What kind of restaurant is that, exactly?

So... we're driving down the road today, when David bursts out excitedly, "Nutcracker! I see Nutcracker!"

I had no idea what he meant. We do actually own the movie, The Nutcracker, but it wasn't playing. So...

Kora asked, with much verve, the question on everybody's mind, "Where, David, where?!"

David matched her excitement when he pointed out the window and said, "Right over there, Kora!"

We were all confused until he sheepishly added, "Oh, I mean Cracker Barrel."

Ooooohhhhhh. Right.

Anybody want to join us for a down-home meal from Nutcracker? =D

Rat news

We've had mice before, and we survived. But last week, we saw a R-A-T. I'm talkin' a big, honkin', furry, long-toothed, gnawin' rat with a tail that doubled his body size. The thing was bold, too, coming into the kitchen for a bite to eat while I was standing there doing dishes. He found a hole where the cabinet doesn't quite reach the floor, but it wasn't quite big enough to drag the WHOLE APPLE back through. So, one morning, I found a half-gnawed apple surrounded by tiny apple-peel scraps sitting in front of his escape hole.

We saw him four times today, each time in the dining room, like a little pet dog coming to clean up after our dinner. Only it wasn't a dog. It was a RAT. Gross.

Chris bought a snap trap and a glue trap, and I told him he would have to take care of it all, because a) I was scared I would break my hand on the snap trap, because I'm that clumsy, and b) I did NOT want to deal with the death of a warm, furry creature on my kitchen floor. I don't even like stomping on spiders (but I'm warming up to it!)

The first night that he set the trap, he smeared peanut butter all over it. After 45 minutes, he checked the trap, and the smart, brave rat had licked the trap clean without tripping it! Shees. I told Chris he should paste a hunk of cheese on top of the peanut butter, and put the snap trap adjacent to a glue trap to ensure success next time.

Well, next time, no luck. I guess the rat was sleeping. Or making rat babies. Let's hope not.

Tonight, however, Chris set the trap with peanut butter again in the kitchen, in front of his favorite hole. I went down the kitchen stairs to start the laundry, and, incidentally, found a cell phone in the washer. I was fooling with the battery as I topped the staircase, entering the kitchen, when I heard the sound of death--the snap of the snap trap. This is not a soprano snap, like a teeny mousetrap. This is a booming snare drum that demands your attention, and without thinking, I gave it my attention.

And I saw the rat breathe it's last. It quivered. It affected me terribly.

I hid behind the door and yelled for Chris. "Chris! Chris! CHRI-I-I-I-IS!!!"

He came running, thinking I had tripped the trap! "Are you okay?!" he yelled.

I asked him kindly to please take care of that, and then it happened. I broke down in tears.

I suppose it's one thing to see a dead rat in a trap you set for him. But it's another thing entirely to see the thing die.

I know, I know, most of you guys out there are thinking, "That is SO cool! I wish I were there!" And I admit, I am such a girl. But that's how God made me. Emotional and whiny.

And while I feel quite traumatized at the moment, I am glad that I don't have to share any more apples.

(PS Thanks to my very sweet, darling, and loving husband for taking care of the remains. I hope it's not all I get for Valentine's Day.)

Nothin' like it

Chris and I spent the evening in a hotel in Gatlinburg, which was wonderful, and when we returned home, all the children ran up to us, yelling, "Mommy!" and "Daddy!" and giving us big leg-hugs. What a beautiful, fantastic, enthusiastic love. Down the road, I hope we continue to share this type of love, and that those short-people leg-hugs turn into full-bodied bear hugs.

The Rat in the House

It's a new Dr. Seuss series. You don't want to miss it.

I've dealt with mice before. They are a minor inconvenience, excused because they are just so darn cute.

Not so with a rat.

He's ugly. He's scary. And he looks like he can gnaw my finger off if I look at him the wrong way.

I don't even know how to trap a rat... humanely... "tidily"... successfully.

He has the audacity to come out in broad daylight and scurry--make that lumber--over my feet in the kitchen.

He chewed a hole the size of Lake Eerie in my bag of pancake mix and went for a swim in there. Then, as an afterthought, showered off in my rice.

A rat.

Ick.

I shiver.

and I will not sleep well tonight.

Exciting news!

Saja, 6, asked to be baptized last night. Our church will be licensing Chris on Feb. 7, so they're going to let him baptize her on the 14th! Daddy baptizing daughter on Valentine's Day!!! Isn't that sweet?!

Goodnight kisses

My boys are so affectionate. Tyler and Tobias have begun to play a goodnight game with me--when I get ready to leave their room for the night, I turn and say, "I love you! Night-night!" They either reply in kind, "Ly-lay-loo, Nite-nite!" or give me the flirty-eye. The flirty-eye looks like this: chin turned toward shoulder, slight smile on the face, and fluttering eyelashes. Then I say, "No crying when I leave!" They always giggle, because they know they're going to cry when I leave just to get me to return! When I close the door, they cry the worst fake cry you've ever heard. So I open the door quickly and say, "Hey, there's no crying when I leave!" And they both giggle. I'll lay my whole body on top of theirs so our faces are touching and say through puckered lips, "Gimme goodnight kiss." Sometimes they do, but most times they turn their cheeks and make me chase down their lips... which, of course, I do with glee. Bedtime can be fun, but it sure takes a long time!

THEN... I run upstairs to start bedtime for the older kids. I always kiss them on their cheeks after I read their stories, and sometimes, they'll throw their arms around my neck and yank me down, keeping my chiropractor in business. Tonight, David took my face in both hands, turned my lips toward his, and fish-kissed my lips ten times in a row! I left the room with a smile on my face and a light heart.

The most hilarious van adventure yet

So...

Praise God we're all safe and sound and tucked into bed tonight... and we didn't even have to call AAA Auto Services.

The girls wanted to swing on a friend's tree swing, so I took them over there at about 4pm. Tobias and Tyler had not napped, but I figured they wouldn't be too cranky with the outdoors calling their names.

Wrong.

Tobias fussed so much that I put him back into the car. Tyler thought that would be grand fun, so he joined him. They pushed the button on the van that automatically closes the door.

I knew that Tobias had a habit of plugging in our DVD player, which, when activated before cranking the car, will drain the battery. I also knew it doesn't happen ALL the time, and that I was parked conveniently for a quick jump, were it to happen today, so I let them play in the car for about 15 minutes while I kept an eye on them and the other children in the yard. I also chit-chatted with the Mommy-friend, Missy Rhodes.

Then it hit me.

Tobias has my keys. If he locks the door, I will not be able to get into the van. And I'm not so sure he'll be able to unlock the door on command.

I raced to the van, and sure enough...

It was locked!

I yelled through the window to Tobias. "Where are my keys?"
He went right to them... hanging out of the ignition.
"Can you push the button to unlock the door?"
He, in fact, did push a button. The LOCK button.
"No, no, baby, the other one. The UNLOCK button."
The lock button again. Sigh.
The he climbed to the door and manually pushed the button on the door--to lock it!
I suggested that he go back to the key fob and try again, and this time, he got it right, much to my joy and salvation from panic.

So, naturally, I tried to crank the car. D-E-A-D.
Missy offered to have her husband jump it if we had jumper cables, which I promptly located. Eddie, her husband, did NOT appreciate the fact that the red alligator clips were missing the rubber grips. Watching him try to attach the clips to the battery while thinking his risk of shock was high was like watching a little boy sneaking into the cookie jar. He jumped and squirmed and squealed, and finally asked, "Are you confident that this isn't going to shock me?" to which I, of course, replied, "Yes, I've seen Chris do this fourteen times." (Then I looked at Missy and mouthed the word, "No.") I offered to do it myself, but Eddie's ego would have none of that. He did settle down after I threatened his manhood. I missed a real opportunity with America's Funniest Home Videos having left my camera at home. Sigh.

Eddie, you could have won me $10,000. If I won, I would buy new jumper cables... with proper grips. =)

As soon as it cranked, Tobias turned the ignition back off. That boy.

Chris told me one time that driving four blocks doesn't do squat to recharge your battery, so if you have a dead battery, you should drive around 15 minutes or so. Our fifteen minutes led us to Little Caesar's, where I bought dinner for $5.46, and Kora fell asleep, and I nearly rear-ended someone while my attention was on opening the back windows for Saja.

But we made it home, safe and sound, and full. What could have been a tiresome, stressful evening turned out to be fun and injury-free. Thank you, Jesus!

Mary Kay Miracle Set really works

I started using the Mary Kay miracle set for my facial skin care two weeks ago. Last night, lying in bed with Saja, she caressed my face and then asked, "Mommy, why is your skin so soft?!"

Embarrassing moment of the day

Tobias stripped at basketball practice today. It was embarrassing. I'm sure I'll look back on it and laugh some day, but not now.

Learning new languages

Today at the Y, Saja squealed in excitement when she heard a young boy, about age 3, speak. "Mom, he's Spanish!"

I said, "I know. Did you say, 'Hola?'"

She looked at me puzzled and said, "He doesn't speak Spanish! He speaks... baby!"

Exercise and eating

We have to stop exercising to save our grocery bill.

The kids practiced basketball tonight, and when they came home, they had two helpings of dinner (which was really leftover lunch that they had refused at that time), two clementines, a half-cup of almonds, two bananas, and a third of a pint of blueberries--EACH. My eyes grew wider every time someone came out of the kitchen with another vittle in hand.

On the plus side, they ate my cooking. That's new.

So, I guess we'll keep basketball on the docket for now.

Reading with David

Disclaimer: I admit it--I push my kids academically. Not all 3-year-olds should have to learn to read.

David is almost 4. I went through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (which uses the Distar method) with Kora and Saja at age 3, so of course, David must follow suit. No options.

We stopped at lesson 50 before Christmas. He was being stubborn about it, so I decided to read colorful, easy Scholastic books with him to revitalize his enthusiasm.

Today, I reinstituted the EZ Lessons book, but we reviewed lesson 37. Here's how it went.

David read, "I am a log."

Then he said, "Ah, that's so funny. Logs can't talk!"

Then... the text said, "I can not sit on an ant."

... which he read perfectly.

"But an ant can sit on me."

David decided the story would sound better if he said, "But a tiger can sit on me."

... so that's how he read it.

