We seem to have hit a spot, where we have lots of discussions on "when we grow up." I will have.... kind of house, pet, car etc. Two of the most recent struck me as particularly interesting. On the way to Gatlinburg, B and H were telling me how many children they were each going to have and what names they had chosen. B wants 2 boys and a girl; Raymond, Maxwell, and Amanda. H, ever the unique one, wants a boy and a girl; Draco and Gladys. I'll just see how many of you get that one.
Friday, B had a friend spend the night. They were all discussing future jobs and careers. The friend wants to be a marine biologist. B wants to be a clothing and jewelry designer. She talks about this all the time and has even reached the age of planning education etc. H, having not learned how to say no to anything, wants to be an illustrator, help Daddy on the farm, and of course cheer. J could not be left out and kept yelling across the table, "Stop talking and listen to me! I want to be a fireman." Dawn complimented him on his great choice, but J kept going. "Yes, a fireman,or Mater and then I can have a hook coming out of my back. I love those hooks." Umm. Let's see, in 20 years I am going to have the evil twins for grandchildren, but I will be able to get my car towed for free.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Daytona
Take cheerleaders to the beach and what do they do???? Spend 6 hours practicing lifts and tosses in the pool unless they are at the beach turning flips! We had awesome weather for our short trip. We were very fortunate that the booster mom in charge of finding hotels, got us away from the college spring breakers. I was really unimpressed with the college scene. My very sheltered girls have only been to beaches that are not very developed and more like nature reserves. B was horrified by the cars on the beach, the lack of dunes, and general disrespect for wildlife. I think we will stick with St. George for family trips, but all in all a great time!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Good Day
God must know I could take very little more. Yesterday, we had a really good day. L was finally well and smiled and played. It was pretty and the whole crew got to play on the trampoline. We got lots of school done. I feel like a great teacher when I see the love of history B has developed. Of course I feel equally bad when we both cheer at the completion of the chemistry unit ansd set it aside with clear distaste. We just did better.
Today was J's surgery. He did better than expected and has gotton to come home. The big girls are staying with the plan to spend the night away just in case. I finally woke up not already exhausted. As Brian said to day when I could carry on a conversation without coughing " I am glad to have you back." We are blessed to have really great friends look after our kids. H is spending the night with her teacher. Ms. Whittamore is the bomb! Even got a book read while J was in surgery and all took a nap when we got home.
Thanks for prayers. And thank you God for days of rest.
Today was J's surgery. He did better than expected and has gotton to come home. The big girls are staying with the plan to spend the night away just in case. I finally woke up not already exhausted. As Brian said to day when I could carry on a conversation without coughing " I am glad to have you back." We are blessed to have really great friends look after our kids. H is spending the night with her teacher. Ms. Whittamore is the bomb! Even got a book read while J was in surgery and all took a nap when we got home.
Thanks for prayers. And thank you God for days of rest.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Happy 4th Birthday J and L
J and L needed individual cakes this year. L picked out Elmo all by herself, but wanted Abby Cadabby napkins. J wanted trucks, but settled for the tractor.
J wanted a big party with friends and a place like Chuck E Cheese. We got him to compromise on family plus a few at the CLC and rented a bounce house. It took L awhile to warm up to it, but once she did, we had to get lots of volunteers to keep L jumping.
L blew out her own candles!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Search for Normal
Read the following post with a grain of salt. We have just had a rough week between sick kids and a tragic accident between one of our feed truck drivers and a long time member of our church. Eldon will be missed by all. The truck driver is searching for his faith. Please pray for him. I just needed a place to vent.
Years ago I came across the idea of habits and schedules as a way to relieve stress. Emilie Barnes made a career out of teaching people to break household tasks into easy steps and plans that basically took the thought out of each day and made all of these activities a habit. Managers of Their Homes takes this even further. If you have ever seen the brightly colored charts hanging in the Duggar's house, you have met MOTH. MOTH has you schedule yourself and each child in crazy detail. Both are really just using classroom management techniques that have worked for years- playing music to announce cleanup time. Hanging toys on pre marked pegboards. Always sending lunch money in the same folder etc. My latest read, Simple Life, takes yet another look at this. The authors point out that we all have a "normal" setting. The stress and frustration comes when our normal doesn't match our priorities or personal mission statement. They use a wonderful example of Michael Phelps. Michael Phelps has a goal and a vision and makes decisions accordingly. He does not get up every morning stressed out about all he has to do. He gets up, eats like an Olympian, trains like and Olympian and sleeps like an Olympian. He does not seem frustrated because he hasn't also cured cancer and revamped the education system. Come on admit it, some of you like me do a pretty good job of beating ourselves up for not being ultra super woman.
