Where We've Been

It seems that every so often I inadvertently take a blog break.  Sometimes it is computer issues, but mostly, it is just life.  Too many events, too little sleep etc.  I thought it might be interesting to explain a day in our life so you might better understand where we go and what we do.  To see a day in our life, you have to accept that our days don't really end, the clock just turns over.  Eleven oclock often finds us lecturing to older kids about the need for sleep, or threatening to take computers and ipods that entice them out of slumber.  Jack of course makes multiple trips down the stairs for a drink, or a snack, or just to make sure we are still there.  One trip or another to take him back to bed will include a stop in the girls' rooms to confiscate the aforementioned technology.  By 3 or 4 am, Jack or Lucy or both have joined us in bed.  Some sound has caused Jack's eyes to flutter and he shoots down the steps like a cannon ball.  I bolt up as a freight train zooms into our room.  If Lucy has joined us, she is most likely signing/ talking about whatever upcoming event she is terrified she will miss or be left out of. We are careful not to fall asleep because Lucy will use the opportunity to bite or pull hair.  Falling asleep isn't usually a problem as Jack beats any bed mate to a pulp and I'm normally clinging to the mattress piping.  And then the alarm goes off.

Make lunches, fix snacks, fix breakfast. Take the ipad from Jack multiple times.  Argue with oldest about why actual food must be packed in her lunch box.  Finally get people to the table for breakfast so oldest can call homemade french toast "revolting", because "It tastes like dawg."  We don't make a practice of cooking dog so not sure where she ate that for comparison purposes.  Finally, I leave all at the the table so I can get in the shower and Brian supposedly loads everyone into the van.  If it is a good day, I just endure multiple trips in to tattle, but bad days mean exiting the shower (a decision usually has to be made while in the shower- hair or body; there is rarely time for both) where I am greeted by oldest with an outfit in hand because, on my own, I choose clothes that "make you look fat" or "poor."  Seriously, most days I am headed to Sams or home to make spaghetti sauce or clean out a closet.  I thought I was looking okay in my jeans without a hole and my new Allen County Basketball sweatshirt.  Finally, we fly out of the drive.  Are you keeping up?  We are just at 7:05.

The trip to school is always eventful.  Most of it is spent arguing over who's music should be playing.  We also attempt to do prayer and praise requests.  Brianna always says "Are we late? I'm thankful we aren't late."  Lucy is always thankful for cheer and herself.  Jack is thankful for something superhero related or whatever we just saw outside.  Hadley is usually asleep.  Unless of course she is belting out the latest Toby Keith song "RED SOLO CUP....." thus making her rap loving sister crazy.  Then drop off begins.  I once yelled "Have a great day" out of the window at the middle school, but this was evidently a passive aggressive attempt to ruin Brianna's day and so unfocused her she tripped in front of some 8th graders.  I am so evil, I plotted that for days.

By this time, Lucy has probably played in poop.  Yes, this is a terrible thing and we are doing our best to stop it, but as the distinguishing factor of all Lucy's entourage is our matching pinch marks, we sometime pick our battles.  On this particular day, Lucy then gets it in her hair.  I pull right up the cafeteria loading ramp and rush Lucy into the building.  Her wonderful support people helped me clean her partly up before going to the nurses station for a hair washing and clothes change.  Still with me?  8:00 am.

Part 2 is coming

Around the Dining Hall Table

My sisters used to play a game about choosing 10 people living or dead to invite to sit with you at a college dining hall table (some odd Centre activity), but none the less interesting.  Lately, I keep thinking how much I would like to really sit down with an assortment of  "experts".  After all, they are talking in my head at all hours of the day and night.  They all seem to be pushing their respective opinions on to me and I am left to agree or refute each ever louder voice.  So many of them seem to contradict, or at the least, not quite seem possible, that I would love for them to fight it out in front of me instead of using my blood pressure as the mediator.  This is not the time to tell me only crazy people here voices.  I haven't gone off the cliff yet, although a common statement in our house is "_____________ (fill in child of the day here), you are making me crazy!"  Followed by Brian, "And she doesn't have far to go!"  But I digress.

