Journal: Ten minutes

Going to see if I can get through this in ten minutes...
TODAY

Out my window:  It was h.o.t. today, after a very cool last week.  This weather.  Spring would be nice.  But I'll take this over the cold.  Currently the kids are in bed, Aaron is mowing, I'd rather be reading but thought I'd update.  Quickly.

Clothing myself in:  Jammies.  It's after 8 people, that's what you get.

Around the house: We have a family of Baltimore Orioles that lives, I think, in our neighbor's backyard.  They love our deck.  They eat at our hummingbird feeder and knock on our windows (for real, it woke us up one morning).  Territorial much?  Makes for some fun bird-watching.  We've seen numerous hummingbirds already.  Don't think we've ever seen them this early. 

 

The baby/toddler:  He climbs.  Today I found him up on his changing table and asked Gemma why she had put him up there.  She hadn't.  I also watched him climb all the way UP the big slide at the park.  The big slide that, at before 2, our other kids were just starting to go DOWN.  I watched him do it the first time and he struggled at the top.  I stood by, but did not help him, hoping he would get frustrated and give up.  Nope, he figured it out and scaled it another 5-6 times quite quickly.  He keeps me on my toes.  He loves to yell "cheeeeeeese" when he sees a camera.  If I say, "one", he says "two".  And "ready, GO" is a favorite phrase.

 

The kiddos:   So much outdoor play.  Makes me happy.  Makes everyone happy.  They've been fishing a lot.  They can both get a fish off the hook and toss it back in the water on their own (we removed the barb from Kolbe's hook so he wouldn't injure anyone, himself included, too badly).  

Gemma's last day of school is Thursday.  Really looking forward to having her around more and the change in pace this will bring.  Apprehensive about lunches.  That is always a batty time of day for my kids.  So much food to prepare in a day, sometimes I feel like I barely finish one meal and it's time for another.

In the kitchen: Speaking of food...  I made a yummy seafood alfredo last week with homemade alfredo sauce.  It was pretty tasty.  We have found these bags of seafood at Kroger that have octopus, squid, mussels and a little bit of shrimp.  I used a bag of it and added about another half bag of straight shrimp and OH it was good.  Honey Chicken last night, leftovers/black bean quesadillas tonight.  Meatloaf and baked salmon coming up later in the week.  And some salads. 

Crafting: Sewing autograph pillows with the kindergarteners last week!  Lots of fun!!!

Learning:  Got a rough summer "learning" schedule made up for Gemma.  A few Kumon workbooks, math facts, reading (summer reading program starts this week!!), computer time and handwriting made the list.  Divvied stuff up with her so she just has 2-3 activities per day.  Still debating about doing stuff in mornings or afternoons.  Leaning towards morning.  Not sure whether to take a little break once school is out or just jump right in.  My kids like routine...

Reading:  Finishing up Unbroken.  It was really good, I learned a lot about WWII, at least the war on the Pacific Front anyways.  I'd say more, but I know one person who is planning on reading it and don't want to spoil anything.  Started All of a Kind Family Uptown with Gemma. tonight.  Kolbe asked me to get him some books about tornadoes and volcanoes from the library so I did, and we picked them up Saturday after swim.  The kids were sitting around the living room looking at them and he hollered in at me, "mommy, these books are AMAZING!"  Made my day.

Watching:  Some Royals MLB.  A couple episodes of Survivorman: Bigfoot.  Most compelling sasquatch evidence I've seen to date.  Nothing much else of note.

(I am already past ten minutes and hubby just came inside, I need to wrap this up.)

Bringing me joy: My family.

Thinking about: Some of the punky things I have done in the past.  If I did or said or posted something punky to you (directly or indirectly), I am sorry.  I don't know why I've been thinking about this lately, but I have.  My communication skills suck sometimes.  I'm getting better.   I hope.  ;-)  Anyways, communication -- and my ability to do so appropriately and in a Christ-like manner -- has been on my mind.  I am a work in progress. 

Pictures to share:  

Journal: School days

TODAY

Out my window:  Sunny and warmer (comparatively speaking).  Finally drying up.  We've had 20+ inches of rain since June 1 this Summer.  Unbelievable.  

Clothing myself in:  Jean shorts and a college t-shirt.

