RazNoggle

This cold, or whatever, that has slowly been making it’s way through our ranks is just miserable. Ella’s poor nose is really nasty, and she HATES having it wiped!! She’d rather crawl around with mess all over her face, but I just can’t deal with that. Myles has a yucky sounding cough which he is trying to learn to cover with his elbow. Unfortunately he’s usually mostly done coughing by the time he remembers. He has a gross nose as well, but I can actually tell him to get a tissue and wipe it and he does pretty well.

So with all of those icky germs sliming and floating around in our house is it any wonder that I got the cold too? No, not really. When you’re a mom, one of your most amazing accessories is baby/kid snot all over your shirt. Oh yeah… that’s one of the things they don’t tell ya.

So I’ve got the cold now. I’m congested and have a sore throat. But for some unknown reason my colds tend to gravitate to my head and cause what I call dizzies. BLAH! It’s something that happens a couple times a year. Usually coinciding with a cold or onset of allergy season.

I knew before my eyeballs opened this morning that this would be one of those dizzy days. I don’t enjoy them at all. When I was a teacher, I’d call in sick for at least half a day to try and sleep it off. Sleep seems one of the best ways to get rid of the condition. BUT now that I’m a mommy…. who do I call to have a sick day? Even half?? Nope, nobody. *sigh*

I know that people think that since you’re “stay at home” that must mean you can lounge around in your jammies and slippers all day, and basically just take life easy anyway. Does it really work that way for anyone? I mean, where in the world did that preconception come from? When I “take it easy” for a day stuff piles up on the counter tops at an alarming rate, the clothes hamper virtually explodes, and every kids toy that has been lost or loved, comes out of hiding and litters the floor. And the work to “catch up” on the next day kind of cancels out any ease taking I did previously.

The kids of course go wild, and any “rest” I get is in the form of sitting quietly trying not to move my head and trying not to imagine the damage and destruction that might be going on around me. (I just had to scold Myles for trying to rip apart one of his sister’s birthday toys- arg!) Yes, there are those days when I wish I could call in a replacement and just sleep the morning away. But mommies don’t get sick days. We’re the ones who bandaid the boo-boos, wipe the snot, distribute the meds and, the lads favorite, honey. We fix the chicken noodle soup and crackers, clean up the spills, change the clothes and bedding, wake up at 4 am to do any and all of the above. That’s our “job” it comes with the title. Even on days like today when I would like to “call in sick” and just take care of ME for a little while, I know that I’m so blessed to have this job!!

I’ll save up my sick days and take them when in 18 years we have an empty nest. I know at that time I’ll be longing for the days when I could put my dizzy head aside in order to wipe a nose. There will be plenty of time then to “put my feet up” and sip my coffee in solitude. But then I will be wishing for a little destructive noise to gain my attention. It’s such a short span of time that I get to actively fulfill this special job of “stay at home mom” that I can’t afford to take sick days. I need to be engaged and active, and enjoy every moment of these crazy days. Even when I have the dizzies.

Back talk is a problem in our house with the lads. It’s become almost second nature to them these days. I know, hard to believe such amazing little people can have such sinful natures, isn’t it? It’s one of those things, just about even with whining that sets my blood boiling. Arg! No one likes back talky kids. Everyone has seen parents somewhere struggling with a kid who has a disrespectful mouth.

So we have been working on this struggle for them. I can’t say I’ve had any enormous break throughs recently except that my own reaction/response needs working on first of all. I recently “attended” a webinar by this lady who hosts Positive Parenting Solutions. It’s a psychology based approach to parenting, and while, I’m sure there are things tucked in there that I wouldn’t necessarily agree with, but at the same time there is a lot of good stuff. Stuff that I have read from time to time in the Christian parenting books I have gone through. And sometimes it’s nice to have some resource to look at that gives you a slightly different approach. I’ve had a few… more than a few days recently where I’ve felt completely defeated and ineffective as a parent. I go to bed thinking the entire day or even week has been a complete failure where my input in raising our kids is concerned.

The webinar gave me a few things to think about with consequences, and maybe I’ll share those on here sometime soon too, because it made sense to me. Also something that has been hitting home a lot for me is the “one on one” time with the kids. I really do think that I’d see a big change in the monkeys if I would purposely give them more one on one time. It’s easier with Qade now that he has school that I help him with, but I need to carve out time for each of them every day and make it a positive time. That can be difficult on days where they are jumping on my buttons, and they know how to do it too! It feels like the last thing I want to do is sit down and cuddle, or tickle or play trains. But it’s so important that I do.