I could NOT get him to sound out A-N-T if my life depended on it. I think EVERYTHING is a tiger to him. Heck, he's a tiger most days! So I'll laugh it off. I think it's still pretty good for a three-year-old.

Bedtime, anyone?

Tonight, I read Bible stories to the twins, prayed with them, lay down with them for a moment, then said, "Nite, nite, I love you!" and closed the door behind me. I always hope for a "Nite, nite, I love you," in return, but none was forthcoming this evening.

Then, as I usually do, I continued bedtime upstairs with the older children, reading stories and praying with them. However, half-way through, I heard crying from the twins' room. I let it continue 15 minutes before I intervened. When I opened the door, there sat Tyler, sans pajamas, complaining about, "Potty."

I quickly zipped him up and lay down with Tyler and Tobias for another moment to soothe them before I left again. Things got pretty silly! Tobias started playing peekaboo and the snoring game with me. Tyler kept crawling face-to-face with me and then giggling. Their favorite bedtime song? "I love Tobias, oh yes I do. I love Tyler, and will be true. When you're not with me, I'm blue-ooo-hoo-hoo. Oh, Tobias (or Tyler), I love you!"

I think I hear them dribbling the basketball now.

Oh, well. I'm going to bed. At least SOMEONE will be sleeping.

Ice cream in the winter

So... after naptime today, the kids received a treat--ice cream in a real sugar cone! Yippee!

Of course, it's 17 degrees outside, and about 65 degrees inside... not the best conditions for ice cream.

David knew this, being the smart fellow that he is, so he took his ice cream cone and stood in front of the space heater... facing it.

Drip, drip, drip.

Today's highlight

We had the twin's speech and language screened last week, and we were told they appear to be developmentally delayed. Neither one really speaks clearly, and definitely not in sentences. Imagine my surprise tonight when I asked Tobias, "Do you want some juice?" and he replied by holding up his cup and saying, "Just a little bit."

Tyler and Tobias both enjoyed Chuck E. Cheese this morning more than ever before. I gave them a cup with 10 tokens in it each. Tyler put all his tokens in the Clifford ride one after the other. Tobias figured out how to climb into the Monster Truck all by himself and enjoyed many minutes up there. Saja, Kora, and David plucked all the tickets off all the machines left from the early-morning test run, so we ended up with more prizes than ever before! We had the place to ourselves because of the light dusting of snow that shut down the world, and it was pretty awesome. I can see myself having a basement like that some day... minus the freaky robotic mouse and teeny-bopper music. Chuck E. Cheese- the place where a kid can be a kid--and a mom can have a break. We love you, freaky mouse!

Overheard:

Saja: "Somebody get me a pencil!" ... "David, you can learn to be a gentleman by getting stuff for girls."

English in Chattanooga

Kora: "Mom, when I say 'purty' instead of 'pretty,' it's because I'm trying to talk like our neighbor."

Competitive, me?

So, Saja and Kora had their first ever basketball practice today. We signed them up for Upwards basketball and requested that they be on the same team. This particular church decided to separate into a girls' league and a boys' league, instead of age-segregated leagues, so Kora, 34" tall and so many pounds, is on the same team, (and, I presume, playing against) full-grown Goliath second-graders. If nothing else, she will develop some scrap this year.

Both girls laughed until their voices gave out during practice. I know, I know, in high school, Coach Benton would have made us run ladders for such behavior, but it thrills me to hear my girls having so much fun. I hope sports will always be that fun for them.

So... at the end of the practice, the coach sat all the parents down to explain the Upwards rules: 1. Man to man defense always--decided by the color your daughter is wearing. 2. Substitution in order and fairness, not based on who's playing the best, so everyone gets the same amount of playing time (which actually plays in Kora's favor!). 3. The refs are volunteers, so if they miss a call, keep your cool, keep your attitude in check.

Eeeek. We haven't even started playing, and I'm already sensing a battle looming in the distance between my Christian self and my competitive self.

Bring on the Xanax!

Seriously, it will be fun. David found a soccer ball and ran himself silly dribbling back and forth across the court. Even Tyler discovered the mechanics of a bounce-pass tonight. Seriously. He's only 2. He did spend most of the night splayed across a volleyball on the floor as though he were a bridge. Tobias spent his time trying to dribble and then kick a basketball. I think we annoyed the other practicing teams. But you know what, I have a basketball team of my own in my house everyday! So if I find something that occupies all of them, like a gym full of balls, I'm taking full advantage of it!

(On another note, my hero husband rooted the pipes today, so no more sewage in the bathtub. Isn't that wonderful?)

A good day and yuck, yuck

We had a really good day today. We took the twins to a speech screening, and it was determined that they are, in fact, a bit delayed in language development. When we returned from the appointment, the twins played downstairs in the playroom while I taught the older kids. Saja's reading Sarah, Plain and Tall right now, and I cried twice during the first chapter! I remember reading that book as a child, but it seems to make more of an impression on me now that I am a mother.

Then we went to the YMCA, where I kicked my tooshie in a Step class. What was I thinking?

Chris, my darling, sweet husband, has been doing yucky work today--I threw a trash bag over the deck to the "trash area," and, of course, the bag burst. I intended to clean it up, but I persuaded my sweet husband to do it instead. He didn't complain one time... except to say that our trash can always fills up about halfway through the week. NOW, if you can believe it, he's got a coat hanger pushed through the toilet pipes trying to remedy a clog. We think a toddler might have flushed a comb... or a pair of scissors... or socks... or a water gun... or the toilet-paper-roll-holder... or a shoe... (these are all things we have found in the toilet on previous occasions.) And finally, someone has to clean the poo out of the tub. It almost makes you gag to read it, doesn't it? It's not poo that a baby did because of the relaxing warm water, oh no... it's gross sewage poo, complete with soggy toilet paper, now dried and crusty on the surface of the tub. Apparently, it's been seeping up through the bathtub drain. The whole downstairs reeks of sewage.

But that's okay, because no guests are allowed down there.

We keep them upstairs, with our dead Christmas tree and our applesauce-covered chairs. Care for a visit?

Laughter is good medicine for the heart

I want to laugh more with my kids. So I chased Tobias down the hall and back a few times before bed. Boy, was he thrilled. It was cute.

Tyler and Tobias each got a TAG, Jr. reader for Christmas. They played with them just before church. It's a toy that reads a book to them, but there's no pen or machine to break. (We'll see about that--people who use the words, "Unbreakable" or "Guaranteed" haven't met my kids!) Each page of these particular books we have play a Christmas carol or the Alphabet song. Tyler and Tobias, and occasionally one of the older kids, were jamming to the oldies all afternoon.

Speaking of, this morning, when we walked in church to drop the boys off in the nursery, Tyler wandered off. I finally found him 5 minutes later mesmerized by the rehearsal of the praise band. He looked as though he were in Heaven. If I had given him chocolate, he would have been in Heaven!

Kora told me her favorite part of the day was church, "because I can't remember any other part of the day."

David tried to sit in big church tonight, but when he started slinging his binoculars around up and down the aisle during the sermon, I decided we needed more practice before we attempted this.

Saja told us she wants to be baptized, but with all the other distractions of our misbehaving children, she, too, was whisked away to nursery. Our dramatic child, she lay on the pew in a pout, claiming her legs hurt too much to stand or even sit properly. So, off she went to play in the nursery, where the strength of her legs miraculously returned.

Now I listen to the silence and smile at my day. That, my friends, is my goal.

New Year's Resolutions

I recently read an article that suggested making New Year's Resolutions that you can keep instead of unattainable (and thus, discouraging) goals of perfections.

Saja and Kora have done just that.

Once we explained to them what a resolution was, they caught on quickly and wrote things like:
1. Read Bible every day.
2. Eat Candy.
3. Watch T.V. every day.
4. Be nice.

These are resolutions... if not in the grain we normally associate with New Year's Resolutions and becoming a better person.

It's Jan. 2, and so far, so good.

Wardrobe Malfunction

Tobias and Tyler wore underwear today. They eagerly put them on, and they just as eagerly take them off. Today, Tobias went upstairs into Chris' office wearing them, and then he took them off. As if to see how proud Daddy would be, he began the tedious process of putting his Elmo underwear back on... both legs in the same hole.

Then he tried to walk.

Then he fell over.

Then he cried.

You can guess what Daddy did...

Laughed.

And then repeated the tale so the rest of us could enjoy it.

Santnigalas and other little-known Christmas Carols

Saja wrote a list of Christmas carols to sing while we cleaned up yesterday. Mondays are our new "Scrub the House" cleaning days. It's exhausting. I didn't find the list until dinner, and it gave me a much needed laugh. Included are the following:

Joy to the world
Hart the hrrld
Jingrldells
DingDong meralion hie
Gotell it on the mountin
SiLinnight
O Chrismas tree
Old Santnigalis

Oh how I love this age... the beauty and delight of a 6-year-old mind thrills my heart.

Potty training or potty playing?

So, I tried potty training the twins in July at 18 months, then again in September at 20 months, but after seeing how incredibly difficult it was, I decided against becoming a walking mop and waiting until they were more ready. I have left the little potties out, and I let them get on the toilet for fun. I think it's adorable to see them fight over who gets to sit on the toilet. Tobias has always been able to pee on command, but he doesn't go when he has to go. Tyler has not once, in this entire 6 months, actually done anything in the toilet.

Until today.

Tyler took his own clothes off, retrieved the little potty, sat on it, and did his business without any adult attention whatsoever.

Praise God, I hope it's this easy. Maybe we'll try again in January after things settle down a bit from the holidays. I would love to make you all jealous with my incredibly easy potty training stories. =)

Unscathed escape

David always makes me wonder, "How do we ever make it to adulthood?"

Last night, my household helper took a leave of absence. This morning, the kids and I spent three hours cleaning various parts of the house. We had just finished the girls' bedroom when I decided I should start making sandwiches for lunch. As I sliced the hoagie in half to share with Chris, I heard the most enormous crash from the living room. Rushing in, my mind raced with speculation as to what could cause such a loud, long, tinkling, lingering crash. All the lamps tied up together and dragged across the ground? A baseball through the window? The television pulled to the floor?

