Journal #35

Outside My Window:

It is actually still dark and I have not gone outside yet. I'm just up nursing the baby. But according to the internet it is about 50 degrees outside. Supposed to be sunny today with a high about 75.

Clothing Myself In:

PJs. Ferguson Photography T-shirt, from my Senior pictures in high school (which took place over 10 years ago -- actually closer to 20, but just barely, since I graduated in 2000) and a pair of mens' cotton boxers because clothing designers make much better clothing choices for men.

Around the House:

I rearranged the laundry/storage/extended pantry/child clothing and dressing room a few days ago to make room for a second washing machine. It was quite the project. 

Unfortunately the room could still use more work, lot's more, as well as basically every room in the house, but I do not foresee a long day (or week or month for how low it would take) to thoroughly pick through my house and get rid of tons of stuff (as I would like to) and reorganize everything else so I have to settle for doing little bits here and there. I'm not sure I keep above the clutter very well -- Well, let's be honest; I DON'T keep above the clutter very well and often I am doubting my ability to keep things clean and organized in general, but I keep trying. A shelf or two here or there, a box, going through some outgrown clothes. The fun just never ends. I try not to let it consume me that I cannot do it as well as I want. I figure, some day my children will be grown and maybe I'll find some time again.

How/why did a second washer come about, you are still asking? Well, our washer started acting up -- not draining to be specific. The extended warranty we had on it ended in March, so Gordie tore it apart. He cleaned out the drain and a lot around it. He checked the pump. He discovered the machine is equipped to diagnose itself!?!? -- according to the instructions. So he did that, but could NOT find any parts that were actually malfunctioning. After a week of fighting with it, having me run a load or two here or there and some work and some not work, he finally gave up trying to fix it. Now I can use it as it is and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

In the midst of this crazy week or Gordie trying to fix the washer, I whined about it to my mom and she offered us their washer; as she's been wanting a new one. We gladly accepted and occasionally now I run two loads of laundry AT ONCE!!  It is a bit of a thrill still right now. The only catch is that we still only have one dryer, so the loads must be small enough to dry together, or one gets hung up on drying racks. But either way, I feel this is a milestone moment for our growing family.

The Baby:

He is sleeping better in his own bed -- after a brief stint (a couple days) of me not being able to put him down while sleeping (wanted to nurse for naps and all night, must have been working on teeth, but it slowed down some now). He still is not a consistent napper, probably because I cannot seem to keep his schedule consistent. Some days I get him up early and put him to bed early (or try) and other days he gets up late and/or I keep him out late. I'm sure he will live. I'm just trying not to feel the mom guilt over it.

He is beginning to grab toys and other things more and more. He likes to hold hands -- well, fingers, mostly -- and can often hold toys for a while -- or at least long enough to get them to his mouth for a bit. His favorite thing to grab is electronics cords. He is quick about it, too. If I am wearing headphones while nursing him, he will have the cord in his hands the minute he goes in my lap.

The Schooling:

Rebekah is slowly learning what middle school is all about. She is a bit timid turning in assignments and struggling to keep up with a set schedule, but I am hopeful she will figure things out soon.

Samuel has totally impressed me lately as he will sit down and just do his work for most of the day -- unassisted as long as he doesn't have questions. The only problem is that he keeps doing mainly Science and often skipping other subjects, but A) he is doing work, so win, B) he will be sure to get his Science done on time this year, and C) when he has four weeks straight of Math at the end of the year, well, that will be fun, right?

Jacob has been giving me no end of grief over school work. He really just needs to realize that this is what is expected. After a battle of wills yesterday morning, he did everything I asked in the afternoon. I did not see that mild-victory coming, but I am grateful for it! Let's just hope we do not have to do battle every school day!

Paul is still bright and does well on most of his lessons, but his spastic nature is beginning to take its toll. He will initially guess -- and be wrong -- on some things. He needs to start slowing down and think about his work. One step at a time. At least he writes well and does not mind handwriting or whine about it, as his older brothers do.

