7 Random Takes for the end of August

1) Miriam likes to take a running start to get her clothes on or lay down to get her diaper changed.  Seriously, she goes back a good eight or ten paces and runs at me, then stops (not such a big deal as she does not run all that fast yet) and lets me put her shirt over her head or lay her down to change her diaper.  For some reason, I find this entertaining rather than annoying.

2) I am having some guilt over not blogging on some key events (namely Rebekah's birthday - that was at the beginning of July!! - and Jacob's birthday, that was this month, but a while ago).  I am still trying to decide if I should do a post for them (of some sort) or not.  I guess if I hesitate long enough it will be time for their next birthdays, right?  :)

3) We are starting school next week.  I finally got the study all cleaned up and the desks are ready.  I would post a picture, but I am pinned down by the baby at the moment so you will have to take my word for it.  Although I have enjoyed this "lazy time" the past few weeks, as the rest of the world has started schooling ahead of us, I think we are ready to buckle down and get to some "serious" learning here. . . or at least get back in a more structured routine.

4) Adapting to life with six children has been considerably easier than expected.  I am not sure if it is because the last few weeks of pregnancy went so well for some reason, or because her birth was so great, or because I just seem to be getting better at having babies!  (Which is odd because I assumed it would get worse the more kids I had - as it would wear my body out more, and then of course, it would be more difficult as I got older - but I seem to still be going stronger than ever.  I guess I'm not old yet.)

5) Even though it has been "easier than expected" to adapt to having six children, I am still having a bit of a transition.  I have finally gotten the freezer stocked again with some ready-made or quick meals.  We do not rely on these all the time, but they are exceedingly handy in a pinch.  I cannot seem to get the house organized at the moment.  I finally mastered the study, but now the laundry/storage room is exploding.  Plus, the baby has already outgrown quite a few outfits and the clothes bins need to be sorted again.  The fun just never ends!!

6) Two of my children have cavities now.  (Well, Samuel had one last year and had it filled.  Today I discovered Jacob has a cavity that needs to be filled.)  I suppose we need to work on our brushing (I had been having Rebekah and Samuel help the younger ones).  I have started letting the kids use an electric toothbrush (different heads for each) so I am hoping this will help some.  Since it has been going well, I ordered a second one (so we can double up and not take so long to get all that brushing done).  I am trying not to let this make me feel like a bad parent.


7) Zipporah is an amazing baby, much like her sister Rebekah.  At about a month and a half old she started sleeping 8-10 hours a night.  She has continued to do so (settling more like 10 or 11 now).  I was hesitant to say anything for a while, as I know there can be some random occurrences, but she has stayed pretty consistent so far.

And if you have read this far, you deserve some pictures, so here are some that I find absolutely hilarious.  My husband is. . . such a kid.

And here are a couple random shots of my husband crashing my Catholic Motherhood group so he can hold one of the babies.  He is blessed among women - hehe :)

7 Quick Takes

1) Miriam's latest words are "Help, me," but it sounds more like "Hap, me" and to say her name, "Meeeum!!" which she does quite forcefully if she thinks she is going to get left out of something her big brothers and sister are doing/getting.

2) So on two separate occasions I have now managed to put Zipporah's clothes on backwards.  And to make matters worse, the first time was with a cute little jumper that my mother-in-law had purchased.  I put Zipporah in it when Grandma came to visit, only for Grandma to arrive and say, "you have that on backwards. . . "  Yep, I totally failed at sucking up that day.  The second time a dear friend knitted a beautiful dress for her and I even took a picture of her in said dress (with it on backwards) only to realize as I put her in the dress for the second time last night, that I had put it on her backwards the last time.  I am definitely a failure when it comes to style apparently!