Around the house: I updated my weekly chore list for the Fall.  I had to switch my laundry schedule around just a little with adding in school uniforms (!!).  I also added a "swing chore" on Saturday, and then made a list of chores that need done but not weekly (or even monthly necessarily), like windows and blinds, wiping out the oven or wiping down cabinets, vacuuming under furniture, etc.  Then I can choose a chore or a few each Saturday and note them on my chart so I can keep track of what's been done when.  Yes, I am that big of a nerd.  Now you know without a doubt. 

 

The baby:  Has been really restless at night.  Like, from midnight to six he has been wanting to nurse several times...an hour.  It just frustrates me because I can tell I am a lot less rested with all the restless, interrupted sleep.  He will settle down and sleep for Aaron though, if I'm not around, so a couple nights Aaron has either taken him out to the sofa, or I've gone to the sofa and left the boys in the bed.  Sigh.  Maybe I need to try resettling him in his crib after he nurses, but I can't for the life of me stay awake.  

Other than that, he loves to dance, he waves at anyone and everyone with this big 'ole cheeser grin on his face, and the other morning I was trying to grab a few more minutes of rest, and I opened my eyes to find him sitting by my head, smiling at me and signing "milk" right in my face (he wanted to nurse, imagine).  It was soooooooo cute.  He had signed it before, but this was the first time he did it un-prompted.

 

The kiddos:  Gemma will head back to kindergarten tomorrow after a small hiatus after her first day (they stagger the kids' start dates so they can have a chance to meet the teacher and get to know the classroom in a smaller group setting).  I think she'll like school, and it will be nice to really settle into a routine now.

Kolbe had quite the time being man of the house on Friday when sis was at school.  He was really cute.  I am going to enjoy my time with him (and Clem).  The dynamics will definitely change in many ways around here with the advent of school.  I take him later this week for his speech assessment with the district, where we will see whether he qualifies for (needs) services or not.

In the kitchen: Cast-Iron Shepherd's Pie last night, a tasty recipe I got from Symon's Suppers; chicken spaghetti; my dad's birthday dinner; chile rellenos; I have some cauliflower in the fridge I'll probably steam with something and we have a really tasty honey dew we're working on.  And a tasty blueberry pie my dear hubby made.  He's been using coconut oil in the crust and YUM-O!

Crafting: Working on some cloth napkins.  I took the kids to the mall and let them help me pick out prints (IE, they each got to pick out their own, and then I picked some grown-up looking fabric as well).  Gemma picked pink sparkly butterflies (imagine), and first Kolbe found some baseball stuff he liked, but upon further looking we found some robot material which he loudly proclaimed was "FANTASTIC" (I still love it that he used that word), so we came home with it.  I got them all cut and pinned after the kids were in bed, and then they got to take turns using the gas pedal (haha) on the sewing machine while sitting on my lap.  Uncle Jim, do you suppose this could count as some sort of NASCAR activity?  Kolbe definitely has the lead foot for it, although I've an inkling his ability to follow a caution flag may be, well....  Hopefully he wouldn't pull a JPM (OK, inside joke over).  We turned them and I pressed them and now I just have to do the top-stitches and we'll have nine 12x12 napkins.  A good start.  I'd definitely like to make more (maybe rectangular instead of square).

I also had a coupon code (comment or email me if you'd like it) for a free Shutterfly 8x8 photo book (you just have to pay shipping, which is around $8), so I did one of our summer.  I have decided to stop doing 4x6 prints and photo albums, namely because they take up so. much. space.  Like, I look at our past seven years of albums and it kind of sends me into a cold sweat...our house very well could be taken over by photo albums if we keep up at the rate we're going.  So I think I'm just going to try to do a few photo books a year.  We'll see....

Learning:  I'm planning on letting things shake out over the next couple weeks when it comes to a balance for Gemma with home and school learning.  I'd definitely like to continue her reading and handwriting lessons, but that may be about it for written/academic activities at home.  We'll try to spend some time each afternoon on either that or some manipulatives.  And crafts of course, she loves projects and I'm not sure that she gets art at school this year.  I have Kolbe's Letter of the Week program all purchased and downloaded, I just need to go thru and decide what I want to use/print/laminate etc. in addition to the other things we have from when Gemma did LOTW.  I think we'll start with Letter A the week of/after Labor Day.

