The BLAHS have hit me

I think I was standing near the couch. They did one of those football rush-thingamabobs and knocked me flat on my butt on the couch, and there I've wanted to stay ever since.

I've just lost my motivation for everything. I want to veg and play video games. I think I must've switched bodies with a teenage boy. A Freaky Friday kinda thing. Except I haven't even talked to a teenage boy in months. Hmm. Maybe I did a FF with a 35 yr old mama's boy who still lives at home? That is more likely, eh? He probably bags my groceries at the local grocery store. Or is the door greeter at Walmart. Ooh, then if I'm having his urges, he's having mine! He's wanting to hold the babies of strangers and buy baby clothes. And ooh, isn't that nailpolish pretty! About now, he's having a major identity crisis.

Oh, I'm crazy. I ramble entirely too much.

I have a counter full of dishes that need to be scrubbed. And things that need to be mailed. And ordered online. And I'm still sitting here.

Yup, still here.

Come back in an hour. If I'm still here... well, I'm too unmotivated to even think of something that will motivate me. You'll have to come up with a brilliant idea of your own.

Anyone want to bring me a glass of lemonade?

HEY. If they can do it, I can do it, too.

Ok, so it's not time to start decorating with turkeys and saying "Happy Thanksgiving."

But if the stores can start playing Christmas music and have Christmas displays up and it's not even Halloween, then I can change my blog background to this ADORABLE little turkey and polka dots.

I love all things polka dotty.

And I love brown, chocolatey brown. In fact, I'm craving some chocolatey happiness as I type this.

Anyway. I just love love love this background, and I don't want to only use it for November. I'm getting started early. So what? I'm a procrastinator about tons of other things, so maybe this evens it all out?

No? Party pooper.

And we have a mouse.

Bleck.

Last fall/winter we had a visitor, too. He lasted a meager two days, I think. Now to make short work of this guy, too.

Yesterday when we were eating dinner, I thought I heard a "clink" of the dishes in the kitchen - and all of my children were staring at me from around the table. So, it wasn't them messing around in there.

Then this morning at 4:00 when I got up, I heard it again when I was leaving my bedroom. And then - gasp! - the little poop dob on my counter.

Ok, rodent. The war is on.

*looking over my shoulder and whispering* Do you think the guinea pig will take this personally? I mean, it's not like they were close. She wasn't going to see him at the reunion this summer or anything.

That's one way to put it.

My 6 year old was startled very badly. With her eyes wide open, she said, "My heart was running around in there, crashing into all my bones!"

I love how expressive she is at times. And original.

Ben accepted Christ as his Savior!

It was his turn to sleep with me. He just brought up the subject himself, lying there. I wish I could even remember what question he asked.

Anyway, we began talking about sin, was he a sinner, etc. He answered right away - understood everything. I was frankly surprised because of how much less mature he is than the girls were at this age, and they got saved at a later age.

So then I asked if he wanted to pray right then. "No. It's bedtime. I'll do it in the morning."

Morning came. He remembered and still wanted to. Just to make sure, I went through the questions again. He really understood. So he wanted to pray. Now, with the girls, they wanted me to help them with what to say. Not Ben. He jumped right in and said, "Jesus, please forgive me for my sins. Amen." And that was that.

I told him he was now my son AND my brother. He laughed and said, "That's silly."

I'm so happy. I've had the privilege of praying with all 3 of them. I've asked God to let me pray with all of them, and so far - so good!

Weather vanes and weather radar are so yesterday.

This morning I woke with a headache. (And no, it wasn't a child, lol.)

My head is usually a good indicator that we have new weather blowing it. I'll get a nasty migraine a day before. And today, I woke with one.

So right now, I want to lie on the couch to close my eyes. But I'm also hungry. But I don't want to make it. Any chance I could snag a passerby as they walk past my house so they could come in and take care of things for me?

Hmm, here's an idea. Since I've obviously put those weathermen in my area out of work, maybe they'd be willing to take a part time job as my cook? Ah well, it didn't hurt to ask.