Alas, the real culprit actually never entered my mind. There David sat, on the loveseat, somewhat in shock I think, staring at what used to be our glass-top coffee table... in shards... all over the floor. When I say "shards," that's exactly what I mean! Large, long, lean, pointy pieces of glass scattered across the floor, and some lay caught in the decorative metal on the table, pointing straight up.

I had no idea what to do except what any good wife would do. I yelled (some might use the word "screamed"), "CHRIS!" To my amusement, he came rushing out of the restroom, zipping on the run. He guided David to safety and coralled the kids into the playroom. When he returned, I asked for a cardboard box to put the pieces into. He retrieved one for me, then suggested I go find some work gloves (which I was unable to find), and then retreated to his office.

While I feel emotionally drained and sad to have lost my nice coffee table, I am relieved that David survived unscathed. I think a little scratch might have done him good, because he's showing very little remorse, or even the ability to put the cause and effect together. None-the-less, I firmly believe that God works all things together for the good for those who love him, and I'm eager to see how wonderfully God will use this in our lives. I believe angels were guarding my sweet boy today, and I thank God that the only thing we lost was our table.

Kora's new game

Kora is a big ham. Not literally, of course, but in her personality. She's started doing the Mwah-ha-ha laugh when she's picking on her siblings. I thought she invented it all by herself, but today at breakfast, I heard her daddy do the exact same thing! Kora really gets Chris' sense of humor, and she plays along with him a lot. Saja just calls him on his teasing with a "get-real" attitude.

It's fun to play with Kora.

Mwah-ha-ha!

When did this happen??

Saja turned six last week, and something happened. She's talking about b-o-y-s!

We were invited to a birthday party for an 8-year-old neighbor boy named Mason. On the way there, Saja said this:

"Mom, do you know what I said to myself in the mirror? I said, 'Maybe Mason will see me and think I'm the prettiest girl at the party and fall in love with me and want to kiss me!'"

After I laughed hysterically, I asked her not to kiss Mason, to which she replied, "Okay, but what if he wants to kiss me? What do I do?"

Sigh. If only it would be this easy when she's a teenager.

David's thought processes

I love age 3. The kids start talking. They start understanding the world. They process their thoughts so differently than adults. And they believe everything we tell them so literally.

The other day, we left the kids with Grandma and Mimi for the weekend. When we got back, David just looked so much more mature than when we had left him! I think it was due, in part, to the fact that he was the oldest child in the household. We left the girls with Mimi and the boys with Grandma.

So, I praised him, "David, you look so big and grown-up!"

He responded, matter-of-factly, "That's because I eat meat."

He's wonderful.

Funny lines from growing girls

So, today I found out some candy recipes call for paraffin wax. "Paraffin wax!" I exclaimed at the dinner table. "That's like eating a candle!"

Chris replied, "Well, would you prefer beeswax?"

"Yes!" I said, thinking that its relation to honey made it more edible.

Saja piped up with her own suggestion. "How about earwax?!"

Can we just say... YUMMY!

**********************************************************

The other day, the kids were in the car watching a DVD cartoon about Jesus' death and resurrection. I, of course, couldn't see the movie, because I was driving. I actually wasn't even really listening to the movie either.

Kora yelled from the back, "Mom! I thought Jesus was strong!"

I said, "He was strong, dear."

She said, "Then why didn't he just break the rope and run away?"

I discerned she was questioning the part where the Roman soldiers carry Jesus away from the Garden of Gethsemane after Judas' kiss... and then I bumbled around. "Um, ah, because he... Um. Kora, he chose to be born as a baby so he could die for our sins."

She said, "You mean he WANTED to die?!"

"Yes," I said, "because he wants us to live with him forever in Heaven, and that was the only way to make it happen. He loves us that much!"

Kora replied, "I don't like to die. I would have broken the rope and run away."

Well, at least we're not in danger of her helping herself get to Heaven sooner than she's meant to!

Wings and Wet Pants

Yesterday, we drove to Cleveland to visit Chris' sister at a McDonald's for the specific purpose of letting the children play while we visited relatively uninterrupted. Although it had rained, I thought the outdoor playground would be somewhat dry because the slides were tubes. It wasn't.

The kids played anyway. They soaked themselves gleefully.

Later, I overheard this conversation:

Kora: "I wish I had wings."

Saja: "Why?"

Kora: "Because my pants are wet."

Saja: "What?"

Kora: "So then I could fly home and change."

Saja: "Why don't you just wish for dry pants?"

Hell... and the path thereto

Today, I spotted Kora and David hovering over the floor vent in the dining room. David had removed the massive, unsecured vent cover, revealing the cold, gray tube snaking down into the basement. (This, of course, is against the rules.) As I walked by, Kora looked up, not with ashamed repentance, but with true bewilderment. "Mom," she asked, puzzled, looking down the vent, "is this the path to, um, Hell?"

Excuse me while I stifle a laugh.

Pregnant again??! NOT ME!

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

David's Bible lessons

Tonight, at bedtime:

David: "Mom, will we see God in Heaven?"

Mom: "Yes, honey."

David: "Mom, will we see Moses in Hell?"

Mom: "No, baby, Moses is in Heaven. God buried his body."

David: "Mom, did God send Moses back to Peru?"

???

PERU?!

Mom: "Moses was in Egypt and in Israel."

David: "Oh, I thought he was in Peru."

Well, we either need to spend a bit more time on Bible, or a bit more time on geography.

The highlight of the game

Tennessee Temple University has an athletic department--they even have girls' volleyball. Chris and I took the kids to the game tonight, somewhat hesitantly because as bedtime approaches, the kids become more easily irritable and less able to obey the rules. Can you imagine the embarrassment of the poor mother of the child who runs out onto the court during play? It's not rec-ball, folks, it's college-level! (Interesting fact: Christian colleges have their own division of sports: NCCAA. I'm guessing it's NOT a notch above NCAA. Just a thought. =)

So, the twins spent the evening content to watch the game bouncing on our laps. Fabulous! They, of course, were the ones I envisioned shooting out into the court before I found a free hand to stop them dead in their tracks. The older three, however, found complete bliss in climbing under and clambering over the bleachers, as well as tormenting the hideous and somewhat rag-tag would-be mascot who appeared during the second game.

Tennessee Temple Crusaders... or Cavaliers? Either way, it is most definitely not a wolf. This wolf had an enormous head with huge, yellowed, enameled teeth. They were awesome. If I were not a mother of small children who have nightmares, I would really love those teeth. Kora thought it would be really cool to jump up and nail Wolfie on his head a billion times until the head fell off. I think she succeeded once. I was doing my best to bounce Tyler on my knee, look occupied, and ignore the situation. Meanwhile, David got it on his mind that Wolfie needed to show his true colors, so he pantsed him.

That's right, my children were simultaneously beheading and exposing the sort-of mascot of a Christian university.

Chris and I could no longer live in the land of the apathetic. Action had to be taken. Chris chose to confront the situation head-on. (Pun intended.) Wolfie was put back together, our children were chastised and instructed on proper college-level girls' volleyball etiquette, and we went about our merry way.

I am sad to say the girls lost, but truth be told, who could watch the game when the entertainment stole the show?

What Saja wants to be

Today, Saja told me what she wanted to be when she grows up: an art-girl. I asked, "Do you mean, an artist?" She said, "Yes, I want to sell my painting and get money for them."

Hmmm... I think this is one of those occupations that really builds your faith in God with regards to regular income.

But I like art. If my daughter can decorate my walls for free with her uber-fabulous art, I am ALL FOR IT.

Birthdays, by David

Our children have no problem talking to strangers. They do it all the time, they do it well, and they do it extensively. I overheard Saja today telling a grown man how best to potty-train his 2-year-old. "I know," she said, "because my twins are potty-training."

The other day, someone came to visit, and they asked David how old he was. Instead of the standard answer, "Three {or 'free' as the case may be]," accompanied by the appropriate amount of fingers, David said, "On my next birthday, I'll be four... and on my next birthday, I'll be five... and on my next birthday, I'll be six..." By this time, we smiled and tuned him out. Faintly, in the background, I heard, "And on my next birthday, I'll be seven." I thought, Shees, this could go on forever!

To my surprise, his next words were, "And on my next birthday, I'll be forty."

And that was the end of it.

Living in Highland Park

I started a new blog to journal our Chattanooga Adventures:

LivingInHighlandPark.blogspot.com

I hate to double-post, so I won't. You just have to go read it yourself.

No Coincidences

This story starts 18 years and 11 months ago, when Chris' mother discovered she was pregnant with her fourth child. Chris was 14 when Josh was born.

Chris graduated seminary this year and felt led to follow Dr. Jim O'Neill for a year in preparation for our missions. Dr. Jim O'Neill felt God lead him to leave Philadelphia to work in Chattanooga. For that reason, we live in Chattanooga.

...which happens to be merely 2 hours away from the Braves, who are playing the Phillies, of all teams, tonight in Atlanta. Chris and Dr. O'Neill and his daughter bought tickets this week for the Sunday night game.

Josh graduated high school this year, and chose to attend UT at Knoxville. Freshmen were allowed to move in this weekend, but if they wanted to bring a car, it cost $250/semester, so Josh chose to leave his car at home. So, his parents graciously took him to Knoxville, (and then took him to Walmart to buy stuff he left at home!), and then decided to come visit us, a mere 2 hours away. They planned to stay one night and leave early Sunday morning before church to head back to Memphis.

After they arrived, we received word that Chris' grandmother was admitted to St. Joseph's hospital in Atlanta for heart surgery. She has an atrial valve that apparently has needed replacing for many months, but caused such ill health last night that Grandma had to be admitted.

Chris offered to take his mother with him to Atlanta so she could be with her mother.

So she stayed and attended church with us at Highland Park Baptist Church.

Our associate pastor stopped us before the service and said he just met another family from Bellevue who just moved to our neighborhood to go to UTC. We actually found them and sat with them throughout the service, but Chris' mom and dad didn't sit with us, because they arrived later than we did.

After the service, Chris' mom came to see us, and when our new friend from Bellevue turned around, they realized they knew each other. Chris' mom had been her Sunday School teacher!

Our new friends spent a good portion of the day with us, and we're both thankful for the fast friendship formed from our common denominators, having both just moved here as young mothers. Do you see how many facts had to fall into place at just the right time to work out the way it did?

The longer I live, the more I see God's hand in every aspect and every decision of my life. I like it. It makes me feel loved to know I'm that important to him.