I can see Alice Gray, author of The Worn Out Woman, explaining the need for quiet,personal space.  After all, even Jesus had to push away from the crowds and go up into the hills or onto the sea for some time of respite.  This could be followed by Emilie Barnes of More Hours in my Day explaining that I didn't after all need sleep,but to accept my high calling as a mother and get up at 3 or 4am for a time of contemplation and study.  Maybe we could choose Les and Leslie Parrot, whom seem to contradict themselves when explaining that couples become closer by experiencing new things and activities together, but kids need tradition and stability.  I guess this means I should do more with just Brian,but that ignores the assorted studies and more "experts" warning against daycare, and unoccupied hours.  Studies show that 4-Hers, boy scouts and female athletes are less likely to use drugs or have premature sex, but those same activities make dinner at the table difficult and dinner at the table reduces depression and improves grades.  Playing sports reduces obesity, but The Hurried Child is over committed and stressed before age 5.  The Triple Bind points out that girls are now expected to be smart, athletic and effortlessly beautiful and polite.  Read to them, send them outside, don't make them stand out like geeks, but don't let them feel entitled.  Encourage and support,but don't over inflate ego or make them think "we all get a prize." 

Just about the time that fight is getting hot, lets bring in Gary Smalley to discuss how often you should date your spouse- once a week!!!, and a longer weekend every quarter to six months.  But before he takes center stage, make sure we get Dave Ramsey seated to clarify how much all these different things will cost and keep us on budget.  Once he gets it all budgeted, bring in David Platt and Francis Chan to challenge the whole group to be Radical and Crazy and find the money to spend equally on missions and time on community service etc.  Let Po Bronson have a few minutes to point out the value of sleep from his work Nurture Shock before David Platt sends us all to all night "Secret Church" and then let the father and son Raniers discuss how we really didn't need the program, but Simple Church and a Simple Life.

Where’s Ms. Whittamore When You Need Her?

 

One of our public school casualties has been field trips.  No one teaches Kentucky History like Ms. W but I did my best to fill the gaps.  We took one day of fall break to visit Fort Harrod and Shaker Village.  Jack loved it and his older sisters tolerated yet another teachable moment.

Despite some bad attitudes, we still let everyone have a chance at throwing a small ax.  I hoped there were too many witnesses for Brianna to be truly dangerous.

Jack’s version of this activity was a little like a good fisherman’s tale.  However, reality is- choose Brianna if you are under attack.

My favorite sight.  Made me very thankful for my double ovens and large capacity washer!

We picnicked under this wonderful tree.  It just screamed to be climbed, but Brian had to stand on a table and lift Hadley down from her highest perch.

self portrait

All the learning exhausted Hadley.

So glad we purchased a jogging stroller for less than wheelchair friendly outings!

I learned my lesson this fall break.  We have big plans for spring break so I thought we should stay home for fall.  I seriously underestimated the emotional fall out from kids and Mama alike when it seemed that EVERYONE we knew was traveling somewhere great.  Of course I spent 36 hours of the break laying in the bathroom floor, but I’m sure a bathroom floor at the beach would have seemed better!  Stay tuned for next year’s plans.

Bringing in the Shrimp

 

Southern Kentucky is blessed to be home to Buck Acres freshwater shrimp farm.  The last weekend of September and the first weekend of October are the scheduled yearly shrimp harvest.  It is an amazing sight to observe.  Watching the ponds drain and seeing the prawns (freshwater shrimp) and tilapia lifted out still thrashing and flipping is a locavore’s dream.  It requires lots of teamwork and a good deal of patience.  Jack and Hadley couldn’t get enough.  I was sure we would be pulling Jack from the drain spillway and while I waited to get my shrimp, Grandma pointed out that Hadley had put on gloves and was actually helping with the harvest.

Shrimp are bottom feeders so as the ponds drain, they settle in the mud and must be gathered by hand.

The water drains through a large concrete “colander” that traps the shrimp etc.  These men are scooping them out and transferring the shrimp and fish to live wells.

Turtles also got caught in the nets and were set aside to be released.

Brianna was my photographer for the day, which means I have beautiful shots of the happenings and not a single shot of our family experiencing them. Sigh.

Ready, Set, Fly

 

I took Brianna and two friends to Incredible Dave’s to celebrate her birthday.

White Chili Nachos

Gotta love any recipe that is mostly opening cans and turning on the crockpot.

 1 lb ground turkey
  1 chopped onion
1 package dry taco seasoning
2 cans white beans drained and rinsed
1 can corn (avoid the super sweet)
1 large can petite diced tomatoes
1 can chopped green chilies
chicken broth till it looks right (sorry this is not a better measure- I struggle with cooking measurements)

brown the ground turkey and onions together.  Add the taco seasoning and a little butter and water. (I know- measure!!)  Put the meat and onion mixture in the crockpot and add other ingredients.  Vary chicken broth based on desired outcome.  More for a true soup, less to serve over nacho chips.  salt to taste.  Allow to cook on low for several hours to break down beans a little and blend the tastes.  Serve with cheese and sour cream.

The Games we Play

 

I was floored at the number of runners.