October started off with a bang

Just ask my poor 3 year old.

I had to take her to the ER last night for two staples in her head. She hit her head pretty good while playing outside. But what a tough little girlie she is - no numbing and yet she didn't cry! She actually didn't even make any noise. I think if I got two staples in my head, I would've at least made some sort of noise. She just laid quietly.

I was instructed last night to wake her every two hours to make sure she doesn't have any other issues from the head injury.

After two wakings, I quit trying, because she was sleeping with me... she kept crying out every time she'd roll over onto that side of her head AND she started kicking me in the jaw repeatedly while she was sleeping. Yep, I think she was fine.

Woohoo!

Monday and Tuesday I spent at a friend's house, sewing. I'm not a quick seamstress, so it took me two days to only make a jumper and a skirt. Ah, but! I learned how to make an invisible zipper, how to put in binding around the neck and armholes, and how to make your own pattern for a skirt.

The jumper is denim; the skirt is brown corduroy. I really need to take pics so you can see. Being really dark fabric, though, I doubt you'll see much. Mostly I want to show off the detail of the jumper. I know this sounds boastful, but I did a really good job. It looks so very good, and I really thought I'd mess it up horribly. I'm discovering that I can actually do this stuff!

I've always said I'm not domestic - I don't enjoy cooking, cleaning, or sewing. I like homeschooling, and I love spending time with the kids. But here I am, starting to look pretty domestic, lol. I've started grinding my own flour, making homemade bread, sewing clothes for the kids here and there... I even made flannel crib sheets last year with no pattern. Of course, it turned out super simple, but I was pleased that I did it myself.

Funny how things go.

Guinea Pigs and 911 - what a day!

Last night, we returned from a short trip to a state fair. On our way home, we stopped by a pet store that sold small animals and bought a guinea pig. After our less-than-stellar experiences with a dog and cats, I figure an animal in a cage is more the way to go.

Her name is Almond. She is brown and white, the shade of brown being like the outside of an almond. Hence the name. Yes, we're sophisticated in our methods of picking names.

I paid WAY too much money for a RODENT. And rodent accoutrements are surprisingly expensive. I actually did a double take when he told me the total. Yikes.

We got her home, got her cage set up, and Hannah proceeded to sit near the cage with her drawing pad and pencils. She drew and drew Almond and drew her some more. (Homeschooler alert!) I think we'll make this part of her science this year.

Then, as we were readying for bed, I was in the living room, telling Ben to put on a pullup. Then I left him to check on the girls. When I came back, he wasn't there. His pjs were on the couch. I called him a few times, thinking he was upstairs doing something. No answer. I sent Hannah upstairs to tell him to come down. She said he wasn't up there.

Then the search ensued.

After looking everywhere I could think of, and checking those same places over and over, I started to be really concerned. I started calling him, "Ben, this isn't funny. If you are hiding to be funny or silly, you need to come out now. Mommy is getting worried." No Ben.

I had locked both the front and back doors before I had noticed he was gone... I thought. Did I or didn't I? Was he outside? We went out and yelled and yelled. No Ben. I checked in the van. Ben? No, no Ben.

Now, I'm starting to cry. Which made Hannah start to cry.

I called a friend and told her. I told her that I needed her, and of course, she said she was on her way. Then she said, "You need to call 911." I so didn't want to.

Calling 911 takes this to a new level, to a new place, that I didn't even want to entertain. But, call 911 I did. I talked to an operator who was very kind, and I had to repeat some things for her because my voice was hard to understand - the tears were clogging my throat.

The police were here very quickly. They asked us to leave the house so they could check for him alone. It took a few minutes, but then I heard, "We found him!"

The sweetest words known to mankind.

He was curled up in the window seat of my sewing room. Because of how close the sewing table is to the window, he was impossible to see. They found him by using their flashlights. He had been purposely hiding, smiling from ear to ear, even then.