Anyway, here’s an article by the gal I mentioned with the webinar…. sorry I don’t remember her name, and I’m too lazy to look it up right now, but it’s a good article about back talk and how to deal with it. I’m going to read it again, and start implementing some of the steps right away. I’ll let ya know how it goes.

A big scary, and smelly I might add, monster lurked around my house all last week. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but we got to Friday, and every stitch of the lads’ clothing was dirty, and much of the rest of our stuff was as well. *sigh* This was only part of the mayhem! But it all got done and put neatly away, just in time for a new monster to begin lurking.

It’s inevitable I suppose…

Fall is here to stay, at least for a little while. I’m disappointed that I’m not excited about it actually. Autumn has always been my favorite, but this year I feel differently. I still don’t feel like I sufficiently thawed out this summer. I need to soak more sun into my bones before they start to freeze again! But the truth is, I wore a big sweat shirt most of the summer as well. I just can’t seem to get/stay warm!

But the other day, I tried my hand at making “apple chips” in my oven, and while it turned out a dismal failure, the apple cinnamony smell that was wafting through the house was lovely, and very distinctly a Fall smell. That kind of helped me with my “mood” a little bit, and at least resigned me to the fact that Autumn is indeed here. I think that once it truly cools off a bit more, and we can build a warming fire in the mornings, I’ll be more pleased. I’ve actually been longing for a good crackling wood fire for awhile!! Nothing makes me feel more warm and toasty…. except maybe staying snuggled under the covers when I should be up already. Ha!

I’ve been trying to prepare for the cooler weather by stocking up on some layering tank tops. I have to dress in layers in the winter. Even in the bulkiest sweaters I can find I’ll freeze if there isn’t more than one layer. So I found some on sale on Amazon, and I came across some at Costco too. I have a hard time finding them long enough and without that silly “shelf” that I can’t stand. But now I believe I’m all set with those. I still need to get some tights, because same goes with thick pants… they need help. And some good warm socks. All of mine are developing holes at the same time, sadly. I’m already very thankful for the warm lined Crocs that I scored over the summer!! I’ve been wearing them around the house and they keep my tootsies toasty. I love the new tile floor in our kitchen, but it IS very cold to walk or stand on.

So it’s come. School is in swing. Colors are bursting out everywhere. I was thinking yesterday as I drove home that in Autumn even the WEEDS start to look amazing. Really, the colors just can’t be beat! Cooler temps are being welcomed, by most. And today I am listening to Christmas music, and burning a “christmas tree” smelling tart in the house. If that doesn’t do it for me, pretty much nothing will.

Enjoy Autumn!!

This post is so late in coming, but I’m behind in everything right now…. oh well. Preschool has commenced. Qade is pretty excited about the whole concept. The other weekend when we were visiting my parents, he asked my mom why he couldn’t read, and she told him that he needed to learn all of his letters first. So since then he’s been pretty intent on learning his letters because he really wants to read.

We are doing a very simple school this year. I had given some thought to ordering the media that goes along with the Answers In Genesis curriculum, but after thinking it through, I realized that I really don’t want to make this preschool year THAT structured. My basic goals are to teach him the content of the alphabet, his numbers 1-20 and scripture memory. I’m not going to delve too deeply into the social studies parts, or PE, or whatever. We get plenty of PE out here anyway. I want him to start learning how to focus his attention on tasks and follow directions.

So far he is doing fantastic. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well he has applied himself to tracing. The child is OCD like his Dad, so I shouldn’t be amazed, but he get’s so intent on drawing exactly on the lines that I have to be careful not to laugh. A couple of times he has drooled on the table because he’s so into it that he forgets to swallow. LOL!! Last year he couldn’t care less about lines or tracing at all, so I realize now there there is a definite readiness factor involved. He is recognizing capital letters fantastically, not so much the lower case yet, but it’ll come.

Myles enjoys school too. He gets to do “worksheets” which are really coloring book pages. He participates with gusto in any art project as well. Today he “colored” his worksheet and then got to practice cutting. He would make one little slice with the scissors, set them down, and proceed to rip that piece off. It was a grand success. He also loves to do gluing! He’d probably sit there all afternoon with the glue stick if I would let him.

Myles sits in on our Bible story, and is learning the verses with us. Both boys also do the “days of the week” song that we are learning. They both also get to participate in moving the magnet on our calendar and crossing out the “used” days. That’s probably the funnest thing to do in this house! Seriously!