Healthy Eating Habits, by Kora

Today, I treated my family to dried blueberries covered in dark chocolate--a very healthy treat loaded with anti-oxidants and stress-relieving elements. Of course, my children gobbled them down. Saja innocently asked, "May I have more to go give Daddy some?" She really meant that. Some children (ahem, Kora) are devious enough to ask that question and then eat the extra pieces themselves!

As they were eating them, I said, "Isn't this yummy? It's a very healthy snack."

Kora, now 4 years old, replied, "It's healthy??! It doesn't taste so healthy!"

Shining the [brass] sink

FlyLady.net has a great program to get overwhelmed housecleaners (aka "Moms") back into the groove. I feel blessed to have conquered the clutter issue when we packed up to move. It hasn't crept back into my life yet! We do have a few "hot spots" where clutter tends to collect, but we've been wary of bringing clutter back into our lives.

What we do have, however, is a house that was not clean when we moved in. Our bathroom sink looks mottled, like a cheetah, from the toothpaste water spots left on it. It tarnishes. Seriously. Who the heck needs a SINK that tarnishes?! I don't keep anything in the house if it requires me to polish it. I don't care how wealthy it will make me--if I have to polish it, keep it OUT of my house. Oh, except the stinkin' bathroom sink. I kind of need one of those.

So, I googled it. A quarter-cup salt, half-cup vinegar, half-cup flour to make a paste. Rub on sink, water-spots disappear. Note to self: If any toothpaste or shaving cream happens to be hanging out, rinse it off first. Somehow, a certain spot started off as green toothpaste, and after the vinegar treatment, ended up as an unremovable red streak. The sink still looked a bit dark, so I applied a thin layer of toothpaste and, gasp, polished. The tarnish came completely off, and now the sink looks like the brushed brass it was intended to be.

Chris walked in and said, "Boy, I bet the faucet could look like that too." Sigh. Twenty minutes later, the faucet and the sink BOTH blind you as you walk into the bathroom. It's not maintainable. We'll see what happens in a week!

I took the same paste treatment to the kitchen sink to attack the water spots staining the stainless steel sink. I rubbed and rubbed, ignoring the offensive attack on my nose. I rinsed and rinsed, just as I had previously done in the bathroom. Do you know it did not-a-lick-of-good?

That's when I pulled up FlyLady.net. She sure knows how to shine a sink. I have, however, in my dedication to declutter, pitched the bleach. So I cannot shine the sink.

Oh, well, there's always tomorrow.

And if there's not tomorrow, I'll be in Heaven, where no one will need to polish anything to be blinded by its beauty.

The Lord's Direction

Coming to a new town can be intimidating. I spent two weeks missing my friends and family from back home. Then something remarkable happened: God sent us friends.

esterday, the kids and I were outside in the front yard while Chris was mowing the yard, and a woman walked by, saw Tobias in giraffe shoes, and came across the street to comment on them. She saw we had five kids, told me that I had to meet this other woman in the neighborhood who had five kids under age 6 (incl. a set of twins), and she told me where this other lady lived. I drove down there within an hour, but she didn't answer the door, so I left a note. I came back about 3 hours later, knocked on the door, and when she answered it, I told her, "I'm Dorothy." ... And she gave me a HUG! She's so bubbly and friendly--and a BELIEVER! She and her husband attended Bible college in Alabama, and then they got married, had five kids in five years, and all of our children match up with their kids as playmates. (She has 6-yr-old twin girls, a 5-yr-old girl, a 3-yr-old boy, and a 20-mo-old boy!) They invited our whole family over for burgers that night! We stayed until ten, and it was such a pleasure to bump into a solid believing, homeschooling, "procreating" family in our neighborhood. It warmed my heart, and I can see us being fast friends.

Then, tonight, we just returned from visiting our next-door neighbor, JonAda, who has a 6-yr-old granddaughter and a 4-yr-old grandson, and a daughter who is about our age. She doesn't seem from appearances to be much like us, but she is! She knew just what we needed to know about living here, what kinds of things we should do, and we even had a good laugh about hoarding bargains. =) She likes yard sales, too, and her basement is full of furniture she no longer needs, but keeps around in case she wants to switch it out again down the road! She used to attend our church, Highland Park Baptist Church (hpbc.net), many years ago, and I think she's a good prospect for Jesus.

On another note, we're going to the library tomorrow for storytime, and my dinner-a-day cookbook has been much fun. I find that I end up making much too much food, however, and we'll have to end up having leftovers for lunch. I went to the farmer's market today, which is only open on Sundays from 11-4, and I grabbed some farm-fresh tomatoes, including some heirloom varieties. Sadly, none of the peaches left at 3 pm were ripe enough for purchase, and all the blueberries were gone. I did buy some herb plants, though, so I have to remember to plant those tomorrow.

Chris and I visited with the pastor from our church last night, and we caught his excitement about reaching our neighborhood. He mentioned that the college ministry needed workers, and Chris wants to plug in as a mentor and helper. I'm excited to be a part of groundbreaking ESL classes, and our kids will start AWANAs in the fall. The longer we're here, the more clearly I see God's hand moving us and others into this place for such a time as this, and it will be a most exciting time to be sure... rebuilding the church, rebuilding the school, reaching the neighborhood. I'm thrilled to be here, and I'm encouraged to see the Lord Jesus' love in our lives.

Feeding yourself

I bought a book at a used bookstore called Dinner-a-Day. It has recipes for every weekday of the year planned out for an entree, a side or two, and a dessert, as well as a shopping list and utensil list. Isn't that handy? I'm having fun with it, because I used to actually make a menu like that, and then make a shopping list to accompany it. This book is saving me 4 hours a week or so! The recipes are a level above my normal cooking, too, but no meal is supposed to take more than an hour to prepare. (When you factor in the "Referee" factor that all mothers endure, it does take longer--stopping every few minutes to direct the children.)

The other day, I fixed a pasta dish with rotini, scallops, corn, and sweet peppers. It was quite yummy. (The very first time I attempted using scallops, the whole house ended up smelling like lake water, and I just couldn't force my children--or myself--to eat a dish that looked like mud from the bottom of the pond. So, I've never used them again, until this book.) Anyway, while I was getting dessert ready, Chris was getting the twins to finish up their pasta by playing the airplane game. He zoomed the food into their mouths, and they finished up in no time, with gaggles of giggles.

Last night, we had leftovers--pasta again. As soon as I plopped Tobias' pasta in front of him, he picked up a rotini piece and zoomed it into his own mouth, complete with sound effects. He ate his WHOLE MEAL in airplane fashion. I nearly couldn't finish for laughing so hard.

Little Miss Muffet, by Kora

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a Tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey.

{So far, so good.}

Along came a spitter,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

{Well, I guess so!}

Packed up, Moved out, Packed in, Unpacked

Well, I see it's been far too long since I posted the goings-on in our family, but I do have quite a valid excuse. Chris graduated at the end of May, and we spent a few days in the early part of June packing a bit at a time for our upcoming move to Chattanooga, but we really increased our effort five days before our move. We packed the playroom, the bedroom, the kids' bedroom, the master bathroom, the guest bathroom, the shed, the kitchen, the laundry room, the pantry, the master closet, the guest closet, the book closet, the coat closet, (breath) and Chris' office--which occupied the back 1/3 of the 26-foot moving truck. I specify the length because we actually ended up with two trucks! (We anticipated this need, and Penske was all too happy to oblige. Unfortunately, Penske did not have the forethought to ask us to return our two trucks to the same location in Chattanooga.)

We had wonderful help moving. I was nearly tempted to feel ashamed to accept the help, as though by sending my children off I was admitting that I am an incapable mother. Then I remembered--I AM an incapable mother. Incapable, that is, of packing up 43 feet of moving trucks with five little people underfoot.

(As an aside, I told David to go outside today so he wouldn't be underfoot, and I heard him repeat to his sisters, "She said it's so she won't step on our feet.")

We sent them off to a friend's house all day Wednesday to pack. Then we sent them off to McMinnville, TN with another friend for two whole days while we unpacked. The need for the second truck threw us for a loop, because that left us with no one to drive the van and the children to McMinnville. Chris' mom and brother came to the rescue and gave up the entire day to follow us to McMinnville. They left the van there and returned in their own car. (Chris' mom is the real hero here because she spent four hours in the van alone with the twins, who, I happen to know, can be quite whiny on long road trips.)

Two full days to unpack without the children allowed us to nearly set up completely! Of course, this is dangerous, because it's difficult to go ahead and push through to the end. Case in point, after two weeks here, the pictures are still resting on the mantle, calling out hopelessly to deaf ears for help hanging up. The garden tools have found themselves fallen to the same fate--that is, boxed up, resting upon the back door.

The mosquitoes here are dreadful. I think Tyler has succumbed to chiggers. I counted 21 bites on his left leg today. That's the only way I know to tell if he gets new ones! I have flea bites halfway up my legs from our visit to Marion, thanks to Walter's cats, Sputnik and Calvin. (I'm not blaming anyone, as you can see. =) We have invested in Benedryl cream for relief. It helps the pain, but my legs still look like they belong to a little boy!

We have met two neighbors so far--one like us, one very much different than us. We're glad to be in this house because we believe God directed us here and has great plans for us this year. My children miss having friends just outside their door, but I have kept them busy with schoolwork. Kora finished her first PACE in Math today! I also set up computer games for them so I can get my chores finished in peace. (Without kids underfoot, and all.)

We LOVE all this space. I am determined to be content in all situations, but I sure am being spoiled in this house. We set up an inflatable water slide in the back yard that thrilled the kids. Tobias and Tyler never got up the nerve to try it, but we bought them a baby pool. Of course, the mosquitoes are trying to carry us off out there!

Chris has started working with Uncle Jim, as he has instructed our kids to call him. They have a meeting tomorrow to lay out a job description for Chris. They hope to have a planning meeting with other faculty about reaching our neighborhood for Christ. Our house is five blocks from the school. Chris prefers to walk to the office, because his parking lot is just as far from the office as our house! =)

I overheard some college kids on the corner on their bikes today. They were discussing the best route home. One girl suggested Hixon Pike, because it wasn't as hilly as the other route. Another girl said, "Are you crazy? Then you have that big hill going up to my house! You literally go backwards trying to pedal up that thing!" So, Chattanooga is different from Memphis. First of all, who bikes anywhere in Memphis?! Second, hills--oh, the overpass? No, you mean real hills. That's nice.

