NAPPING!  Of course, now he probably won't go to bed so easily or early.  He is a busy boy and likes to keep up with the big kids (a little too much probably). 

 

The kiddos:  

GEMMA has recently turned a corner, and many of the things that were huge struggles with her seem to have ironed themselves out more or less.  I'm not saying she doesn't still have her issues, but oh my we have taken many steps forward in the past month or so it seems.  It is refreshing.  She is really growing up.  I cannot believe she will be six in a couple months.

KOLBE has also turned a corner, but he seems to have turned the wrong way down a one-way street.  OH my has he been trying lately.  And by "trying", I do not mean trying to be good.  More like "trying" every ounce of patience that I have, and then borrowing from there.  Spitting, aggressiveness, not listening, throwing toys, not listening.  He keeps me on my toes (understatement of the century).  Guess he feels like he has to step it up now that things are going better with Gemma??  I don't know.  I am grateful that he is at least temporarily quiet and calm on the couch right now.  Thank you, Clifford.  Other than that I am just surviving each day, attempting to be peaceful and patient and loving, and trying to savor the times that he is my lovey, snuggly little guy (usually at bedtime). 

In the kitchen:  REAL FOOD!  WW spaghetti with beef/Italian sausage and lots of spinach and mushrooms last night, flounder tonight with some sort of side dishes TBD.  Not sure what Aaron is cooking on Thursday.  Salmon, fried rice and steamed broccoli.  Family dinner.  I should probably make more muffins now that we're up and running again, the kids love muffins. 

Crafting: Kolbe's space rocket costume last week!  I also performed surgery on a bra to remove the underwire.  That counts, right?  NO comments from the peanut gallery please (yes I'm talking to you U.J.). 

Learning:  Gemma has been practicing her November sight words and color words and I think will test on them soon.  Kolbe also has flashcards to do each day for speech, so I made the kids each sticker charts for the fridge and they put a sticker on each day when they've done their cards.  This seems to help everyone (me included) remember to do these important things each day! 

Reading: Prayer for Beginners (ILL, so I need to hurry) and The Faith Understood.  Trying to read a saint story each morning at breakfast with the kids for the month of November.

Watching:  Finished episodes I and II of Catholicism.  Enjoying the new season of Gold Rush!! and have a number of Pawn Stars on our DVR to catch up on.    

Bringing me joy:  A fun Halloween with the hubby and munchkins.  A new kitchen.  Kind people.  Rainy Tuesdays.  Autumn leaves.  A quiet afternoon with the baby (thanks mom!) when the kids were going nuts (another understatement) with workers in the house.  People who are uplifting and kind when my kids (ahemKOLBEahem) make Mass, um, challenging. 

Thinking about: Prayer.  And Low-flow toilets.  Does it really save water when you have to flush it three times?

Pictures to share: 

Matching brothers.

Journal: Chicken Pox part deux

TODAY

Out my window:  It. Is. Hot.  The landscape around the neighborhood is kind of depressing, so many big trees were lost in the windstorm.  It looks so different and this won't be remedied anytime soon.  Bleh.  

Clothing myself in:  Meh.  I did get a fresh haircut which feels good!!

Around the house: Our garbage disposal quit working yesterday.  It actually ended up being a short in the switch (which caused the dishwasher to be without power as well).  Thankfully it was a relatively fast fix, the electrician was out this morning and got the power back up and running.  Dishwasher is humming as I type.  Creature comforts...it is odd for me to think that 50 years ago probably no one had dishwashers or garbage disposals.  I should be more grateful.  While the electrician was out, Aaron took the opportunity to have someone help him hang new light fixtures in the kitchen and dining room, and so the kitchen renovation begins!!  We've picked out our counter-tops and backsplash, and have a pretty good idea on appliances, sink and faucet.  Looking very forward to getting started here in a couple months!!

 

The baby: Would be the 'part deux' of the Chicken Pox mentioned in the title.  He took them pretty well up until last night which was incredibly rough.  Like, he would sleep for 5-10 minutes and then be restless for 10-15 minutes.  Back and forth.  All. Night. Long.  It was a long night, and he's pretty clingy today.  Hopefully he will be on the mend soon, he has a BIRTHDAY on Thursday!!  I don't like to see him sick, but part of me is really glad he ended up getting the pox and we can just be done with it for these three.

 

The kiddos:  Are a little stir-crazy, being in quarantine mode again but not having the edge taken off due to being sick themselves.  Lots of basement play, and they've been playing in the backyard some too.  Their latest favorite outdoor activity is Easter Egg hunts.  For real.  They take the parade candy and gum they got from the Fourth of July parade and put it in the eggs and hide them all over the yard.  So funny.  Keeps them entertained though.

Firecrackers made a big impression on Kolbe.  Lately he has been building and lighting pretend firecrackers made from random toys and kitchen items.  It is very cute.  

Gemma seems to have turned a corner lately.  We still have our issues, but she has been doing better in the listening and sass departments, and actually showing some contrition when she does get sassy and angry.  Baby steps.  This makes my heart happy though.

In the kitchen: Pork Cutlets and Quinoa Black Bean Salad; Spaghetti and greens; Cheesy Chicken Tostadas; Baked Salmon, rice pilaf and veggies.  And probably some sort of tasty birthday treat for the big ONE year old. It will definitely be a quiet birthday with him still being contagious.

Crafting: I mended a hole in Gemma's blankie....

Learning:  I have some telling time stuff all ready to go for Gemma, and some watermelon books and a paper plate watermelon craft to do with both kids.  Gemma read most of Hop on Pop last week.  The big kids both reached their reading goals for the library's Summer Reading Program so the two of them and I took a trip to the library together to hand in their charts and get their prizes.  It was fun doing something just the three of us.

Reading: I am getting behind in my Catechism and really should be finished with St. Francis by now.  Sigh.

Watching: My uncle was telling me about a show by the name of Zero Hour that I'd like to check out OnDemand.  Anyone else seen it?  Some Royals baseball.  That's about all.  

Bringing me joy: Reminiscing about the past year with our sweet Clem.  I can not BELIEVE it has been a year since his birth.  Watching the kids play, especially Kolbe and his firecrackers and listening to Gemma with her ponies.  Good friends.  Chatting over the fence with the neighbors in the evening.  Gemma and kindergarten.  I have made peace and I am getting really excited for the school year, I think she is just going to love it, especially getting to learn so many new things.  I am excited for her and excited for this new stage in our family.

Thinking about: How old Gemma seemed at a year.  Clem still seems like such a baby. I think your perspective must change the more kids you have??

Pictures to share:  

The kids went to their first parade on the Fourth of July.  We all had fun!