Miriam still loves to cut and paste and she is rather good at it! She and Zipporah also color and draw quite well. Zipporah's pencil grip is awesome, especially for two-years-old. I let them watch a few Leap Frog DVDs every week and the girls are both starting to recognize more letters and their sounds. I should sit down and work with them -- I could probably have Miriam reading by the end of the year, but what's the rush? Plus I really do not have time; between keeping up with the older kids, the house, the meals, and Peter, I'm swamped.

The Children:

I'm on the verge of creating a schedule that combines chores and schoolwork. The problem is that although I can make AMAZING schedules, I never stick to them, nor do the children. But it often helps me to see what I wanted to get done each day, even if it is not happening quite as planned.

I'm still mulling over exactly what chores to assign, to whom, and how often. Helping cook meals is still a treat for the little kids, but the big kids can actually cook some meals on their own. Paul showed me yesterday that he is better at unloading the dishwasher than his big brother! And everybody wants to help run the washer and dryer, but no one wants to fold clothes or put them away.

In the Kitchen:

Giant meals are really working well for us. I cooked up three 15-20 lb pork roasts last weekend and we ate off of them all week, with meat to spare. I'm so grateful for Dillons running such good sales on meat on a regular basis.

The hubby and I have decided we will try some new recipes soon, but have not found much time to meal plan together. Clearly the hubby is on board with doing lots of meal prep on weekends so the weeknights are easier.

Watching/Reading:

I joined a small science-fiction group on facebook and on recommendation of such group, read The Giver quartet. It was not bad -- definitely made me think, but it is not my favorite book or anything. 

Then I discovered "The Giver" (the movie) was on Netflix so I checked it out. It was well done. Again, the story is intriguing, but could be a little more exciting, and possibly have a better ending -- in my opinion.

Thinking About:

* I think maybe I drink too much coffee these days. Some days it is only one cup, but often it is two or three (one in the morning, one or two in the afternoon). The coffee itself is probably not so bad, but I only like it with a lot of creamer and I'm trying to eat better. I've tried A LOT of different ways to flavor coffee and still only prefer the horrible-for-you imitation creamer thus far. Maybe it's not the end of the world, or maybe I need to keep looking. I'm in the "thinking about it" phase at the moment, not really changing anything.

* The hubby and I have begun to finally grow up and now we have a regular "Adulting" meeting on Tuesday nights where we review finances, do meal planning, and generally touch base on the technical details of life. We have been married 12 years and finally started this a couple weeks ago, but better late than never. It is nice to make sure we both understand our goals and work together as a team.

Bringing Me Joy:

* The children. They often make me laugh -- without trying.

* The baby. Babies are great.

* SLEEP!!

Pictures to Share:

I was bored one night and lamenting I had no group shot of my children to put as my computer background, so I made this collage.

Girls lunch on the porch.

Rebekah is so good to always want to wear Peter around. Apparently hanging with Rebekah is exhausting.

Zipporah rarely looks at me and smiles for the camera these days. But I got her here!

Jacob is 8-years-old now!

Jacob's birthday was in August and it was wonderful. It is September now, but everyone is still happy that Jacob is a year older.

* Jacob has a kind heart. He does not like to watch many movies because they are often too scary for him.

* He likes to play with Legos and build with blocks or Keva planks.

* Jacob is a great reader and enjoys a good story.


* He loves all things turtle, from turtle stuffed animals to an electric turtle that swims in the bathtub.

* Jacob is stubborn. He fights hard and does not give in.

* Of all our children, Jacob is the one to make friends first at the park or another social event -- often with someone younger (back to that kind heart again).

The shapes in green are turtles, in case you did not realize, decorated by Rebekah.

May God continue to bless you, Jacob, and mold your innocent heart more like his own, every day. -- Amen.