The officer gave him a serious talking to, but it didn't phase him at all. I guess at 4, you just don't get it. Or at least my son didn't. So, he will be missing out on some fun things for the next few days. I need to find a deterrent so this never happens again!

Muscle Man!

Hannah was struggling to open a jar of Musselman's applesauce.

With a strained voice, she said, "No wonder they call it Muscle Man's applesauce. You have to be a muscle man to get into it!"

Man Naked

When we were at my folks' house, Hannah was mildly shocked that Grandpa was walking around "naked." My dad quickly corrected her.

"I'm not naked. I just don't have a shirt on."

"Grandpa, it's still naked. It's what I call Man Naked."

Kiss the Pig

Q: What do you get when you cross an affection-loving boy with his 4-yr old sense of humor?

A: The following strange scene...

While I was walking around the kitchen doing this and that, Ben attached himself to me in a few strange postures to hug me in any way he could. He just kinda walked along with me, so I asked, "Are you gonna come with me anywhere I go?" He smiled a sweet smile, simply saying, "Yes."

So I pulled some evasive maneuvers, only partially dislodging him, but it caused us both to giggle. Then he stood behind me, threw his arms around my roomy backside, and declared, "I'm gonna kiss your butt crack."

I tried getting away, but the more I did, the tighter he held on. And then came The Noise.

He began snorting like a piglet, making the sound in the back of his throat. It truly sounds like a little pig.

So then I had a little boy firmly attached to my butt, making pig noises. What is one supposed to take from this?

Why is my husband referred to as Beefcake?

The following is a repost of an old story. It explains where my hubby's title of Beefcake comes from. Aside from the fact that I find him totally sexy, of course.

Last night, our two girls (ages 5 and 4) decided to put on a play for us. This was their first time, and I knew it was likely to be comical, but it was beyond hilarious.

First, they each took a part - one took Sleeping Beauty and the other took Snow White. Snow White had her turn first. She was to sit down and scrub the steps and sing. Well, the scrubbing lasted 2.4 seconds, and then she was off singing and just kept walking until she completely left the room... and never came back. (Snow White is our 4 year old.) This frustrated Sleeping Beauty very much!

Well, then it was Sleeping Beauty's turn, and she enlisted the help of her 2 yr old brother to be the Prince who kisses her - but she insisted it be on the cheek, thank you very much. He walked over to her, looked down at her and said, "No kiss," and walked out. More frustration from Sleeping Beauty.

So Sleeping Beauty asked her daddy (who was in the audience) to be her prince. He walked over, kissed her on the cheek, and then proceeded to fall over limply next to her.

"Daddy, what are you doing? Are you dead?"

And Daddy, keeping his eyes closed says, "No, I caught it from you and now I'm Sleeping Beefcake."

Back from a small vaca

Went to my parents' for a week. It was just the breather I needed.

I think my kids ate their collective weight in ice cream. It was consumed nightly and with relish. Meaning they delighted in their treat. Not that we had relish on the side. *Shudder*

Oh, yes, and one day my mom made a cake. Several of them said, "Whose birthday is it?" That should tell you how often I bake cakes.

While I was gone, the local fencing company finished our new chainlink fence in the backyard. Hooray!!! That is another big project off the list I've made to accomplish while Beefcake is deployed. (That reminds me, I should repost the Beefcake post!) Have to admit, my favorite project is the kind where my main responsibility is writing out the checks.

It all boils down to: I've just gotta DO it.

With 5 small children, finding time to make it to the gym, any gym, is pretty impossible for me. Especially since my husband is often traveling for the Army, and even now is deployed. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I have begun building my own little "gym."

I have a treadmill and a special chair to help with sit ups (I'll explain that in a moment.) I think the next thing I'll buy is set of small dumbbells. I need to bulk up this pitiful set of arms I have.

I have the most awesome set up for my treadmill. I knew I wouldn't just get on there for an hour and keep walking. No scenery but the wall in front of me. Simply music is a no-go. So I've tweaked and experimented until...! I have rigged my portable dvd player to the console of my treadmill and now I watch movies while I walk!