3) I stumbled upon a recipe for Banana Breakfast Cookies (that a good friend had posted the link to on facebook - I'm not sure if she reads my blog, but if so, thanks Alison!!) and it has definitely been a game changer around here.  I should add that I do change them up just a little - to our family's liking, but generally this is the recipe.  Normally we do cereal and "something more filling" (like peanut butter and jelly toast or breakfast bars) for breakfast.  These Banana Breakfast Cookies are like a bowl of oatmeal in cookie form. Brilliant!!  Less mess when eating and I can make up a quadruple batch (which I split between fridge and freezer) to last for a couple weeks.  They are insanely more handy than putting peanut butter and jelly on five pieces of toast!!

4) We are going to try something new for our schedule this year.  Instead of individual date nights with each of the kids (we tried to do one for each kid - other than Miriam and Zipporah - once a month) we are going to have "family night" every Thursday where we will do something together as a family.  I am pointing out ahead of time that this can be as simple as going out to dinner or watching a movie or just having a special dessert.  But I'm thinking more like a family hike or game night would be ideal.

5) Another schedule change is for Gordie and I to have a standing "date night" on Fridays.  As with "family night" I am saying from the beginning that this can be simple - maybe just watching some tv or making a special meal or treat or something.  But I really want to see this as a chance to focus on the two of us.  We just celebrated 10 years of marriage and the importance of this sacrament finally dawned on me.  (Yes, I can be a little slow sometimes.)  This is the foundation for our life together and if we are not building it up, then we are tearing it down.  

I think I am especially guilty of just glossing over our relationship to each other as I live and breathe my "job" as homemaker.  And doing Gordie's laundry and making his coffee are really only the "nuts and bolts" of what keep us going.  I want something to look forward to - a time I will try to step out of my regular routine (which is a struggle as I think part of my problem is that I am always in the same place - there is no "going" to work and coming "home."  I am always at work and at home, so "turning off the job" (which I love) is especially hard for me) and really see and hear and focus on just my husband and the joy we share as a couple.

6) I like to use soap foamers at our sinks for hand washing as my children like soap and I don't want to be wasteful.  So using the foamers allows me to use about a third the amount of soap per fill that we would use if I did straight soap.  Anyhow, the kids occasionally break the foamers (as they are kids and occasionally break almost EVERYTHING - they are DEFINITELY why I cannot have nice things).  So I recently got a new one for the bathroom upstairs and it is like a soap foamer with super powers.  It is way cool and really pumps out the foam like crazy with just one push.  So the new game for the kids is to duck down while they push it so it will foam over their hands and into their hair.  Why they find this so entertaining is beyond me, but hey, maybe I can skip a bath night because of it, right?  :)

7) I recently replaced my ring sling.  I had one from "Over the Shoulder Baby Holder" and it was AWESOME.  I had it for nine years and used it like crazy.  It is not my only carrier - I am also a big fan of the Ergo carrier and the moby wrap - but I find the sling handiest for breastfeeding and the quickest/easiest to put on for taking baby in and out of the car (as we do convertible carseats, rather than the "baby bucket").  So anyhow, since "Over the Shoulder Baby Holder" is now out of business (so sad), I found a sling from rockinbaby.com on a deals site (deals.com) for exactly what I was prepared to pay to replace my old sling (less than half of what they go for on the main website).  Thanks God!!

My buddy today (here in the Ergo carrier).   Apparently there is nothing better than being carried around by Mom.

Journal #22

Out My Window:

Sunny, hot, little bit of wind.  Overall it has not been too bad the last couple of days - only up to about 90 degrees, rather than the 110 degrees a week ago.  (Yes I said ONE HUNDRED AND TEN DEGREES!!  This part of Kansas is crazy hot in the summer and cold in the winter.  I guess I only live here because that is all I have ever known.)

Clothing Myself In:

Gym shorts, (Actually they have "Lady Barons #33 on them.  They are my shorts from playing basketball in college.  Some days I really miss playing basketball.  If I ever get done being pregnant and "recovering" from being pregnant I am going to pick up that ball again!!) sneakers, and an undershirt-type tank top (a concession to the heat, the baby liking to be worn all day, and the fact that I am not planning on doing anything "public" today).