Reading: Shameful.  It is shameful the lack of reading I have (haven't?) done the past month or so.  That is all.  Oh, I am reading Schoolroom in the Parlor with the kids.

Watching:  New season of Duck Dynasty is on.  Still watching the summer short-season of Gold Rush...can't believe they're really going to mine in Guyana!  And been catching new Pawn Stars as they're on as well.  Other than that not a ton of TV, I am really trying to get in bed by 10 as my wake-up time is a bit earlier  now with school (and I can't fudge that anymore), and with the aforementioned sleep issues, I need to take it when I can get it.

Bringing me joy: A better week.  Last week was aw.ful.  This week has been pretty good so far.  Sweet Clem, sleep issues and all.  Sweet new pictures of my boys.  A good Catholic school for our daughter.  Beautiful evenings.  

Thinking about: We were at the Mall yesterday, and part of the reason we went (aside from napkin material) was because I wanted to surprise Gemma with a pretzel as a special treat before school started.  The kids were really excited, and we had a lot of fun, but I was reminded yet again how offensive I find Victoria's Secret anymore.  And I suppose we just need to take our pretzels to another spot in the mall, rather at one of the convenient tables right outside the pretzel shop (and directly across from VS).  Pretzels is something we do maybe 2-3 times a year, and as Gemma (and my boys for that matter) get older, the floor to ceiling "advertisements" are making me increasingly uncomfortable.  I am mulling over whether calling the mall would make any difference, or if they'd just laugh at me. 

Pictures to share:  

Gemma has learned to cross the monkey bars at our park all by herself.

Dancing boys.

Journal: briefly?

Brevity has never been my strongest suit, but I don't have a ton of time and would really like to journal.  We'll see if I can pound this out before Clifford is over....

TODAY

Out my window:  Sunny and hot.  And humid.  We have had so much rain, it's insane.  In a good way, but insane nevertheless.  Sunning diapers this afternoon.

Clothing myself in:  Gray short/capris from maurices...something I had looked at late winter but not bought, and then went back and got a couple months later because I kept thinking about then.  A good purchase, I like them.  And a tank and a T.  See what I mean about brevity?

Around the house: More decluttering.  It feels so good.  Now I need to get the stuff I have sorted OUT of the house.  Maybe a trip to goodwill later??  I have a whole bag of stuffed animals from when I was a kid.  Too many to get out and let the kids play with.  I feel silly storing them.  I mean, I will never use them and seriously no one is going to want them.  But the thought of throwing them away.... well...  Sigh.  OH stuff.

Oh, and I got a new (bigger) basket for the library/other books in the living room and I like it.  :)

 

The baby: Has been taking more steps, and loves walking if you hold his hands.  He gets this adorable, proud smile on his face and his eyes just light up.  He waves at you if you are across the room.  He really liked my lasagna last night.  Tried cow's milk today, was pretty "meh" about it.  LOVES drinking water from Gemma's water bottle.  I bought her a new one so she gave her old one to him.  He is very proud of it.  Twelve months old and already wanting to be like the big kids.  I wish tooth number 8 would hurry up and cut through.  Nights have been...restless.  Lots of nursing.  During the day when he wants to nurse he has started coming over and tugging on my shirt.  It is cute.  Naps are a mess.  I'm just rolling with it (HA) with school starting so soon.  He'll level out sometime.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.

 

The kiddos:

Gemma starts school in a week and a half.  In the meantime I feel like we are just in this huge holding pattern with our routines and pretty much everything.  She is excited, but from some things she has said and done I know she is fairly apprehensive and anxious as well.  Any extra prayers sent her way for a peaceful and happy transition would be appreciated.  She is worried about "missing out on all the fun" and "not having enough time to play."  Valid concerns when you're five.  She saved enough money (it didn't take long, as Larry has been giving her a dollar after Mass every Sunday) to buy Rainbow Dash pony, so that is her latest excitement.  She has been coloring pony pictures today.   