As for the special chair: I have a bad back, and sit ups strain my lower back muscles. This chair takes the strain off my back and isolates my tummy muscles. It also helps me not strain my neck. Is there anyone else out there like me who ends up using their neck too much when trying to do sit ups?

Now, I've only had these things about 2 months. So have I seen incredible results? No, but I know it is good for me and WILL yield results... if I can just keep at it.

Even with my beautiful set up of watching movies and old tv shows on dvd, I still have to get on there and just DO it.

Sometimes, self-discipline is hard to muster up. It's like a warped circle. What is the key to self-discipline? Well, bottom line is you still just have to make yourself do it. So the key to self-discipline is to have the self-discipline to develop self-discipline. Wha-?

What is that green thing in my fridge?

No, it's not mold. Or even old jello. (Green jello is ick, by the way. Red jello is the only way to go in my book.)

Instead, it's my son's beanie alligator. No one would fess up to who put it there. Guess the summer heat got to him a bit?

New piece of furniture

As homeschoolers, we need lots and lots of storage space. What we had been using was a sad little black shelf unit my husband had used in college. It was made of pressed wood and had definitely done well considering, but was looking rather pitiful. It only had two shelves, and each shelf was only about 2 feet long.

So I went to a fabulous little store in the area; they sell solid wood furniture at super prices. It is so much cheaper than a furniture showroom, because it comes unstained. BUT I pay them to stain it, which only adds about $100 to the cost. You can't beat that! So I got this solid oak shelving unit for a mere few hundred dollars. Yes, it's true!

Obviously, I've put stuff on every shelf, but do you see how much room is unused? I'm so happy! This piece will serve us very well!

My girl was an actress for a day!

I signed my oldest up for an art class in a neighboring town. They were to learn how to paper mache, make puppets and props, and then perform some small plays for the parents at the end of the week. They chose "Hansel and Gretel" and "The Gingerbread Man."

I'm really tight on how much of my children I show online, but since she was the fox in "The Gingerbread Man" and wore a mask, I can post a couple pics!

Ahhh! Beware the one-eyed fox! Actually, a bit of a "wardrobe malfunction" when her hair kept falling down into her eyes under the mask.

Her entrance into the play - she was cute and funny, eliciting a lot of giggles from the crowd. And no, that is not me in the background.

Talking to the gingerbread man.

Eating the gingerbread man!

I loved watching her do it all. She was so very cute and blossomed quite well. She is normally a very shy child, and even cried the first two days when I dropped her off. But the teachers said she never acted shy once she got in there. And certainly when it came time to do the play, she wasn't shy at all! I was so proud!

Good talk with my man.

I just got off the phone with him. He is having, as usual, a busy day over there. It's nonstop until he goes to bed, every day.

He called because he saw on our private blog that I was dealing with some pretty intense emotions regarding his deployment.

We had a great talk. I found out some of the things he is feeling, which is really good because he isn't the sort of guy to just offer those tidbits. Turns out, he feels the same way I do. Wow, is that good to know. It's very reassuring and comforting. And more importantly to me, he doesn't think I'm a wimp to feel this way.

Sadly, our talk only lasted 15 minutes. Suddenly he blurted out, "I gotta go." Ahh, well, another day, then.

Raisins = wealth?

My 2nd child just asked me, "Mommy, if we had no raisins, and we had no money, what would you call that?"

My oldest piped up, "Poor."

Having a large family can save you money

Don't believe it? Then let me share my Friday experience with you.

The kids and I were at the mall, when I decided that I wanted to look in a jewelry store for a necklace. There was a HUGE sale going on, so I thought it was worth a shot.

Everything was gaudy and huge. I asked the saleswoman if they had anything small and delicate - much more my style in terms of jewelry. (I like simple, delicate, elegant.) She directed me to the clearance counter. Score! Clearance is definitely up my alley!

There I found a small diamond necklace that looks like THIS. Except mine is done in yellow gold.