Around the House:

I printed a few of the pictures from Zipporah's birth and am quite pleased with them.  Although now I know that when printing on canvas, I should make the pictures a little darker than I think they need to be so the contrast will be right.  There was no way for me to know this as the pictures looked fine online and I have never had canvas prints before.  But now I know for next time.

Pardon the paper taped at the bottom.  I don't think I will ever have a "grown up" house, but I'm coming to grips with that.

In the midst of "redecorating" (which consisted mostly of taking down a bunch of school work and such I had stuck up all over the living room) I did find and put up an old picture I have had for a long time but for whatever reason had hidden behind in a corner, waiting to be put up.  It is The Annunciation by Fra Angelico.

You cannot see it very well in this picture, but I like the way the colors look on our yellow walls.  In any case, it makes me happy to see it and to change things up a bit.

The Baby:

She is growing like crazy.  I am always amazed how quickly my babies grow!  She has been out of newborn clothing since the end of the first week and is in size 2 paper diapers as of a few weeks ago.  We are mostly doing cloth, but we have been using paper for trips.  She is a GREAT baby.  She sleeps well at night - often giving me 6-8 hour stretches (not absolutely consistent - some nights it is only 4, but I will still take that).  She is generally pretty mellow.  Something that sets her apart from her siblings is that she will often "finish" nursing.  Most of the other kids would nurse to asleep.  Zipporah will nurse and be "done" and then I will rock her or wear her to sleep.  Of course, being baby #6, I often nurse her while walking around and caring for the other kiddos, so maybe she is just used to the movement.  She naps well in her crib, though, too (once she is sound asleep) so as I said earlier, I am not complaining about her in the slightest.

The Kids:

Due to the craziness of adding another family member and surviving a week on vacation the kids are going a little crazy right now.  I HOPE it is simply a lack of routine and general order that is making them a bit more grumpy and irritating (especially toward each other) right now.  If not we are going to have "be kind to others" class added to our school schedule PRONTO!  

(On a somewhat related note, I have been ESPECIALLY crabby to my dear young children over the past few weeks as I stressed over vacation prep and over other silly things, so that could be causing some of their lack of good behavior.  I have since chastised myself - and gone to confession -and am back to remembering to breathe before lashing out at them or life in general. )

Everyone has been super-helpful when it comes to caring for Zipporah.  Rebekah can transport her safely and hold her and get her plug (which she is not too fond of yet) and change her diaper.  She is pretty amazing.  The boys will sing to her and can hold her with assistance.  Even Miriam loves her and is often helpful, giving her gentle kisses on her head and getting her blanket for her.  The only time she is "not so helpful" is when she tries to touch her eyes (as all kids seem to have a fascination to do).

We are prepping for the next "school year" which will most likely "start" for us in September, but I am hoping to jump back into regular school work in the next few days (as we still have some activities I planned for the summer that got dropped as the baby came and I recovered).

Crafting:

Remember the baby sack I was working on while I was pregnant with Zipporah?  Well I did finish it before she was born, but since I never take time to gauge my stitches, coupled with the fact that I did not have a pattern but was just making it up as I went, it was a bit large for her.  It fits her now.  I will work on getting a picture one of these days.

Now I am back to working on my a scarf for my mom.  A scarf I started over two years ago.  I am over half way now, so maybe in another couple years I will finally finish it.  

Reading:

Rebekah has started reading Little Women and it has been a while since I read it, so I am reading it again to be able to discuss it with her.

Bringing Me Joy:

*My husband.  He works so hard for our family and puts up with me like none other.

*Cleaning.  (Seriously, this time I still seem to have some "nesting" left in me even though Zipporah is here.  I have been cleaning and getting rid of some things and I really enjoy a clean, organized space.)

Bible Verse:

You have been born anew, not of perishable, but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.  For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever.  (1 Peter 1:23-25)

Pictures To Share:

Miriam, Zipporah, and Rebekah - Sisters

Miriam and Zipporah

Iron-Miriam

Rebekah (nine-years-old) and Zipporah (4-weeks-old)

Rebekah painted Miriam's nails.  Oh sisters :)