Kolbe has an obsession with robots.  He talks about them all the time.  He also talks a lot about helicopters and how he wants to buy one.  I am not exactly sure what he wants, but I'm afraid his expectations are probably a little high.  He also asks me quite regularly to "play roll" which involves sitting on the kitchen floor and rolling a car back and forth.  He would do this for hours.  I let him take one of his "Larry dollars" to the store and he bought this little spring-loaded "button racecar" from the dollar bin at Target he had seen (and talked about daily and maybe thrown a big fit about) about 2wks ago.  He was beyond ecstatic.  Until he broke it by jamming the key in and trying to pull it out. without pushing the button (those darn curious three-year-old minds).  Then he was beyond sad.  Like, lips-turning-purple, crying in bitter anguish sad. (tell me my kids aren't the only ones who get so upset they forget to breathe and their lips turn blue/purple...)  I surprised him and ran to Target and got another one after he was in bed last night.  He was pretty thrilled to see it on the kitchen table this morning and has been much more careful today. 

In the kitchen: Lasagna with lots of veggies baked in, chicken pizza, meatloaf, baked flounder.  Lots of fresh fruit.  Simple side dishes this week, it is so easy to just pull a bag of veggies out of the freezer and steam them.  

Crafting: I have some uniform material I'd like to use to make some hair-things for Gemma for school.  Maybe I'll use the neighbor's serger and make some bows?  Still mulling it over...  I have never made hairbows before. 

Learning:  Reading books.  Lots of books.  I got an alphabet poster from the dollar bin at Target and hung it in the kitchen at Kolbe level.  He knows some letters (like the ones in his name, and a few others) but I thought this might ignite more daily interest in recognizing his ABC's.  The "K" has a picture of a kid beside it, and I told him it was "K for Kolbe" which he thought was pretty cool.  Been working quite a bit on Gemma's handwriting book with her. My sis saw a good deal on some HWT paper that she ordered for me, so we've been using that in addition to the book lessons.  A few people shared some shoe-tying links with me, so I think we will revisit that together as well, and we've been talking a lot about telling time.  Oh, and Kolbe has been really into puzzles lately too.   

Reading:  I go through spells with reading, and am definitely currently in a dry period. 

Watching:  Gold Rush: South America, the three episode off-season is finally on!  Aaron also got into Inkmaster a couple years ago and it just started a new season (I am hiding my head in shame).  The drama makes me laugh, they are like a bunch of middle-schoolers.  The show itself is actually kind of interesting though.  Have enjoyed watching the Royals WIN lately too!!

Bringing me joy: Confession and chatting with my SD.  Always such a good refresh.  Finding a $13 ring to wear while my wedding ring and band are being re-dipped.  I hate going without a ring sooooo much.  Rainy nights.  Family swim-time at the gym, especially the part where Kolbe told me my swim shorts were, "SOOOOOOOO AWESOME, MOMMY!!!!!!!!"  I love that kid. Daily Mass.  Adoration.  Silence (when I was at Adoration...it's kinda hard to come by around here).  

EEK!  Clifford is over.  Better hurry....

Thinking about: Kindergarten and the big changes in our lives that are coming soon soon soon.  Teaching my children through example and my relationships with them without being overbearing and just plain mean.  OH parenting is soooooooooooooooooo hard. 

Oh, and the Our Father.  Thanks Deb.

Pictures to share:  

Kolbe with the spider he engineered all on his own.  He gave it to grandma and I kindly requested she give it back when she was "finished" with it for his keepsake box.  

CATERPILLAR!

(belated) Birthday celebration with my side of the family

Food-for-Thought round-up (August 2)

There is no rhyme or reason to the order (or lack-thereof) this week.  Apologies.  They're still good articles.  

Bringing the Liturgy Back to the Real Vatican II - This article gave me real hope, something that sadly I feel at times I've lost in regards to the Sacred Liturgy.  Some quotes I liked:

Young people are going back now and studying both the texts of the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council with its serious texts on liturgical theology which remain valid also today. They’re studying the rites as they were celebrated, striving to understand the meaning and various elements of the rite and there’s a great enthusiasm for that and a great interest in it. All of it, I believe, is directed to a more intense experience of God’s presence with us through the sacred liturgy. That transcendent element was most sadly lost when the reform after the Council was, so to speak, side-tracked and manipulated for other purposes – that sense of transcendence of Christ’s action through the sacraments.

and especially

There’s no question in my mind that the abuses in the sacred liturgy, reduction of the sacred liturgy to some kind of human activity, is strictly correlated with a lot of moral corruption and with a levity in catechesis that has been shocking and has left generations of Catholics ill prepared to deal with the challenges of our time by addressing the Catholic faith to those challenges. You can see it in the whole gamut of Church life.