The lady broke down the discount for me (50% off, plus another 30% off), and it quickly went from a nearly-$300 necklace to a mere $101! Then she offers me the lifetime warranty on the necklace, which was incredibly reasonable.

After some hemming and hawing, even leaving the mall at one point, I went back to buy the necklace. She tells me the total is only $113. I questioned her, because that was less than what it should have been.

She smiled and said, "I gave you an extra 10% off." When I pressed her for a reason, she just smiled and said, "Because I wanted to." I pressed again (I know, some of you are saying, "Just shut up and take it!"), but I was very curious. That was the 3rd discount!

She finally just said, "Well... you have five kids."

So there you have it. Who says having a lot of kids is too expensive? It actually saved me some money!

What do you think of the new look?

I am so excited about this little makeover of my blog! I like the name, the look, the colors - all of it!

Take notice that I did keep my pseudonym, but will be changing the kids'. No, these will not be their real names.

Now, please be patient with me. I've started converting the posts from the old blog to the new coloring. The old colors I used are so hard to read here and look awful with the updated color scheme. I'm all the way to 2007, so it may not affect you at all, unless you are the sort of person who likes to go back and read old posts.

The roosters are such slackers

A couple weeks ago, I woke up every morning around 4 a.m. for no particular reason. That happened... oh, probably 5 or 6 mornings. So I gave up and adopted the if-you-can't-beat-'em, join-'em outlook.

And I now go to bed around 8:30 with my children and get up at 4 a.m.

I am not a morning person by nature. I prefer to hang out with the owls each night and join folks for lunch the next day. (Of course having children has changed how late I stay up and sleep in.) But this is working remarkably well. This way I am getting at least 3 hours of solitude every day, guaranteed.

By the time the kids get up in the morning, I've had some serious alone time. I've read my Bible, exercised, and conquered any projects that I wish.

I never thought I'd be living the "early to bed, early to rise" lifestyle!

I made homemade bread!

Recently I got a grain mill and a Bosch. So now, I am making homemade bread! After 2 failed batches, this was my triumph! Behold, and marvel!

Fresh from the oven!

See the beautiful waffle pattern on the lower half of the loaf? That is a nice touch from the bread pan.

Ooh, what lovely bread slices. Moist, soft, yet firm enough to make a great sandwich!

YUM. Don't you want some?

All sliced, bagged and ready to be frozen or used!

Thinking of changing my blog

I was thinking TOTAL makeover.

New pseudonyms for the kids, for myself. New title. New look.

LOL whatcha think about that?

Just want to essentially start over. Something light and fun.

Yes, I know. I'm fired.

But if you fire me, then there won't be a blog. Not that there will be a loss of posts or anything if you fire me.

Let's see... since I last posted, not much has changed. Just one tiny thing: I'm starting to make my own bread. I'm cheating a bit and using a Bosch to do the dirty work for me. Shhh, don't tell!

Even grinding my own flour. I can't believe I'm doing that. But it is so easy. Dump grain in one spot. Turn dial. Flour comes out in a different spot. Voila. Fresh flour.

So, am I fired?

On to the adventure!

We said goodbye to my husband the better part of a week ago. It was very difficult, but now we are marching on. We'll be okay.

He's called 3 times so far, and it is so good to hear his voice. It's amazing he can be so far away and yet I can hear him so clearly. And to hear his laugh... that is like music.

My older kids have mentioned a few times that Daddy is going to die. That is sad to hear from your children's lips. I have talked it over with them, reassuring them as much as I can. They seem to understand a bit more that death isn't inevitable, but I'm sure we'll have to cover it again.

And we're going to have an adventure while he is away. He'll have his own adventure, and we'll have ours. Lots of field trips and exploring the area we live in. Starting some new traditions for us to help fill the lonely hours, which I hope will make some great memories.

All in all, I feel hopeful, even if a bit lonely for him. Oh, the things we will have to share with him! And then he won't have to worry about us back here. He can do his job, knowing we are ok.