Jack is 26.  He does not get grabbing flags.  He does get tackle!

 

Teams make campsites in the field.  Brian laughed at me for saying I “worry each girl across the line”  But it’s true.

I have to become a better photographer.  Brianna is in the blue and white.

Little Things

Last week was rough.  No ifs, ands or buts.  Without going into details, it literally brought me to my knees and there were plenty of tears, and not enough sleep. But..... Saturday, Brianna bettered her time by almost a minute in the 3k.  Brianna is not uber competitive and she has finished several races spitting venom at me.  But she has kept at it and this weekend, when she rounded the final curve and headed into the home stretch she caught the bug.  She was politely holding back to not run over the racer in front of her.  I began to scream "PASS HER!" and another mom started running down the rope yelling for Brianna to "sprint now!" The light bulb finally popped.  She shot around her and began to pull really hard.  She passed that girl and another before speeding across the finish line.  For the first time, she came out of the chute with a small smile on her face.  Before she even got to me, I was on the phone with Brian screaming WHOO AHH!!  She is not setting any records or even finishing in the top 20, but in races with 100 runners or so, she is creeping up that top half and finally leaving it all on the course.  But, as Brian reminded me on the phone, "I'm not at all competitive."

And then there is Lucy.  That child has obviously given up sleep and is "finished" with everyone but me and daddy.  Her newest word is "STOP."  I have had alot of hair pulled out this week.  She also had a shining moment.  About the time I thought we could take no more, Brian sat her in a chair at our table at the Lodge.  She had made eating very difficult for both of us.  She picked up a fork with red velvet cake icing on it.  She held it in her hand and licked off the icing.  She did not notice the silence that settled around us as she carefully handed the fork back to Brian and watched him put more cake on the fork.  She lifted the fork again and gently, even though it took two tries, put it in her mouth and handed the fork back.  Sometimes it is the little things that keep us going.

Ziploc Bags

Today,I am cleaning out the closet we call "The Store."  The store is actually a small closet off our bedroom that most people would use as a linen closet.  I use it as the location for extra soap, toothpaste, razors etc.  One could ask why we need such a place.  Why not just run to the store and buy a new tube of toothpaste when you run out? But that would require a different blog and perhaps some psychological analysis.  For the moment,just let me babble on about my discoveries.  First off, we obviously never use body wash.  I found huge bottles of it that are so old they are separating into waters and oils.  Don't think we don't get clean (Okay, one of my children is questionable,but that may also require counseling to answer.)  We do have an abundance of soap, ranging from Brian's Lever 2000 to stacks of wonderful home made soaps from Aunt Lana.  These smell wonderful and I must worry about running out,because I actually discovered a secret stash.  I know,more counseling.  I also discovered that I must buy men's razors every time I buy women's.  This would seem to make sense accept,in this house there is one male who shaves sporadically and 3 females whom shave regularly.  It also seems the females do not mind the smell of Gillette, but the male does mind the smell of raspberries.  If you are a male under 6 years old, it seems it is fine to use blueberry or strawberry scented products as long as Mater or Buzz Lightyear is pictured on the bottle.  An outsider looking in, would also assume we have a love of hydrogen peroxide- true, and some obsession with travel sized mouthwashes- not sure, we never use them at home and based on how few are open, obviously not when we travel either. Perhaps the most interesting discovery are the extreme number of quart sized, TSA approved, ziploc bags.  As a public rule follower (behind closed doors I have a terrible attitude), I dutifully pack for every trip in assorted bags.  I buy travel sized items because I always forget what's in the reusable ones.  Don't ask how many times I have conditioned my hair with lotion and washed my hands with conditioner. I am really anal about trip planning.  Okay, ocd doesn't even touch it.  I spend hours assembling each bag and kit and making sure we know where everything is.  But I obviously do not have the same out of control feelings about unpacking.  I found 15 travel toothpastes and even baby shampoo from Russia trips.  All packed in ziploc bags with things like unopened visine (airplanes are drying) and tide spot remover (please, most of you have seem my kids, I obviously never use this.)  But today is a new day. Out with the old and in with the..... large ziploc bags brought in to hold all the travel sized toothpaste.