Finding Happiness Where You Least Expect It - What a powerful message.

If happiness cannot be found in material possessions, where can it be found? The answer is: we find happiness where we least expect it—in self-denial. This is not a piece of wisdom that is easily learned and lived, because it is so paradoxical. Who, without being told, would ever imagine that denying oneself would bring happiness? ...  Denial of self prepares us for disappointments from others: “Contradictions from others will hurt us less when we have first contradicted ourselves. The hand that is calloused will not pain as much as a soft hand, on catching a hard ball. Contradictions can even be assimilated and used for further taming of our own errant impulses.”

Age Appropriate Bedtimes for Kids - Liked this, and agreed mostly.  Was relieved to see that my kids are hitting about right for hours slept.  Bedtimes are a little later around here than what this suggested, especially for the baby (usually 8 give or take) but they will probably get earlier once school starts.  Although whew, it is hard with a hubby who works a little later and wanting to sit down and eat dinner all together.  And I just can't do staggered bedtimes at this point, besides with the baby, he goes to bed when he's ready to sleep which sometimes coincides with the big kids and sometimes is earlier or later.  Kolbe probably gets a little less sleep than he needs sometimes since he doesn't nap, but all in all I feel like my kids are generally well-rested.  

My husband is not my soul mate - This title really piqued my interest when I saw someone post in on Facebook, and she brings up some really good points Aaron and I have actually discussed before.  This whole idea that God has one person chosen for you and you magically end up with that person and fall in love and live happily ever after, etc. etc. blah blah, you know the story.  At the end of the day (especially a really rough one) sometimes you have to choose to love.  And sure, I look back and I see God's hand in every aspect of the road that led me to my vocation, absolutely! But this romanticized idea that it was all completely beyond my control and I have nothing more than the cosmos to thank for my husband falling in my lap.  Well...  She says it better, a few quotes I liked:

A husband is not only not a biblical promise, it is also not a specific element of God’s “plan for my life.” God’s plan is for us to be made more holy, more like Christ… not marry a certain person.

There is no biblical basis to indicate that God has one soul mate for you to find and marry. You could have a great marriage with any number of compatible people. There is no ONE PERSON for you. But once you marry someone, that person becomes your one person.

This is profoundly unromantic advice. We love to hear of people who “just can’t help who they love,” or people who “fall in love,” or “find the one person meant for them.”  Even within the Christian circle, we love to talk about how God “had someone” for someone else for all of time. But what happens to these people when the unstoppable and uncontrollable force that prompted them to start loving, lets them stop loving, or love someone else?   What happens is a world where most marriages end in divorce, and even those that don’t are often unhappy.  My marriage is not based on a set of choices over which I had no control. It is based on a daily choice to love this man, this husband that I chose out of many people that I could have chosen to love (in theory, don’t imagine that many others were lined up and knocking at the door). He is not some illusive soul mate, not some divine fullfulment, not some perfect step on the rigorously laid out but of so secret “Plan for My Life.”

 Seriously though, I think I've quoted about three-quarters of the article.  Just go read it.

How I Avoided and Got Rid of GBS - I was GBS+ with my third pregnancy, and after seriously weighing the risks/benefits, we ended up going ahead and doing a round of IV antibiotics before Clem was born (they actually only had time to get one round in, I guess two 4 hours apart is preferable).  I was not thrilled about doing this, for my gut or his, but it seemed to be the best decision for us at the time.  At any rate though, several of these protocols are things we already do so I am definitely interested in trying to avoid being GBS+ next go around (no that is not in any way shape or form an announcement), as once you are positive your chance of being positive with subsequent pregnancies is pretty good.   I think I would scale back on the Vitamin C by about 1000mg (as per hubby's recommendation), but I think it's worth a try.

15 things You Should Give Up To Be a Happy Parent - This was just a good reminder.

What Pope Francis Really Said About Gays - Sigh.  The media.  