Along with school I have instituted “responsibility time.” I dislike the word chores, so in our house we have responsibilities. The boys think it’s great! I have an envelope and a sticker chart for each lad. After breakfast each day, I lay the cards with pictures of each responsibility on them on the table. They get to put them in the envelope as they finish each one. Once they are all done, they get a sticker. I think their favorite to do so far are feeding the cat and dog (oh you should see the picture I drew for that one, ha ha ha!!! You’d think that there would be a graphic for that!) and brushing their teeth by themselves. They LOVE brushing their teeth with no help. Qade even puts the toothpaste on, and he has finally started to use his spinning toothbrush. He wouldn’t let us get close to him with it before, but now he loves it! Ha!

So there you have it. It’s still not sinking in that we’re facing the school years and that homeschooling has actually begun, but all in all I think we are off to a good start.

I’ve been telling myself for quite some time that we’d start “school” the day after Labor Day, tradition ya know. Well, Labor day came and went and Tuesday morning I realized that I was NOT ready for school… mostly because I had done NO prep or planning. Duh!! I’ve mentioned before that I’m a reluctant Homeschool Mom, but I know I have to do it and just need to well… do it!

So this week I hunkered down and started plotting and planning. Now I believe I’m ready (except for the supplies I need to pick up at the store today) for school to start on Monday. Qade is happy and excited about it. I’ll be letting Myles participate as much as possible, but also having some one-on-one with Qade. It’s going to be a challenge, but I think we’ll all end up enjoying it.

I’ll be getting some posters for scripture memory cards and sticker charts for verses and “responsibilities.” That’s what we’re calling our morning “chores.” I have little chore cards for both of them, and we will be competing those together each morning. But I don’t really like the word chore, so we’re going to call them responsibilities. Nice, huh? Ha ha!

I’m going to Zumba tonight. We switched this week to accommodate some other plans. I’m really enjoying the class! It’s a fun workout! I have to say that I believe I’m gaining some ground in my personal battle of the bulge. I don’t know that it’s obvious to the world, but I can certainly tell there’s a difference! Yay!!! Keeps me motivated to keep on going. I’ve also noticed that I don’t really crave snacks or sweets much any more!! How lovely! Still, I think I will enjoy the red velvet whoopie pies that Stu is going to make me for my b-day this weekend! Anyway, the interval training has been good for me because it’s short enough to be doable any day, and it really does work me out! Nice!

I’ve been crocheting like mad recently to get some hats ready for my nephew’s arrival! I’m hoping to get to do newborn portraits for him, but I realized I didn’t have many boy-flavored hats! So this is good. Now I’ll have a few in my arsenal and I have to say they are adorable!!! Can’t wait to use them on the lil guy!

I’ve recently discovered a radio station that we actually get way out here, that broadcasts Christian programs, like Pastor Greg Laurie and Dr. David Jeremiah. It’s been refreshing to get to listen to some of those programs through the week! I’ve missed that! I just wish they played Odyssey during the week. I think the boys would like it. They do play it on weekends at some point, so I’ll have to figure out when that comes on exactly.

The menu has been working well! I like that I don’t have to think about dinner as much! Just glance at the menu in the morning, and pull stuff from the freezer, if necessary. I only plan dinners, because our breakfasts and lunches are pretty standard.

Well, I feel like I’m boring even myself. I do have some more ‘exciting’ posts planned, but they require a little more effort, so you’ll have to wait. Ha! I’m not into effort today…. hence the title. Have a great lime green Thursday!

Ta ta!

I’ve been in a bit of a blog funk. Dunno…. Kinda bored… not motivated… allergies, that kinda thing.

Oh well, I decided that today I would do a blog anyway. The best way to get energy is to give energy! Right?

Qade and Myles have been cracking us up lately with their own special takes on Spiritual things! Oh to have the faith of a child! This past Sunday their teacher told me that while the lady was reading the story, she said, “God can set you free! Do you want to be free?” and Myles piped up, “I want to be four!” LOL!!! I’m glad she told me about that. It made me smile! Qade went on to inform us that “Gothrow painted the lamp with blood” keep in mind they have been learning about Moses and the plagues. We really couldn’t understand what this was, so I asked him, “Was it a lamb?” (thinking passover, ya know) Qade said, “No, it was a lamp.” Hmmmmmm?????