So, what do I do with all of this? We are without a doubt stressed to the max. We keep telling ourselves, it is just for a season, that everyone has moments, but I am tired of our moments. I can't help but think most other people are tired of us too. Everybody wants to feel like they have things hardest or most challenging etc. It's how we deal with the self imposed guilt. But I get sick of just being so needy. We are desperately searching for a new normal and one that fits with our vision and goals, but what if the normal you have can never equal the normal you want?
We have little margin in our lives, but we really are trying to make better decisions. We have given up every outside activity we can for the time. We have Dawn coming every minute she can, but her schedule is also rough this semester. L can't just adjust to another set of hands, so that is not really an option. Sometimes I think we have the same issues as anybody else, we just put them on steroids. Lot of kids have his/her tonsils removed. But, we are dealing with extreme oxygen drops, a huge machine in J's bedroom that delivers the oxygen, and quickly scheduled surgery that means it will be the Wed before H goes to Gatlinburg on Friday and Daytona a week later. We grab scratching and clawing at what we remember of normal and when we fall, still can't seem to wrap our minds around that elusive "new normal". What seems to work best is divide and conquer parenting with Brian going to Gatlinburg with big kids and me going to Daytona. We do this alot and often feel we have given up family unity and support. It breeds alot of "me, me, me"attitudes and resentment towards J and L. It happens everywhere. Because L is pulling out hair and bloodying herself, she tends to get her way in the car. Her movie, her music etc. Angry siblings. I envisioned kids learning to be more compassionate and patient, but once you get bit a few times, you tend to lose desire to help restrain and instead yell, pout and demand you to find L's helmet.
Sometimes that desire for "normal" pushes us to just make bad decisions. Taking L back to Bowling Green after she had already made the trip twice that day. Ridiculous amounts of fast food because it buys a moment of appeasement. Even discussing if J will be well enough to make the Gatlinburg trip. Okay, enough bad day. Sorry, I am on day 4 of an elephant sitting on my chest while I cough and run a fever. I may look back later and realize it was the cough medicine with hydrocodone that was doing the talking here. Where do we go from here? Is there ever a point at which we can look at our life and say "it's not for everyone, but hey it works for us and we are content." Notice I did not say happy, I think they are two different things. I just want to reach a point that like MOTHs or Michael Phelps, I simply move through the day with out feeling like it is an enemy to be conquered.
I have to quit being angry. I have to quit fussing at God. Whatever lesson I am supposed to be learning, I call "Mercy". The teaching method is killing me.
So, what do you do? How do you find a normal that works for all the peoples in your household? Let me sit at your feet and glean wisdom.
Years ago I came across the idea of habits and schedules as a way to relieve stress. Emilie Barnes made a career out of teaching people to break household tasks into easy steps and plans that basically took the thought out of each day and made all of these activities a habit. Managers of Their Homes takes this even further. If you have ever seen the brightly colored charts hanging in the Duggar's house, you have met MOTH. MOTH has you schedule yourself and each child in crazy detail. Both are really just using classroom management techniques that have worked for years- playing music to announce cleanup time. Hanging toys on pre marked pegboards. Always sending lunch money in the same folder etc. My latest read, Simple Life, takes yet another look at this. The authors point out that we all have a "normal" setting. The stress and frustration comes when our normal doesn't match our priorities or personal mission statement. They use a wonderful example of Michael Phelps. Michael Phelps has a goal and a vision and makes decisions accordingly. He does not get up every morning stressed out about all he has to do. He gets up, eats like an Olympian, trains like and Olympian and sleeps like an Olympian. He does not seem frustrated because he hasn't also cured cancer and revamped the education system. Come on admit it, some of you like me do a pretty good job of beating ourselves up for not being ultra super woman.