Kate used no painkillers during birth - I really didn't want to get sucked in.  I tried so hard to turn the other way.  But alas...I've only read two articles though, so I only just got a little sucked in.  But this was great!  Props, Kate!

First Steps: A Stay-at-home Mother Faces Letting Go - **Sniff**  Oh Gemma. This made me tear up a little as we approach the beginning of the school years for Gemma.  We are ready for this step, I am confident, but I still feel emotional about it.  Oh life.  I liked this the best:

It all snuck up on me but here we are. After four and a half years of holding her close, it is time to slowly begin to let go. A bittersweet process that will last the rest of our lives.  I hope that she never forgets the love and the fun and the magic in our first four years together...even if the details grow fuzzy in time.

 I don't know this blogger, but this post definitely struck a chord with me right about now.

Journal: woe is nap

TODAY

Out my window:  Sunny and hot.  My lantana is thriving, my begonias look terrible, and I have a new pot of basil on the deck.  

Clothing myself in:  Grey sweat-shorts and a t-shirt from my hubby's office.  

Around the house: Cleaned the kitchen cabinets with Murphy's Oil Soap this morning and dusted the rest of the house.  Beginning to think about Fall wardrobes (and Gemma's uniforms) and have started picking up a few things here and there for the kids.  OH clothing.  Got the older kids each a new pair of tennies (found some really durable looking Carter's ones for Kolbe, am curious to see if they will be as good as they look.  For under $15 the price was right).  Took Gemma's uniforms and a few of my pants to my alterations gal.  Trying to figure out how to get the baby to nap somewhat regularly and for longer than three minutes.  He seems to not want to miss out on all the coolness that apparently goes on while he is sleeping, and he gets woken really easily by two unnamed others who happen to reside in our residence. 

 

The baby one-year-old:  Had his birthday last week.  He was getting to the end of his chicken pox, so it was a quiet birthday around the house.  The kids wrapped up a bunch of our toys from the toy-box and he opened them and squealed with glee at all the "new" toys (that he'd just been playing with not two-hours previous).  Yesterday I was sitting in the kitchen and watched him - with my own eyes - stand up in the middle of the room and take three steps towards me.  I don't think I would have believed it if Gemma hadn't been sitting there watching too. None of the others have had first steps until closer to 15 months, so I didn't see this one coming!  He hasn't taken anymore since then, but he has been standing up a lot.  You are growing TOO fast, baby.  He's so sweet though, and it's so much fun to see him discovering new things and becoming more aware.  He's about half a pound shy of 20 lbs. 

Sigh, as alluded to above his naps have been all over the place.  One nap isn't always enough, but if he gets two then bedtime is really late, and for whatever reason Kolbe and Gemma and especially Kolbe like to be really loud when he is finally napping and he gets woken up.  A lot.  And I am beginning to think he will probably fall asleep in the van every day when I go to pick up Gemma from half-day kdg.  And did I mention he doesn't transfer well from the carseat to his bed?  Today he has napped for a whopping 10 minutes, and the later it gets in the day the less inclined I feel to try to get him to sleep.  I'm sure he will fall asleep in the high chair at dinner and the 2 minute respite will be enough to tide him over until 10pm.  ACK!  All this kind of makes me want to lose my mind.  I never knew sleep would be such a cause for angst in my parenting. 

 

The kiddos:  

GEMMA and I went school shopping this past weekend to get her school supplies and a few more clothing items she needed for her uniform.  She also got to buy a new pony with her own money.  This was her first time to spend her own money and it was...memorable.  The blasted ponies come in bags where you can't tell what they are, and after she paid we walked off to the side to open her pony and it was this blue and black gothic looking one named "Spitfire" and she absolutely dissolved into a pile of tears.  My heart totally and completely broke for her.  Long story short, we talked it through and I ended up "buying" the pony back from her and she tried again with much better results ("Apple Stars" was much more her speed than "Spitfire").  She is now saving up to buy "Rainbow Dash" (she costs $4.04, so it will be awhile).  We are going to start giving her an allowance here when school starts.  AND, she lost another tooth this past weekend too, so she got some tooth fairy money for that (half of which she shared with Kolbe...heart-melt moment).  We are both getting excited for kindergarten.  I know it will be happy and sad...the space will do us good, but I will really miss her too.  She is my clean-up queen and helps with the baby a lot, and she can be really enjoyable to have around.  But it's going to be a good year.  At Kohls yesterday I bought her a copy of Curious George's First Day of School and I'm going to give it to her on her first day.