Saying goodbye

Don't worry - I'm not leaving blogging.

I just have to send my husband off to a different country.

This is very hard. I'm trying so hard to hold on to the hours, but they are slipping through my fingers. I am praising God, because I was supposed to drop him off tonight with his unit, but we've been given a bit more time. I'll take every bit I can get!

Once again, I wish I could bottle up certain moments to keep for later. Wouldn't it be wonderful?

Projects!

Today, hubby and I started ripping the carpet up in the living room/dining room/great room area. We had no idea what sort of state the hardwood floor underneath would be in. But let me say, it is beautiful!

We will be calling for an estimate this week, though, for some small repairs and sealing to be done. Not much has to be done, but we want it done well, as we need to sell this house when the Army moves us on.

I also have some other projects that are screaming for their turn, so once this is done, it's on to the next thing. Isn't it always?

Mixed greetings

I tell ya, when you go out with 5, you get all sorts of reactions.

Several older ladies got lots of enjoyment from my bunch.

One man chuckled everytime he passed us, especially when Emily discovered something inside her mouth was bleeding... she kept touching it, looking at the blood, wiping it on her shirt, and exclaiming: "I'm bleeding!" Then she'd repeat the entire process. Goofy kid.

One mom was eager to talk to me, as she is expecting her 3rd. She is hoping for 4, but her hubby says no.

Then this one... two young women out, one of which was the mama of 2 little ones. The mom who had no kids says (upon seeing me and my bunch), "Girl, and you think you have it bad..." and then they both looked at us with disdain. I wanted to speak up, but they weren't actually talking to me, just loud enough for me to hear. And they allowed me to see their reactions to my family. But still. I figured with their reaction, nothing I could say would be taken well.

Oh yeah, and the lady today who told me that she appreciated the sweet manners that my kids have. That made me feel really good!

Squeaker is now a YEAR OLD!!

Are you ready to hear the cliche things we all say at this point in our babies' lives?

"Where has the time gone?" "I can't believe my baby is one already!" "It seems like he was just born!"

And yet I mean all of them.

As for an update on the little guy, he has 5 teeth for sure. Not sure if that one tooth that has been bugging him has popped through yet. He still has his blue eyes, which makes me happy. (I have a brown-eyed boy, and I was hoping for a blue-eyed one, too. I think it's fun when they are so different.) He has been taking steps for a bit now, but isn't truly walking yet. I think he probably could, but he is too chicken to go for it. Oh! And he has a small dimple in his right cheek. None of my others have a dimple, so it excites me. However, the sort of dimple it is, I half wonder if it is the chub in his face that is giving him the dimple... guess we'll have to wait to find out for sure.

He's actually super shy. He hides from other babies, lol! I admit that I love how he curls up on me when another person comes near. But if you are at home with us (and he is used to you enough), he is so fun and active. He talks and talks, even seems to sing sometimes. He goes up and down our stairs with the older kids to the playroom. They can't shake him, but they actually love it. Sweetheart (my 4 yr old) will actually get down on Squeaker's level to ask him to play with him. It's pretty sweet.

Oh yes, one more thing - he has a trade mark growl when he is happy, of all things. I suppose for him it would be akin to a cat purring. He just growls and growls. It's pretty amusing.

The weird thing for me is... no new baby in sight. I'm trying to savor his each and every... everything! I wonder if he'll be the last or not. If he is the last - what a way to end that season! He is just SO wonderful. I cannot complain a bit!

Let's play the Opposite Game!

Okay, to test you, let's start off easy...


What is the opposite of happy? If you said "sad," give yourself a sticker.


Let's try another: the opposite of hot? If you said "cold," consider yourself smart!


Here's the toughie: the opposite of closed eyes? If you are my 2 yr old daughter, you said:


"Close your eyes open!"

Thought for the day - from a 5 yr old

At dinner tonight, Sugar-n-Spice said:

"I wish bad manners were good." All with a wistful expression on her face.

This girl really lives up to her name.