We're hoping to have a field trip every week while we're here that is something specifically Chattanooga. I'm open to suggestions, and the free-er the better. =)

I must away, for I have loads of laundry and dishes to do before bed.

Saja asked me today, "When are we going to get to preach to people in Chattanooga?!" I told her that's what Daddy was doing, but she insisted that she wants her chance, too. I hope she gets it.

Sharing at the Sprinkler Park

I told the kids today we'd go to the sprinkler park in Collierville if they all took a nap. Kora didn't nap. She still came with us to the sprinkler park... and napped in the car. =) Yes, it counts.

You'll remember that the park is separated into two sections: a large area with high-powered sprinklers near the pavillions, and a smaller section for smaller children with misty sprinklers away from the pavillions. I, of course, toted Tyler and Tobias, age 18 months, toward the toddler section while Saja, Kora, and David enjoyed the freedom to play wherever they wanted. I occasionally glanced around to keep tabs on the older kids while encouraging Tyler and Tobias to enjoy the water.

Let me just pause the story for a moment to tell you this: Tyler and Tobias did NOT enjoy themselves today. After I finally got them interested in the small stream of water plopping gently out of the pipes, the sprinklers actually activated and shot the boys in their faces. I don't think they ever recovered. But they did scream a lot! Eventually, they learned to stick their feet in the sprinklers so as to avoid getting water in their faces, but they both turned their attention toward other things during the trip: dogs, coolers, fritos that had missed the trash can, and other parents.

Back to the story. While I was engaging the twins, I scanned for the other kids and didn't see them. I finally glimpsed a towelled child sitting under the pavillion, and it looked like she was eating! Yes, in fact, three towelled figures were eating and drinking at our pavillion, but I guarantee you it wasn't our food!

I admit to you this: I considered ignoring my children until they returned to the sprinklers, so as to avoid the apology that must be made. In fact, I mulled over this decision for about 5 minutes, secretly hoping they would finish eating and return to the sprinkler area while I decided what to do.

They didn't.

Surprise of all surprises, they didn't steal the food after all! A friendly Mexican family had offered to share their pizza and orange sodas (which evoked all kinds of excited, dramatic squealing) without accepting any offer of payment. They had triplet 2-year-old girls, and we spoke at length about many things we had in common. She seemed not only to tolerate my children, but to truly enjoy them. (I made my kids thank her in Spanish.)

This experience is not a rarity in my observation of the Latino culture. Hospitality and sense of community rule their values. At one point, I chased after Tobias (who was chasing after a dog), and when I returned, the man had put Tyler in his lap, and his wife was photographing the occasion. We will likely never meet again, since we're moving, but she accepted our family as her own without a second thought.

I wish I could be like her.

On another note, un abejo (a bee) apparently snuck into one of those soda cans, and he flew out when Tobias tried to drink it. Fortunately, the bee landed on Tobias' shirt, which apparently had orange soda on it as well (imagine that!). I panicked slightly (only slightly, thank you very much), the bee meandered across the shirt, and Tobias tried to pick it up between his thumb and forefinger THREE TIMES! Each time I swatted away his hand, checked my rising panic, and swatted at the bee. I ended up grabbing el abejo with a triply-folded paper towel. No stings, thank the Lord, but one very curious little boy who nearly pinched a bee.

All in all, we had a wonderful time at the sprinkler park. I hear Chattanooga has one, too.

Super-cool (but not super-smart) Mom hosts sleepover

Let me just set the stage here.

We're moving in one week.

We had a going-away party/birthday party last night. I thought we'd combine that with a sleepover with a few friends of the girls. All went well last night until one of the girls decided she wanted to go home. She wasn't upset--she just wanted to sleep in her own bed.

The kids watched movies, made tents, did each others' hair, and played with stickers. Chris and I visited our friends until about midnight. We finally sent the kids to bed at 1:00, and the last girl fell asleep by 1:30 (as did the super-cool but not super-smart mom).

Imagine my surprise at 6:30 when I heard screaming from the playroom.

I had asked the girls to shower when they woke up because they had hairspray in their hair, so I was not surprised to hear the bath running at 6:30am. I was, however, surprised at 9am when I stepped in the shower to find that the hot water did not come on.... because the 6:30 bath was STILL RUNNING. Marisa said innocently, "Well, the drain is open." No big deal!

Five kids. Five hours of sleep. LOTS of whining.

Where's my coffee???!

Eighteen meals at a time

I just took 6 casserole recipes from About.com, tripled them, and cooked 18 meals for the freezer.

I thought I'd share the links in case any of you care to do the same. The recipes share many ingredients, making it easier to cook, and I chose to buy frozen, chopped vegetables in many cases instead of doing it myself to save time. I had a lot of fun, and I can't wait to enjoy our meals!

Here are the links to the 6 freezer meals I made this time around. Except for the chicken rococco, it was REALLY simple. I think I'd leave off the chicken rococco for a group once-a-month-cooking adventure. I actually had to save it for another day, because it takes about 1.5 hours preparation time, plus 40 minutes baking time. And you have to beat the snot out of the chicken to flatten it (which actually was kind of therapeutic.)

Freezer Chili:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/hotsouprecipes/r/freezerchili.htm

Sicilian Dinner:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/groundbeefrecipes/r/siciliansupper.htm

Chicken, Veggies, and Parmesan Noodles
http://busycooks.about.com/od/precookedpoultryrecipes/r/vegchickencasse.htm

Chicken Potato Casserole:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/precookedpoultryrecipes/r/chickenpotcasse.htm

Chicken Rococco*:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/chickenrecipe1/r/chickenrococco.htm

Turkey Delight:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/precookedpoultryrecipes/r/wildriceturkey.htm
(This calls for 3 c. wild rice, but I substituted a wild/brown/red mixture I found at Kroger, because I wasn't sure how straight wild rice would taste... and it was less expensive.)

All in all, I probably spent 10 hours from start to clean-up (which Chris helped with!)... but that sure beats the 16 hours I spent first time I did this! The cooking part took less than 4 hours because all the recipes share so many ingredients. I think it would have taken less time if I had more stove space and bigger pots. =)

Good luck!

Summer Break

Would you believe we're in Summer Break mode already? Chris, of course, won't graduate until May 23, but since he doesn't rely on ME to teach him, I don't really count him. We finished our 180 days of Kindergarten and K4 last week, so now, we're FREE!

And what wonderful weather in which to be free. Our days are spent outside, running, playing, biking, and picking flowers (which, by the way, are not ours.)

Saja likes to play with the older girls in the neighborhood. Yesterday, they picked a handful of azalea flowers each, and they made a bed for Pocket Pals. It was so cute that I forgot to reprimand them for picking the flowers.

Kora and David like to climb to the top of the monkey bars and hang upside down. You know, we have already been to the ER for a CT Scan when Kora broke her skull, yet somehow, I rest in God's sovereignty (and practice stress-relief breathing) when my children are suspended six feet from the ground head-down. So far, no problems.

Yesterday, David was playing outside barefoot. I let them play barefoot most of the time, because they usually take their shoes off first chance they get, and then the management throws them in the dumpster when they forget to pick them up. (It really happens.) So David, in the infinite wisdom of a 3-year-old, decided to stomp an anthill yesterday... barefoot. When I finally reached him, he was writhing on the ground, screaming, rubbing his feet on the grass. He perked up in less than a minute, though. Then, of his own accord, he went inside to get shoes. Why? you may ask. Because he wanted to stomp on the poor little ants some more. Seriously.

Well, at least he chose to wear his shoes.

Tyler and Tobias have learned that they can wander away if they're not strapped into the wagon or the stroller. They know not to go into the street, yet they test the waters every minute that we're outside. David's terrible 2's prepared me for this stage, so I'm cracking down with training right away.

Tobias loves to pick on Tyler. He grabs the back of his shirt collar and pulls. Tyler screams like a girl. Tobias roars in laughter. Yesterday, Tobias approached a slightly older boy on the playground and just hit him for no reason. Then he laughed. So... it seems like David has taught them this is how you play. I think we'll just have to seclude ourselves until we grow out of this (like, when the boys are 25?!)

We're making plans to move to Chattanooga this summer. Please pray with us that God will preserve a large house with a fenced-in backyard in a good neighborhood near Tennessee Temple University for us to reasonably rent. Chris' position is unpaid, but we have some savings to see us through the year. What an amazing lifestyle, so distant from the world, to be relatively unworried about finances.

Maybe that's why our marriage is so fun.

Finally, on a side note that has no functional bearing whatsoever, something has happened in the world of Catan. I'm the champion, and I love it. =) I think I've won 6 out of the last 8 games I've played. "So, eat that, marshmallow boy!" (Sorry, that's from Monsters, Inc., which is playing in the background, and making it very difficult for me to concentrate.)

Life is fun now. I thank God for that!

A crushing experience

You never know what a day may bring forth.

We took the children to McDonald's after church tonight for a special treat. Tyler needed a diaper change, so I carried him and the diaper bag and my purse to the restroom. I found two wipes in my tiny plastic wipes container, and this particular McDonald's doesn't stock paper towels. Now how will a hand-dryer help wipe Tyler's hiney? Frustrated, I cleaned him up as best as I could with only two wipes. While I washed my hands, I let him roam around the bathroom. He's been walking four or five months now, and it's a wonderful break to not have to carry him everywhere.

I decided to let him walk back to the playground.

He walked out first, and I slowly let the heavy door close behind me. I saw Tyler's hand quite close to the hinge-side of the door, so I stopped the door and leaned down to ask him to move his fingers. I noticed his finger had actually been caught already and shoved the door open to release it. He started screaming.

Blood was everywhere. Paper towels were not.

I forced his finger under a stream of water amidst his terrible howls of pain. Every time I pulled it out to look at it, the blood just ran down his hand, on my shirt, down the sink, on the countertop. I tried my best to stop the bleeding and clean the counter with toilet paper, but come on. Really??!

At some point, I noticed the wound lay across the center of his middle fingernail, but the cut extended out from the fingernail on either side a quarter of an inch. I actually thought he might be at risk for a partial amputation for a moment.