KOLBE is three.  He has been acting very three lately.  But aside from that he is so very sweet and still likes to love and snuggle so much.  We were out to eat last night and he turned to me, gave me a kiss and a big hug and said in his sweet little voice, "I love you mommy."  Just out of nowhere.  It made me kind of tear up a bit, just thinking that some day he'll be a big high schooler who probably won't want to give his mama a hug and kiss out in public.  But maybe he still will.  He is such a sweet little boy. 

In the kitchen: This past week we had some Beef and Veggie Stew; Loaded Baked Potato Casserole and green beans; homemade pizza; a night out to eat; and shrimp linguine tonight.  Up next week is tacos; chicken, broccoli and rice casserole; fish crisp and some other stuff TBD.  Enjoying lots of fresh fruit around here lately!!

Crafting: I have some material that is the same pattern as Gemma's school jumper and I'd like to make her some sort of hair thing with it.  However, I have no idea where to even begin. 

Learning: When the kids were sick I was looking for more things to record for them and discovered that there is some really neat children's programming on EWTN.  Some of their favorites are Cat Chat, The Donut Man and My Catholic Family.  Been working on some telling time with Gemma and started her new handwriting book with her.  Kolbe has really been liking his Kumon cutting and tracing books lately.  Trying to take full advantage of the many learning items we have accumulated by pulling different ones out each day.  You know, while the baby naps.  Oh wait...  

Reading: I finished St. Francis!!!!!!!  My review is here.  The last 10 or so pages reading about his death were so beautiful.  I'm looking forward to my next review, Yours is the Church.  I need to jump in and start catching up on some Catechism reading too, I am sooooo behind.  Reading Schoolhouse in the Woods with the kids.  Gemma really likes these stories so I went ahead and ordered used copies of the other two books in the Fairchild Family series, plus another one by the same author.  Our dear friend Larry from Church gave us this Children's Bible and I've been trying to read either a story  from there or a saint story each day to the kids at breakfast time.  I had just been thinking about another children's Bible that was a little more substantial than what we had, and this one seems to fit the bill.

Watching:  A bit of the All-Star game, which made me reminisce, as Clem was born the night of the All-Star game last year.  

Bringing me joy: Chicken Pox are over.  Celebrating seven years of marriage this weekend.  Thinking about the upcoming school year. 

Thinking about: Naps?

Pictures to share:  

The birthday boy.

Toothless

Kolbe's drawing of Thomas

Reached their reading goals!

Journal: I think it is going to be Winter forever

TODAY

Out my window:  Um, Spring?  Where are you?? In case you haven't looked at the calendar, it is now mid-April.  Come on already.  That said, we have enjoyed some time outdoors on the (seemingly few) nicer days we've had.  And oh, regarding the snaggle-toothed furry mis-predictor of Spring of whom I spoke quite deprecatingly last week...there was a bit of confusion on my part regarding the opinions of a certain reader in Denver who shall remain unnamed.  While he is understandably experiencing much angst about their current weather, no "hate" is actually being felt toward the mangy perpetrator.  He did however mention something about a bounty...  OK, inside joke over.  In all seriousness though, this kind of weather in mid-April is ultra-depressing.

Clothing myself in:  Jeans and a t-shirt.  So original. So classy.  

Around the house:  Packed away a bunch of the kids' clothes.  I toss stuff they've outgrown on closet shelves, and then when there's enough I haul it downstairs and toss it in a laundry basket.  And then when it piles up into a big, scary, unruly pile of randomly-sized sort-of folded clothes, I whine and complain and then sort through them all and put them away in the correct tubs.  I do the same thing with my paper filing.  And as soon as I'm done I vow I will always file things the minute they leave my hands.  And I never. do.  Now you know.

The laptop hunt is on.  A friend's hubby (thank you!) took a look at the Toshiba, and even if he replaced the motherboard there is a good chance the same thing could happen again with the USB's.  Ugh.  I'm  managing OK without the USB's, but I'd really like to get a new laptop with Windows7 (read: not Windows8) and I don't now how much longer that is going to be an option.  Stupid technology. 