So, what do I do with all of this? We are without a doubt stressed to the max. We keep telling ourselves, it is just for a season, that everyone has moments, but I am tired of our moments. I can't help but think most other people are tired of us too. Everybody wants to feel like they have things hardest or most challenging etc. It's how we deal with the self imposed guilt. But I get sick of just being so needy. We are desperately searching for a new normal and one that fits with our vision and goals, but what if the normal you have can never equal the normal you want?
We have little margin in our lives, but we really are trying to make better decisions. We have given up every outside activity we can for the time. We have Dawn coming every minute she can, but her schedule is also rough this semester. L can't just adjust to another set of hands, so that is not really an option. Sometimes I think we have the same issues as anybody else, we just put them on steroids. Lot of kids have his/her tonsils removed. But, we are dealing with extreme oxygen drops, a huge machine in J's bedroom that delivers the oxygen, and quickly scheduled surgery that means it will be the Wed before H goes to Gatlinburg on Friday and Daytona a week later. We grab scratching and clawing at what we remember of normal and when we fall, still can't seem to wrap our minds around that elusive "new normal". What seems to work best is divide and conquer parenting with Brian going to Gatlinburg with big kids and me going to Daytona. We do this alot and often feel we have given up family unity and support. It breeds alot of "me, me, me"attitudes and resentment towards J and L. It happens everywhere. Because L is pulling out hair and bloodying herself, she tends to get her way in the car. Her movie, her music etc. Angry siblings. I envisioned kids learning to be more compassionate and patient, but once you get bit a few times, you tend to lose desire to help restrain and instead yell, pout and demand you to find L's helmet.
Sometimes that desire for "normal" pushes us to just make bad decisions. Taking L back to Bowling Green after she had already made the trip twice that day. Ridiculous amounts of fast food because it buys a moment of appeasement. Even discussing if J will be well enough to make the Gatlinburg trip. Okay, enough bad day. Sorry, I am on day 4 of an elephant sitting on my chest while I cough and run a fever. I may look back later and realize it was the cough medicine with hydrocodone that was doing the talking here. Where do we go from here? Is there ever a point at which we can look at our life and say "it's not for everyone, but hey it works for us and we are content." Notice I did not say happy, I think they are two different things. I just want to reach a point that like MOTHs or Michael Phelps, I simply move through the day with out feeling like it is an enemy to be conquered.
I have to quit being angry. I have to quit fussing at God. Whatever lesson I am supposed to be learning, I call "Mercy". The teaching method is killing me.
So, what do you do? How do you find a normal that works for all the peoples in your household? Let me sit at your feet and glean wisdom.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
January 2010 – the big snow
Mama only has so many hands, so we tried out L’s chair in the snow.
I think we need a bigger sled if the whole crew is riding!
What would L do without her partner to keep things interesting! J described sledding as awesome, but L liked it better in theory or alone with Daddy! B was very much a lone sledder or a builder in the snow, while H turned flips down the hill.
Valentine Cookies
B, as usual was very particular about her designs.
H is not so careful. She has a tendency to lick off mistakes and start over. We don’t let her share her creations!
I can not equal my sister’s creative shots but here are a few of our masterpieces.
H’s birthday
H had a family gathering and a small slumber party for her birthday. I have no idea what the face painting was about. It was all over the bathroom and we spent considerable time and make up remover scrubbing faces, but it was interesting.
The Total Cheer, Patriot softball combo cake.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
How to accidentally make a 20 pound Chicken Pot Pie
Begin with a recipe you have never made before. Don't worry if it is even called chicken pot pie, as any basic casserole will do. Look over the list of ingredients while thinking what a great way this will be to use up some veggies. Notice that the recipe doesn't include chicken so throw a couple of breasts in the oven to bake. Begin by peeling, de seeding and dicing a butternut squash. Read that the recipe requires only a half cup. Question what you would do with the rest, while seeing that the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups carrots. Decide to use the whole butternut squash and leave out the carrots. Peel and dice one baking potato. Realize how lost it seems in all the squash and peel a second one. Measure 1 1/2 cups frozen peas into pot. Question what to so with remainder in bag before adding them to the pot. Measure 1/2 cup frozen corn. Think about how much your kids like corn and add more. Think about the sweet corn and the sweet squash and worry the pie will be too sweet. Decide to add the carrots anyways. The pan is now overflowing, so get a bigger pan. Allow contents to boil for 4 minutes.