It was dreadful.

I admit, I freaked out a little. I ran out, blood running all over, yelling for Chris, who was playing with the children. (I grabbed napkins on my way in.) He calmly sat with Tyler, still screaming in pain, and asked me for some ice. When I told the McDonald's employees the situation and asked for ice, they complied politely, but offered no help. One kid did ask, "I can't figure out how that happened."

I wasn't in the mood to explain.

I thought we were headed to the minor med for at least stitches. The Fussells from church had ended up at McDonald's as well, and I think God puts us in places sometimes we feel benignly when He has specific purposes and plans in mind for us. They certainly had a purpose there tonight--offering help to us in this semi-emergent situation.

I assumed we were on our way to the hospital for a few stitches.

Chris later assessed the situation and thinks Tyler might have broken the bone. Having recently worked in the ER as a nurse, he was able to tell me what they would do in the hospital for a broken fingertip, and we replicated it at home.

I'm proud of my husband, who certainly kept his cool and took care of our poor, injured baby tonight. I'm pleased to report that Tyler is sleeping soundly, band-aid and popsickle-stick-splint in place, Tylenol taking the edge off the pain.

I'm also amused to report that Chris broke HIS fingertip playing softball in 2000. Did he go to the doctor then? Of course not.

I love to remind myself that God is in control of my life and the lives of my children. While I could spend the evening berating myself for letting my baby smash his finger in the door, I realize that God has a purpose in it. While I could worry that we should take him to a certified, bonified, medified clinic, I rest in my husband's decision and knowledge. Jesus tells us to rest in Him and be anxious for nothing, but instead, to pray. I also smile to think that God put us and the Fussells in the same place at the same time for a reason.

So pray I will, and then rest I will... because all this excitement has worn me out.

Focusing on Fun

I am a stellar teacher. I have a schedule, I have an agenda, and I have a whip to keep those little distracted kids in line. But you know what I forgot?

Fun.

I get so caught up in advancement, that I forget to let the family enjoy the present. God reminded me today that there is a place for rest. Just as adults can get burnout, children can, too, when we push them and push them without any respite or playtime.

Kids can learn while they're playing, too, and it's much less of a battle!

So off we go to the Children's Museum, to "play" about China.

Turning 30

What's the one thing you want to do most on your 30th birthday?
-skydive?
-bungee jump?
-spend the day with your friends and family, playing games and laughing?
-stand in line for four hours at the Memphis DMV waiting to record your new 30-year-old self on a license that will be expiring at the stroke of midnight?

You guessed it. DMV here we come!

I only noticed that my license would expire on my birthday three days before it did. In a family of seven, three days is not enough time to carve out four hours of congruent time. Anyone living in the Memphis area knows that's how long it takes to stand in line, hand over your paperwork, snap a picture, and pay for a TN license. A city of a million has three stations in which one can do that and a thousand other DMV-related things (including apply for a permit to carry a handgun. Two people in front of me did it while I was waiting--that's how I know.)

I decided that I should drive to Oakland, 20 minutes from my home, a city of 10,000, to be served more quickly. I went to the appropriate website to gather my paperwork the night before. After only one hour with my children in the morning, I left amidst chaos and crying--broken dishes and food on the floor, dirty clothes flying through the air in an effort to land on the ceiling fan, 2-year-old David tackling 16-month-old Tyler. I knew I wouldn't see them under 5:30 pm, a rarity in my life. So I departed bittersweetly.

Thirty minutes later, the Oakland DMV, who had only 10 people waiting, said I didn't have the right paperwork. I started, "But I checked the website..." She interrupted, "The website's wrong. You have to have a certified birth certificate or a passport to prove citizenship." So back I went to the house to gather 18 pieces of paperwork. Seriously. My passport's in my maiden name, so I had to have my marriage certificate. No bills are in my name, so I had to get Chris' license and bank statements. I honestly thought about bringing the whole filing cabinet, but decided it would take too much work. I'm kind of lazy.

So, when I walked inside to retrieve the CORRECT paperwork, David was running around naked. We were trying to potty-train him, and we had experienced mild success the day before by leaving him naked. But today, as I walked in, Kora was yelling, "David pooped!" And Chris was yelling, "Did you poop in the toilet, David?" And David (bless his heart) was saying, "Um, no. I pooped behind the T.V." I think I didn't even process what was going on until I saw Chris grab a plastic grocery bag like a pet-owner might. You know what I did? I kissed Chris on his cheek, thanked him for taking care of the children, and scooted out.

My second trip to Oakland was uneventful, except that the lady actually chuckled at the amount of paperwork I pulled from my purse. It was like Mary Poppins! It just kept coming. The woman after me was also getting a first-time TN license, and she handed over three pieces of paperwork. Oh, to be her. My purse would be lighter.

The office in Oakland was quite efficient. They were like a well-oiled machine, and even with my 40-minute mixup, I still beat Chris' four-hour wait at the Memphis DMV on Summer Ave. And I like my picture. Good thing, too, since I have my license for four years. I wonder if I'll look different in four years. I still have my very first license. Boy, do I look different from age 14! But wouldn't it be funny if I didn't?

Then I slipped in a visit with a childhood friend who now lives very close to Oakland. That was refreshing.

Then I sped to Life Choices, stopping briefly to grab a cucumber-hummus pita from Chris. It was remarkably good.

I ended up with a late client and arrived home late, to my chagrin, but Chris had a wonderful chocolate-covered-strawberry-cake waiting for me. Saja had slipped off with a piece of it before he frosted it. She was upset because I laughed when Chris told me that.

So then we ate cake.

Then we ate more cake.

Oh, it was so good, can I have just one more piece??!

Kora had made a wonderful drawing for me and even signed her name! I'm so impressed.

Saja drew a picture of Cinderella for me, but forgot to add legs, so she cut out legs and glued them on. That was thoughtful.

Then we played and went to bed. It was wonderful to turn 30.

I'm glad I didn't do it with a plastic grocery bag playing the poop scavenger hunt.

Family planning

I recently read an article bemoaning bloggers who share too much private information, during the course of which the author actually quoted some of the private information he would rather not have known, as examples of course, but none-the-less proliferating the TMI! If you'd rather not know details about our family plans (and by that, I mean, the process of adding one or more babies to the family), then stop reading. (Side note--I just re-read this sentence after finishing this post, and it sounds much more graphic than I intended. I will not, in fact, be discussing "the process" of making babies. This post is really about adoption. =)

There, you've been warned.

Chris and I talked yesterday. We have both come to the conclusion that we are content with five children, and also content with the idea of more children. This begs the question, "What now?" People in a contented state usually don't try to change that state, so without discontent, how will we move forward?

We discussed another pregnancy. My poor body has had about all I care to take. I get so tired when I'm pregnant that I can't look after the other children the way I want to. Chris, being an employed student, really can't take up the slack at home when I'm sleeping 14 hours a day building a baby (or two.) It's only nine months, but I am NOT content with the idea of another pregnancy at this time in my life.

We discussed adoption. Everyone wants a baby to adopt, and with good reason. If you've read child-rearing books, like the one I'm currently reading, "Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson, you'll know that the first few years of life really do allow the parents to set up a child in behavioral patterns. James Dobson suggests that a boy desperately needs his father in the picture at the early age of three, as he separates himself from his mother in his toddler years and begins to learn what it means to be a man. (I have actually seen David, 2, doing this!)

However, Chris doesn't want to place through an adoption agency to adopt a baby when we can make our own. He said if someone we know needs adoptive parents and chooses us, he'll certainly adopt. He's actually open to adopting older children sometime down the road. I'm content with that decision, too. The Bible teaches us to care for orphans and widows, and adoption is certainly one way to do that.

I told God one time last year that if He provided another vehicle for us (that has more seats), we'll take that as a sign to have more children. =) I love Gideonizing.

So far, no car.

I'm still content. Honestly. The Christian who rests in the intimacy of fellowship with God can really rest. What a wonderful Lord we have.

A great vacation in blustering St. Louis

Do you love free stuff? I do! Free admission to the Zoo. Free admission to the Science Center. Reciprocal admission to the Magic House (with membership to the Children's Museum of Memphis). Free playplace at CooperElla Cafe (coffeeshop). We drove four hours north to St. Louis for five days of crazy fun with the kids, and most of our days were spent on free, albeit cold, activities.

The high on Thursday was 7. That's seven. I've NEVER lived a day that cold in my life. Bundling up myself is certainly a daunting task, but dressing and bundling five kids and myself before one of them starts undressing can intimidate even the most determined mother.

We went to the Zoo on Wednesday. It was 20 degrees outside. Fortunately, because Missouri is technically the "North," they built many of their exhibits indoors. We ran from building to building to see bears, penguins, giraffes, ostriches, kangaroos and baby wallabies, tiger cubs, primates (but not apes), and reptiles. The kids handled snake skins, crococidle skins and skulls, and a rattle from a rattlesnake. Tobias and Tyler even crawled up to the spider monkeys and played hand games with them through the glass.

Isn't it wonderful to hear your kids laugh?

Because we were the ONLY idiots brave enough to face the freeze, our kids had the freedom to run and scream and play without interfering with others. Chris and I relaxed and enjoyed their thrill.

We went to the Magic House on Tuesday and Friday. We still didn't explore the whole thing! My favorite room, "A little bit of magic," allowed all of our children to play without our immediate supervision. Both entrances were guarded by employees so they couldn't wander off. They played in sand, in water, on slides, on stairs, with balls and bells, with rubberband shapes, with baby toys, and with a strange PVC-and-rubber-flip-flop musical instrument.

Of course, the rest of the Magic House, designed for children of all ages, kept them entertained as well, with an entire floor dedicated to a mini-village complete with grocery store, electric company, post office, pond and river (through which you could watch your fish swim back to the pond), pizza parlor, library (with real books!), and bank (where kids can learn to write a check--what's that?!) They had Once Upon a Child, a room full of fairy tale play. Believe me, we had to drag them out of there! They had an awesome musical instrument made out of a wooden ramp, down which the kids could roll a ball. As it dropped from step to step, it hit hidden xylophones and rang out the tune of Ode to Joy. The thing spanned an entire wall!

We love the Magic House. The four-hour drive was worth it for that alone. Admission is not free, but we have a membership to the Children's Museum of Memphis, and they accepted that membership on a reciprocal basis.