 

The baby:  Oh goodness he's not crawling yet but boy can he get around!!  Wowza, life is about to get even more interesting (is that possible?) in this house once he takes off.  He can go from belly to sitting now, and is pulling up on his knees.  He had his 9 month well-child last week, he weighed 17 lbs 6 oz and was 28 inches long.   He really likes to feed himself little chunks of food, so much so that I actually gave away the baby food I had made for him.  I do not miss baby food.  He has tried many various veggies, fruits, meats, beans, fish and whole-oat cereal.  He still nurses a lot too.

 

The kiddos:  Gemma is sounding out words and writing left and right.  Her spellings crack me up.  I got confirmation that we will have half-day kindergarten available at our Catholic school next year, so for that I am grateful.  I think it will make our family's (and Gemma's) transition into school much smoother.  I am beginning to really look forward to next year, it'll be a huge change for our family no doubt, but I think school is going to be a very good thing for our Gemma-girl. 

Kolbe had his speech screening last week.  He was very quiet and nervous but the gal doing the screening was really sweet and got him talking even so.  His language (ability to communicate and understand) tested fine, but she gave him a referral for speech, so the next step is to have him tested in our district and see if he qualifies for services.  And then go from there...  We'll see what that brings.  Everyone seems to think that it is quite odd that I'm not planning to send him to preschool, so that's a little frustrating.  I just want him to have the help he needs (IE speech pathology) while still meeting the needs I am able to meet in our home.  Does that make sense?

In the kitchen: Pork cutlets, mashed potatoes/cauliflower, steamed broccoli; Beef/Italian Sausage and Veggie Lasagna with green beans; crock-pot chicken, still debating on sides; Fish Crisp and maybe a fruit salad.  Hubby made sushi over the weekend.  Yum!

Crafting: ahhhh, nope.

Learning: Nothing terribly exciting or out of the ordinary.  Thinking about this Letter of the Week program for Kolbe next year.  And this.

Reading: Finished Bible Basics for Catholics.  Nothing earth-shattering, but a nice overview of Salvation History never-the-less.  Still working through the Catechism.  Started Navigating the Interior Life and A Father Who Keeps His Promises this week.  Those fictions from the library are still on the end-table, but the thought of reading four books at once seems silly.  Yet I haven't taken them back...  So many good books, so. little. time.

Watching:  We're about 3/4's the way through (TV) Episode 4 of The Bible.  I'll just come right out and say I liked the way they portrayed the Old Testament better.  The New just seems really disjointed, like they took a bunch of the stories of Jesus' ministry and just kind of mashed them together so they could cover all His "most quoted" moments.  I don't know, it's just weird to me.  We have about three hours (really probably closer to two once we zip thru commercials) to go, so we'll see what the final verdict is, but honestly I've liked it less the more I've watched.  The thing I DO like though, is it's got me thinking and kind of lit a fire under my butt to read the Bible more, and that's a really good thing.    

Bringing me joy: A date with Aaron.  We went on a walk around the neighborhood and actually visited instead of having a dog and three kids strung out a block-and-a-half between us.  Then we sat at the dinner table.  At home.  For FIFTY minutes.  Yes, five-zero.  And we had our wine and food ON THE TABLE!!  The whole time.  And nobody spilled anything or threw any food.  It is funny for me to think that this was the norm for us five years ago.  We had no idea how good we had it!!  And don't get me wrong, I love my life, love my kids, wouldn't trade it for the world, all that cliche stuff.  But oh, it was nice to have a couple hours together away from the kids. 

Thinking about: Prayer.  How to live a life of prayer amidst my vocation, rather than in spite of it.  My relationship with Gemma, how to help her through the anger and tantrums that she so struggles with.  And just my relationship with her in general.  We are a lot alike and I feel like we are constantly at each other's throats.  And while I don't want (or need) to be her BFF, I'd still like us to have a happy, healthy, loving relationship, and right now it just rarely feels that way. 

Pictures to share: 

Silly monkeys.  Errrr, monkey and dragon.  (Halloween costumes are fun year-round!!)

Kolbe is my child who will fall asleep (and stay asleep) anywhere.

 Look-alike brothers.