Anyway they keep us on our toes. I’ve been reading the boys Bible stories from the Jesus Bible Story Book (love that one!) and the other day we got to the story of Jon the baptist, and the boys were all enthralled with the concept that he ate “hoppers” and honey! Ha ha ha!! They might not have caught the part about him baptizing Jesus, but they know he ate hoppers!

It’s funny that when we listen to the Jungle Jam story of “Nermal and the Ark” Qade always goes to the bathtub and brings out the boat that they play with in there. He’ll park his cars along the “deck” and drive the boat all along the floor as he listens to the story. It amazed me the fist time we listened to it when he said to no one in particular, “Jonah said no, but Noah said yes!” !!! Truth sinks in even when we don’t think they are paying attention.

Yesterday I hunkered down and got 3 monthly menus planned. Sept Oct and Nov are done!! Woo-hoooo!!! It was a little on the depressing side for me as I realized that Summer is done, and Fall is on it’s way. *sigh* I just started to get thawed out, what’s up with that!? In fact for the most of summer, I still wore a sweatshirt all morning inside. Oh well, ya can’t change the weather I suppose.

Anyway, it was a bit of a challenge on that many menus, but it really wasn’t THAT hard once I got into it. I had my “leftover day” which I switched from Thurs to Tues since I’ve been doing Zumba on Tuesdays! (more on that later) And I worked on having “Meatless Monday” each week too. Then I threw in a “crock pot” day for each week, and a “soup day” for nearly each week. It starts to get really easy then. There are, of course, repeat dishes, but if you think about it, you probably eat the same things over again anyway. So I threw in the favorites a few times, sprinkled in some “new” recipes and had my “breakfast for dinner’ a couple times a month, and voila! It’s done!

It really is amazing how much pressure it takes off to have the menu there and know exactly what will be for dinner. It also takes a lot of stress out of shopping. On grocery days, I just look at that week’s menu, check the cabinets/freezer for ingredients, and add what I need to the list. Easy-peasy! It also helps me know what I may need to do ahead of time. Like if I see “crock pot chili” on the menu for the next night, I’ll know I need to soak some beans overnight. I like to keep it simple, and then do my experiments on different and new baking items or special stuff.

We eat different foods in the fall/winter than in the summer, so the first thing I did was sort the recipes that I wanted to use from the ones I wouldn’t. Then just plugged them into the menu. I simply LOVE soups and stews and chili in the fall and winter, so that worked out well to have at least one “soup” day a week. I’m so glad that Stu loves those foods as well!! (Except for the corn chowder fiasco, but we don’t have to drag that up! LOL)

The last 2 Tuesdays I’ve been going to a Zumba class in ‘town.’ I have a friend who has been going with me, for moral support so that I don’t feel like the only clown in the class. It’s a great exercise!! The class goes about 55 minutes, but it really doesn’t feel that long. Last night I felt like I was catching on a bit better. I could certainly tell when I was in the rhythm, but I have a long way to go! Ha ha! But it’s fun, and exercise and a way to get out of the house and a break from kiddos too! I think I’ll really enjoy it!

Stu took the monkeys and our Punky Munkin for a hike last night while I was gone. They all seemed to have a really good time, though Ella seemed a bit more “ready” for her nap this morning. Guess that hiking really did her in. Ha!

SO that’s kinda what I’ve been up to. The Fall-time allergies have kicked in, so that is NO fun, but I’m thankful for the little white pills that are supposed to help…. they can start helping any old time too! Hope you are having a fun week!

Toodle-oodles!

I wasn’t talking about our current church, or any particular church at all, in the last post. Yesterday we had a GREAT day at church. I’ve just noticed over time, that it seems churches (some that I have been in) tend toward the “bad news” side of things. It’s something I’ve thought about for a long time and it just kinda bubbled out.

I think we need to embrace the hope that we have in Jesus and not get so caught up in the bad news of the society and world in general.

There’s enough REAL bad news out there, we don’t need to borrow trouble.

That’s all.

The other day while my dad was out for a visit, he took the boys for a “hike” before lunch. They came back all rosy cheeked from their hike, and both proudly holding a fistful of “flowers.” They actually were rather pungent weeds, but they did have pretty flowers! Purple and white, just lovely! Qade informed me that they also had “pea pods” on them. Instead of pea pods what I saw was this….

Do you see it? I was holding a bunch of weeds full of tiny hearts! That’s when my heart melted of course! I’ll take my pea pod hearts over any bundle of fancy flowers any day!