The Science House has dinosaurs on exhibit this season, but we spent so much time in the construction zone (building an Arch, of all things!) and the Discovery Room (specifically for youngsters) that we didn't have time to see the Dinosaurs. Sad times. We intended to go back on Friday afternoon, but when we saw snow set in, we determined it would be best to begin our drive home. The Science Center has free admission, but the Discovery Room, IMAX, and Planetarium, of course, cost extra. They also accept the Children's Museum reciprocal membership.

I won't review the restaurants here because I don't want to bore you, but I will tell you to steer clear of ZuZu's Handmade Mexican Restaurant--canned nacho cheese dip and canned black beans only begin to describe why.

We stayed at the Cheshire Lodge on Clayton Rd. in a huge suite that fit our family perfectly. It had an English feel with ornate decorations and a 10-foot-tall grizzly bear, which held David's attention every morning during our continental breakfast. Frankly, this hotel is known to be a romantic getaway... but it was fun for our family, too.

One last thing we did--we visited an indoor water park, as it's called. The kids really enjoyed the Richmond Heights Community Center (which is a fitness facility strangely adjacent to the library), but the water was really, really cold. So cold, in fact, that the kids started to complain and shiver, so we left after an hour. This was NOT free, so I was not happy about it. But in the locker room here is where I learned from a native St. Louisian (?) that it hadn't been this cold in St. Louis for ten years.

Brrrr.

But lots of fun. I'm glad we were able to go.

Sleeping in

Would you believe that my dear, sweet husband can claim that he changed the last dirty diaper of 2008 AND the first dirty diaper of 2009? I imagine that will come up many times throughout this year. Maybe I should start keeping up with how many dirty diapers I change all together. That would make quite a math problem.

Saja has been creating word problems for quite some time now, but yesterday, Kora looked at a group of buttons on the van and piped up, "Momma, two plus two equals four!" If all my kids are this easy to teach, I will not be intimidated about homeschooling.

To homeschool or not to homeschool... I like my life now. All my kids, all the time (except for weekly babysitting--thank you, Julia and Megan!) We spend about 20 minutes per child doing a form of reading lessons and math lessons. I had a much bigger plan (see post in September), but with the holiday obligations, my educational time has diminished quite a bit. But they love to learn. It's rewarding and fulfilling to teach them. God hasn't led us one way or the other, but I like things the way they are now.

Yesterday, Tobias called me, "Mama." So sweet. Kora called me, "Doo-doo head." She didn't know it was naughty. She really thought I told her that was my name. She called a random number on my phone. Chris answered, but she thought it was "the other Chris." So I took the phone and said, "This is Dorothy!" She said, "Doo-doo head?" Chris lost it in laughter.

Late at night, I lose it in laughter so much more easily than normal. Last night, New Year's Eve, I found myself downright silly and giggly. I like to laugh. I'd rather be silly and giggly than pretentious or angry. I wish I could be a kid again so I wouldn't have to act like a grown-up.

Now I need coffee. I know I'll read this in a month and wonder what I thought I was saying. Some of our most inspirational thoughts come the moment before we drop off to sleep, not just after we've awakened!

Happy New Year!

Kora's gift to Jesus

Saturday, we took gifts to a needy family in Frayser. There were two adults and six children in the home. Chris wanted to share the Christmas story with them, and he prepped our children in the car on the way over to not answer his questions until the family had the chance to answer.

Well, the family wasn't very vocal, and our girls jumped at every opportunity to speak. It actually worked out great, because it kept the whole situation from feeling too awkward.

Chris asked at one point, "What gift would you bring to baby Jesus?"

Silence.

Kora's hand went up.

"Um, a phone!" she exclaimed.

Oh, so we could call him?

We try to pass on sound biblical doctrine in our house, as you can tell.

My men

David's such a great helper. Sorry about my shadow, but the video's still great.

Flat tires and all my plans

Yesterday, I had big plans.

Buy presents and groceries. Get decorations from storage. Decorate house. Get tree. Decorate tree. Decorate outside. It was a full day's worth of plans.

I managed to get all the children dressed, fed, and ready for our big day by 11 am! I buckled them all in the car. I cranked the engine and pulled away. FWAP, FWAP, FWAP, FWAP.

Great, I thought, a flat tire. So I backed into my spot again. PWAF, PWAF, PWAF, PWAF.

I went to get Chris. He graciously dropped his project and immediately changed the tire. Since the weather was nice, and we were at home, I let the kids run around the playground while I actually learned how to change the tire. There are lots of nuances in our vehicle that one can't just figure out. I guess manufacturers do that to make the writer of the owner's manual feel important.

I lay on the pavement next to Chris. He was loosening the lug nuts when I heard Saja yell, "Mom, David's playing on the playground naked!" I jumped up in a flash and whammed into the drivers' side mirror. I actually felt my neck jam. Lying on the pavement, I confirmed that by "naked" she actually meant in a diaper, and then I just whimpered for a while. It somehow makes things feel better.

Before David turned streaker, I recorded him jacking up the car with his daddy. I'll try to get it posted, because it is just too cute!

Instead of my big plans, for some reason, God wanted me to spend my day in the waiting room at Gateway Tire with four kids (at naptime). It really didn't go as badly as I expected, except for one moment when David threw a Lego block at a much older kid and nailed him in the face. The kids' mom kind of told David off. I, of course, punished him with a time-out, mostly for the mom's benefit. She yelled at him, "We don't throw things!" I thought, "The kid's two years old! He knows we throw baseballs, basketballs, tennis balls, and footballs. He knows we throw water balloons. So you can't just say, 'We don't throw things.' " But at the same time, I had just told him to stop throwing the blocks. So he spent most of the rest of our time there in time out by my side. He liked it there.

I did manage to go by Walmart for groceries and a gift card. My parents brought the decorations to me. We didn't get a tree yesterday, but when we went to Priddy Farms today, we saw they had marked all their trees down. I don't know why God changed my plans yesterday, but I'm glad He did.

I'm glad that in frustrating moments, I can relax. Remember that God orchestrates my life. There is a reason Jesus commanded that all who are weary come rest in Him. It is wonderful rest.

By the way, if we had had the flat tire the day before, it would have interrupted our 4-hour trek home from a mini-vacation. If we had had the flat tire the day after, we would have disappointed a needy family awaiting Christmas presents. Of all the days and ways to have a flat, I'll take yesterday.

I just wish David would have kept his clothes on.

Sharing the Gospel, by Saja

Today, we explained to our children that our neighbors, friends and cousins, the Gehmans, were moving to Pennsylvania to tell people the good news about Jesus and start a church.

Saja told us when we moved to tell people about Jesus, she wanted to do it.

Chris asked what she would say.

"I would say, 'Jesus died on the cross for our sins,'" Saja said.

I smiled the smile of a proud parent, job well done.

"And if you don't change your ways, God will kill you," she continued.

I raised my eyebrows and looked at Chris.

"And destroy your whole village," she finished.

Thank you, Jonah.

To walk or not to walk

All of my children have been walking by age one. Kora was running by this time! But neither Tyler nor Tobias have shown any interest in walking. They are 13 months old. At their one-year check-up, the doctor asked, "When did they start walking?" Ahem... they haven't. Sad times.

Or is it?

For now, I carry them to the car. I carry them to the shopping cart. I strap them into a triple stroller. I can't lose them. What happens when they start to walk? Will it be chaos all over again?

When they were 6 months old, I spent 15 minutes everyday for one week individually teaching them what the word, "No" means by thumping their hand. Oh, it's heartbreaking all right, but effective. Both of them are fairly obedient now. I guess my next task will be to teach them the word, "Come."

I trained my golden retriever by offering doggie treats when he obeyed. You think the twins will go for doggie treats?

The whole point of this post is to announce that I've been playing a game with Tobias. I'll stand him up about four steps away from me and hold my hands out. Do you know what he does? He giggles and grins... and then falls forward (of his own accord) like a timber tree!

Moments ago, however, he got it. He took four steps before he fell down, accidentally. The time is near.

Anyone know where I can get some leashes?

Still here... laughing

I can't believe it's been two (and a half!) months since I last posted a thing on this blog. A friend of mine recently reminded me of its existence by saying, "Given up on the blog thing already?" At least the last post gave all of you a good understanding as to why I gave up--lack of time!

Well, I like to think my kids haven't said or done anything worth posting, but the truth is, I probably have just been too tired to remember. I don't have a photographic memory. I don't have a scanner memory. I have a Photoshop memory--where you upload the pictures and kind of make what you want. I can watch movies over and over, I can read books more than once, and I can read those scrapbooks I spend half my life organizing and really enjoy them because it's like a new story every time!

Chris, on the other hand, has a great memory. When I tell a story to my friends, I tend to Photoshop. When Chris is in the room, I just let him tell it. He remembers fine details that make no difference in the outcome of the story, but it seems to be pretty important to him. He's so gracious not to correct me in the middle of the story, but his story ALWAYS sounds a little different than mine (much like the Gospels. =) We've decided that I'm a headline teller, and he's a "the-rest-of-the-story" kind of guy.

So, the one thing that made me embarrassed happened last week. Kora was having a bath. I left the room to get a towel out of the dryer (I'm such a cool mom), and when I returned, David had stripped and hopped in. I prefer for them not to bathe together, but I decided not to make a big deal about it. Within the minute, Kora pointed to David's manhood and said, "Look, Mom! David's got a belly button on his bottom!"

To his credit, David has an outie belly-button.

I snickered inwardly and calmly agreed with her. Then I whisked her out of the bath, out of the room, and closed the door behind me. I excused myself from her presence and HOWLED. A belly button. Poor David.