Homeschool review

For the last two school years, I received an amazing gift.  I had the blessing of spending all day educating and training my oldest child.  I got to watch her think and process and discover and yes, sometimes, labor.  It was not a venture we entered into lightly and we knew from start to finish it was a two year term.  According to the book Love in a Time of Homeschooling, there is at least an anecdotal found trend in "sabbatical homeschooling."  According to her research there appears to be a growing movement of parents removing their children from more traditional school settings for only a year or two.  Most commonly in the 4th- 6th grades.  This is after kids have learned to read and work independently and before higher math classes begin.  The reasons are numerous and varied including things like filling gaps left by a bad teacher or  slower development, or getting out of bully situations.  More common was a desire to help kids rediscover a love of learning and get to do things that have been largely pushed out of the public school curriculum.  Read real books for hours at a time.  Travel. Complete huge hands on projects that reach across subject areas.  Pursue a personal passion..... or find one.  Public schools or so hounded by tests, they have little time to allow kids to think or create.  After school activities have become so demanding, that even working in a day trip to a state park or historic site can seem like a daunting task.  Anyways.....

So began our journey.  It was a a wonderful trip.  We averaged one Newberry winning book a week.  Brianna found a love of reading.  We went to space camp.  We wandered through great art exhibits at the Frist.  We watched old documentaries and sobbed through World War II novels.  Brianna made posters and built models.  We danced Native American dances, and created brilliant art pieces inspired by masters with no 45 minute time limit.  And we cried and stressed and lamented for hours, HOURS!!!, over fractions and decimals.  One of my favorite moments was one day during a social studies lesson.  I knew before hand that Brianna was an extreme kinesthetic learner, but this particular morning, we were working on identifying land formations using the globe.  "Come feel the mountain ranges, Mama.  Isn't it neat how you can slide your hand across and feel the differences?"  I just loved watching her think.

Homeschooling was the hardest job I have ever had, and I can only imagine how much harder educating several children at once would be.  Brianna came out of our experience better educated and a better thinker than she started.  She still doesn't love school, but she does enjoy knowledge.  Brian says I spent two years worrying she would have a big "H" branded on her, and he is probably right.  Now that its over, I see it is not an H that got branded on her, but a huge piece of me that walked out the door to middle school.  Hopefully it won't ruin her.

Do the Next Thing

I found the poem below while reading in car line.  I have to admit, the first few days of everyone back at school- the first time ever to be at home by myself, have not gone quite as I expected.  The twins, were far more demanding than I ever expected and homeschooling, while wonderful, drained anything else left of my lifeblood right out.  Basically, I have 3 and a half years of accumulating to do lists waiting to be tackled as soon as I dropped all 4 smiling faces at the school house door.  Not just big projects, but some things as basic as clean the basement kitchen sink, finally have all the clothes put away at one time, separate important mementos from 6 month old mail, find the charger to my nook, wash hair and shave in the same showering event. Day 7 on the island and none of these have happened.  I have spent hours in meetings, the nightmare/never ending house redecorating project, and caring for a sick child but......  Basically, I am as overwhelmed as before they went back to school, now I just feel more guilty for not having it all done.  It will get better.  I have a little more done each day, I have just had to extend projected completion date to Christmas. Or maybe May.

At an old English parsonage down by the sea,
There came in the twilight a message to me.
Its quaint Saxon legend deeply engraven
That, as it seems to me, teaching from heaven.
And all through the hours the quiet words ring,
Like a low inspiration, do the next thing.

Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from heaven,
Time, opportunity, and guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrow, child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus, do the next thing.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand,
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe'neath His wing,
Leave all results, do the next thing.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
Working or suffering be thy demeanor;
In His dear presence,  the rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance, be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.
Then as He beckons, do the next thing.

Author Unknown

Meet the Patriots 2011

 

You only thought this was about hearing from the football coach and meeting the team.  It was really about seeing and hearing my baby girl announced as part of the Patriot Cross Country Team.  Watch out world she is coming on strong!

First Day of School 2011

Update from this morning.  Girls all had a great day!  Jack's at least got better than it started.  Brianna made friends and loves her science teacher.  She and Hadley talked non stop after pickup.  Lucy fell dead asleep at cheer practice.  We just got back from cross country where Brianna ran 4 miles.  Whew!  We will need dynamite in the morning but at least they seem excited for day 2!


Rough start.  Juice was spilled, tempers flared, hormones raged.  3 people cried. (I was one of them) Lunch and one backpack forgotten.  As we walked the whole distance of the building to Jack and Lucy’s classes, Jack lamented that he wanted to “go to the same school as last year”  And who can blame him.  The idea to fruit basket toss up the entire building guaranteeing no one knows any one was a terrible plan.  So much for strong and stable. It has to get better right???  So begins the 2011- 2012 year. Two kindergartners, 5th grader and 7th grader.  Cross country and cheer tonight.  Really hoping this is not a statement on the overall year.

What 40 years of marriage will get you

 

I think the plan was for Grandma and Grandpa to be front and center, but somehow Jack and I ended up there.

This is what 15 years will get you.  Expect to see this again at Christmas!