While this is happening, chop the cooked chicken breasts. Saute one onion. Recipe calls for 1 and 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms, but mushrooms shrink when cooking right? Add a few more. Increase the butter to account for the extra mushrooms. Add extra flour to account for the extra butter. Since you don't like vegetable stock, use the chicken stock you keep on hand. It isn't granules so go ahead and add the whole box (4 cups). Increase the milk to keep proportions correct. Just guess at seasoning as no one's spice rack is the same. Stir in the veges and chopped chicken. Find a bigger pan to bake it in. Realize you will need to double the crust recipe to cover the whole thing. Give up the recipe and mix a Jiffy corn mix with a little Martha White cornmeal and extra milk and eggs. When it looks right, pour it on top. Be careful as it is probably now spilling over the top. Ask for help getting it in and out of the oven.
Finally, hope your family likes it as they will be eating it for a week.
While this is happening, chop the cooked chicken breasts. Saute one onion. Recipe calls for 1 and 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms, but mushrooms shrink when cooking right? Add a few more. Increase the butter to account for the extra mushrooms. Add extra flour to account for the extra butter. Since you don't like vegetable stock, use the chicken stock you keep on hand. It isn't granules so go ahead and add the whole box (4 cups). Increase the milk to keep proportions correct. Just guess at seasoning as no one's spice rack is the same. Stir in the veges and chopped chicken. Find a bigger pan to bake it in. Realize you will need to double the crust recipe to cover the whole thing. Give up the recipe and mix a Jiffy corn mix with a little Martha White cornmeal and extra milk and eggs. When it looks right, pour it on top. Be careful as it is probably now spilling over the top. Ask for help getting it in and out of the oven.
Finally, hope your family likes it as they will be eating it for a week.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Christmas 2009
B didn’t feel well Christmas Eve, so she made a nest on the couch and stayed put.
The rest of the crew. L’s place of choice is always Daddy’s lap.
L got several pieces of “chewelry” for Christmas. She is a “bling” kind of girl, so we are encouraging her to chew on these special items instead of herself or others.
J shows off his tall pile of gifts. He opened a Handy Manny workbench first and didn’t get back to anything else for much of the night. Cousins rotated around to help him build things. Because we had to put it together and had to make it back to our house, it rode in my lap where my nose kept setting off the saw and drill sounds. The really tall box was a basketball goal of course!
Much to J’s dismay, L opened her own gifts this year. She also shredded any box she could get hold of as well!
Ipods. What else can I say. Despite needing to get to Ina’s and on to Bracken County, H insisted we get songs downloaded. I was too scattered and finally said they would have to wait till we got back and cousin SC could help. Then J “accidentally” downloaded exactly what they wanted.
This happens so rarely, I had to make sure there was photographic evidence.
L needed a little pediasure before she checked out her stuff. She liked J’s truck more than he did! She loves to open and close the door.
L got a dancing chicken at Grandma’s. Since Mama sings (and does the dance) many times a day, she was very appreciative.
Baby Angels
J and L literally played the baby angels and sang Away in a manger. All Mama wanted for Christmas was for L to be able to sign it. We got the sign for sleep and one side of Jesus. Those of you whom know that sign will understand. I guess we can try next year. I would love to have had a picture of them on stage and in costume, but the director can only do so much.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
After 2 months of practice I was a little sorry to see it end. They all did an awesome job! I need to make special mention of Michael and Kassie for playing Mr. and Mrs. Bradley as well as coaching lines and handling scene changes. H was Gladys (not really a stretch). B was Maxine, and had the entire Christmas story memorized. Cousin B was Ollie and Cousin D memorized and acted her heart out as Beth. Aren’t they all just wonderful!
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