24 hours

There's simply not enough time in the day to do everything I would love to do everyday. Here's a quick rundown of my ideal day:
Get up at 6am to do everything that needs to be done without distraction from children. This includes getting ready, completing any type of correspondence, and doing Bible studies, as well as any undone chores. (1.5 hours).
Make a healthy and hearty breakfast, and awaken the kids at 7:30 when the automatic coffee maker begins to grind the beans. (1 hour)
Guide the children to enjoy learning while playing with reading lessons, worksheets, art, science, snack, etc. (2.5 hours)
Make, eat, and clean up lunch. Prepare for nap, to which the children look forward and in which they eagerly participate. (1 hour)
Cook dinner during nap, so that when they awaken at 4, we can go outside to play with our friends until dinnertime.
Clean up after dinner. Bathe, read a story, pray with the kids, go to bed (which, again, involves no resistance of any kind.) (1.5 hours--it's a lot of kids!)
While the kids are in bed, complete the chores: fold and put away a load of laundry, do a load of dishes, spray the table, sweep the dining room and kitchen floors, vacuum the carpet, and take out the trash. (1 hour)
After the chores, prepare for the next day of school, which includes choosing worksheets, choosing lapbook activities (and cutting them out), and preparing storybook, art, or science projects. (30 minutes)
Exercise to a 45 minute video, then make sure to stretch to avoid back pain, which is another 15 minutes.
Shower.
Prepare automatic coffee maker to actually work the next day. (5 min, but an important 5 min!)
Sew a bit, to justify the "Cadillac" sewing machine and mounds of fabric I've collected over the years. Make new clothes and repair old ones. (2 hours)
Study a foreign language. Options: Chinese via CD or Spanish via textbook. I'd also love to be able to read the original Greek and Hebrew of the Bible. (1 hour)
Check Facebook again. (oh, 10 minutes or so--right!)

Holy cow, it's no wonder I'm so tired! I'm trying to smush 26 hours of doing into 16 waking hours!

Here's my actual day:
Wake up at 7:30 to screaming children.
Wrestle with the kids to get them all dressed and ready.
Cereal for breakfast. (not the hearty, healthy meal I'm always intending to make!)
Bottles for babies. Change diapers, change clothes, change bedsheets because diapers leaked, get them into the high chair.
Go get ready. Lean ear out the door once every 3 minutes to check for choking or provoking.
Wipe up three spills with bath towel from last night's load of laundry still laying on floor.
Throw dishes in sink.
Make coffee, because I forgot to do it the night before.
While waiting for coffee, hold eyes open with fingers and try to avoid conversation at all cost.
Fix coffee. Try to remember to drink it.
Corral kids for school. Remind David 15 times to sit still and quiet for the story. Finally let him go play.
Make snack. Field questions from kids like, "Why couldn't we have sprinkles? I don't like this. I wanted hyper-juice instead!"
Call kids back to the table 10 times each. Promise to spank them if they do it again.
Throw snack out after kids leave table again. Put crying babies in beds. Push kids out of babies' bedroom.
Crush 17 Cheerios into the carpet on the way out of the bedroom. Yell at kids for breaking the rule. Vacuum Cheerios... then decide to vacuum the rest of the cluttered floor while you have out the vacuum, but don't bother picking up the clutter. Vacuum sucks up a whole shirt (yes, it happens), and burns out the belt. Go dig up some air-freshener from behind the child-lock under the sink. Spray it liberally and high away from kids, who are attached to my kneecaps. Remember to put it back or the kids will spray it in each others' faces.
Beg kids to sit at the table, avoiding the sticky milky spots, to do worksheets or art while I do the dishes.
Check the clock. (Please be naptime!)
Fish out a movie all the kids agree to watch, preferably educational, but anything will do! Tell them 3 times to sit on their bottoms and watch the movie. Leave each other alone!
Announce naptime. Deal with whining, crying, temper tantrums, splitting them up into separate bedrooms, spanking, cuddling, storying, ignoring, breathing. Go outside to get my sanity back.
Finally get the last kid asleep. Sit down to sip coffee I forgot to drink this morning. Get right back up to collect the babies, who have just awakened. Bottles, change diaper, change bedsheets again if necessary, put them in high chairs, and pray they'll be quiet enough to let Saja keep sleeping on the couch.
Get Saja a snack when she wakes up. Tell her, no, she can't go outside without me, and I can't go outside without the others who are sleeping.
Hold Kora for 15 minutes when she wakes up. Meanwhile, get David a snack.
Potty, brush hair, strap babies into stroller, go outside to play. Keep a sharp eye on David, who tends to run in the street. Spank David for playing unkindly with neighbor kids. Take Cheerios to keep babies happy.
Call kids inside. Put on another movie to make dinner. Saute, boil, bake, broil, steam, eat, clean up.
Start bedtime. 2.5 hours later, push through the fatigue and finish bedtime.
Do the chores, prepare for school, set the coffee maker, check the calendar for tomorrow's activities, think about working out, but decide to sit at the computer instead. Stare at the screen blankly with a cloud of weariness covering my brain.
Move Kora out of my bed. Make the bed. Climb in the bed.
Get out of the bed to turn on the fan, set the alarm, brush teeth. Say goodnight to hubby.
Climb into bed, wishing there was more time to sew, learn a language, pray, exercise, shop, meal-plan, spa days, etc. Fall asleep before head hits pillow.

It's the sad truth, but I'm willing to accept the idea that this is merely a season in my life. I'm raising children, not computers who conform to my every whim and wish (and sometimes, computers don't even do that!) I try to find laughter in every day. I try to prioritize my husband and my children, and when I remind myself that God's purpose for our family means much sacrifice, I willingly and even happily put myself to work. It's hard work. It's thankless work. It's endless work. But it's God's purpose for me right now. To shirk God's purpose would mean despair and heartache, even if I thought I were pursuing happiness. My I have the mind of Christ in my role!

P.S. This explains why I've not posted in a while! (I've skipped the dishes to write this. You should feel so lucky!)

Where's my denim jumper?

Homeschool, here we come. Saja's officially registered with HomeLife Academy now as a kindergartener, even though the public schools wouldn't accept her until next year because of those stinking 30 days past the deadline that she doesn't turn 5. My hope is that if we decide to send her to school next year, we can show them the transcript from HomeLife Academy for kindergarten and at least have her tested for placement. A friend of mine who teaches kindergarten in the public school said it sounds like she'd be bored this year... let alone waiting a year! However, kindergarten is not mandatory in Tennessee, so the school system might just shrug their shoulders and place her in an age-appropriate (instead of skill-appropriate) class. I'm not fretting yet. I'm just plugging away at the homeschooling.

It's a bit intimidating to be held accountable for my child's education. I have been teaching them unofficially for quite some time now, simply because in our house, we have to have a schedule, so why not make it educational? So, I thought I'd post our routine for any other mommies of multiple young kiddos wondering how to make it work. It works well for us!

I started doing preschool-type education with my girls because they seemed interested. David is a different story--he hates sitting still to read or color or do worksheets. He does like flashcards and computer games. I guess you just have to figure out what's best for each child, but I'll show you what I've done for my kids. That will give you a starting point, at least.

I started teaching Saja to read when she was almost three. She already knew the sounds letters made because she picks up on things fast, so I used a book called Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I LOVE this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219252131&sr=8-1

I started out thinking we could do a lesson each day, but her brain tired easily, and we decided to just go for 15 minutes--whether or not we finished the lesson. This book will teach your child the sounds of letters and letter blends, as well as the proper way to sound them out. We made it through lesson 70 by the time she turned 4. The last 30 lessons are headed toward a second grade level and are too advanced for her level of interest. I've started using this book for Kora now. She's 3 and a half.

Now I use the Sonlight Curriculum for grade 1 in reading lessons. They have story books, and ideally, you read one story each day with your child. I read the story first, then Saja reads it. We've done 40 lessons, and they've all been short vowel words (and a few sight words). She likes the stories, and they're significantly easier than the later lessons in the other book, so she doesn't get so discouraged. Some people wrote negative reviews for these books, but they've been exactly what Saja needs.

http://sonlight.com/1R161.html
http://sonlight.com/1R162.html
http://sonlight.com/1R163.html
http://sonlight.com/1R164.html

We also use Explode the Code workbooks for reading. They have preschool workbooks, which introduce the letters and the sounds they make, which Kora does, and Kindergarten workbooks, which introduce the short vowel words, which Saja does. I bought them on Ebay, but the links below will show you the Sonlight pages.

http://www.sonlight.com/KL031.html (First book--get ready for the code)
http://www.sonlight.com/KL032.html (Second book-get set for the code)
http://www.sonlight.com/KL033.html (third book-- Go for the code)
http://www.sonlight.com/1L02.html (Explode the Code--short vowels)

For Math, we just use the Comprehensive Curriculum workbooks you can find at Sam's Club or Walmart. We started out with Preschool, then K, and now we're in grade 1 with Saja. I don't know how accurate those labels are, but we're just moving on to the next one when we finish one.

http://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Curriculum-Skills-Preschool-Curriculum%C3%A0/dp/1561893749/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219253197&sr=8-1

Finally, I started using a program called Five in a Row for the science/social studies/miscellaneous lessons. It's super-easy (and cheap) and works well in our family, because it's based on story books that you can find in the library. I go online to memphislibrary.org, order the books for the next three weeks on hold at the Cordova library, and then pick them up the next day. Saves me time and effort. You read the same story to your child five days in a row, and you apply a different area of education to the story each day. For example, today, we're reading a true story about the first man to fly over the English Channel. We're going to talk about onomatopoeia. You'd be amazed at how much young kids can pick up! Yesterday, we talked about France and England, and we colored their flags (thus, the obsession with the flags). They also give you leeway to emphasize art, which my kids adore. They also have a preschool program called Before Five in a Row. The book is less than $40, and all the storybooks are available through the library. And it's really easy and fun. My kids love storybooks.

www.fiveinarow.com

Finally, I read a Bible story to them and work on memorizing a verse and a hymn everyday. The Bible I use is Ergermeir's Bible Story Book. I bought it at Overstock.com, but here's Sonlight's description.

http://www.sonlight.com/KB01.html

We memorize with songs from Scripture Memory Fellowship. Sometimes I make up my own songs and motions.

http://scripturememoryfellowship.org/preschool.htm

I just choose hymns from a hymnal.

All in all, the schooling time takes about an hour (although it sure seems more overwhelming when you read this novel I wrote!). My ideal day goes like this: Bible time, Reading lesson (while David watches his Letter Factory movie), snack, worksheets: math and reading, storybook project (art, science, applied math, geography, social studies, etc.) RECESS!

I'm really an advocate of finding what works best for you and doing it. Don't pressure yourself or compare your kid to others. Just give him what he needs to be challenged, and keep it light and fun. Kids pick up so much from just having fun! Good luck, by the way.