Well-played, little spider

For the first time in the history of EVER I came across a spider in my house AND LET IT LIVE AND REMAIN in my house. Now I realize, I just freed myself from ever hosting anything or anyone in my home ever again, right? :)

This spider came into my house on a towel from our clothes line. I saw it as I picked up said towel and it jumped back into the basket of other towels waiting to be folded. I knew it was there and planned to deal with it later, but life drew me away. Later, upon returning to the basket, the spider had moved on -- probably was somewhere in the laundry room as that is where the basket had been sitting.

Then a few days later I was giving our laundry room a serious overhaul in order to fit a second washer.  (Which has since come to join our happy family and is amazing and God is so good to provide us with that, but anyhow, back to the spider.) As I was picking up a statue of St. Francis and a wolf, I felt something soft on the back and jerked, as I turned the statue -- there was a little web and that same spider when jumping off onto the dresser. I stood there breathing heavily for a moment, feeling the adrenaline rush into my system and then channeled my inner Franciscan Spirit.

St. Francis, for those who don't know, LOVED animals. He got along with them -- all of them -- EVEN SPIDERS. He is especially know for convincing the Wolf of Gubio to stop being a pain to the villagers (hence the wolf on my statue along with Francis).

Slight Tangent:  While I was in Assisi, visiting important places associated with St. Francis (since I went to Franciscan University and all -- and we took a class trip there when I studied at the university's campus in Gaming, Austria) I saw this statue of St. Francis that was located outside of his basilica. This statue ALWAYS has birds on it (according to the sign and in my experience of it while there). As in one or two leave and some come back. Seriously it has birds on it ALL THE TIME because Francis is just that cool.

So back to the spider -- Supposedly there are four kinds of spiders that are dangerous to humans: brown recluse, black widow, hobo spider, and something else. I looked this information up a few days ago and I would have sworn there were four kinds that are extremely dangerous, but now I can only find three and I've looked hit my quota of spider pictures I can stomach for the day, so my research has come to a grinding halt. Feel free to enlighten me in the comments with the fourth kind of severely dangerous spider that exists.

I have concluded the spider I allowed to live in my basement is a dancing or jumping spider (judging by looks). They are extremely smart and although they have a painful bite, are not dangerous.  However, since concluding this, it has come to my attention that these spiders do not make webs. Supposedly they hunt their prey and attach a drag line to it. Brilliant. But unfortunately, that does not explain the mini-web I found on the back of the wolf, where I also found the spider.

But whatever. To sum up:  I let the spider live. I left the web alone. Don't bother visiting me if you have arachnophobia. and especially avoid my basement, really just no matter what, because it is not really ever fit for company anyhow, in any sense.

School Days

School has started. Here we are documenting the occasion. Enjoy.

Serious face because Middle School is serious.

These brothers have got her back. Middle School ain't got nothin' on her.

Journal # 34 -- Life is Good!

Out My Window:

Well, it is dark now, but it was in the 80's today and sunny. Still summery, but not too warm.

Clothing Myself In:

Black t-shirt (advertising boots) and green gym shorts I bought back in college. Some day I will grow up and wear "adult clothes". . . probably. But today is not that day.

Around the House:

Gordie built another triple bunk bed. (Well, technically he did not build the last one, he adapted a regular two-bunk bed to work as a triple bunk, but he still gets credit for "building it" in my eyes.) This allowed us to put up Miriam's toddler bed so we had room to move Zipporah's pen into the room with all the other kids. Eventually Zipporah will sleep on one of the bunks like everyone else, but since she does not climb out of her current bed, I am in no rush to be rid of it. I  am sure her transition to remaining in her own bed -- with no physical boundary to keep her there -- will be long and painful as it was for all the other children.

Peter now has his own room and my "nest" has been moved in there (aka the easy chair and my laptop) so I can relax while nursing him. Peter is our first child to use a mat on the floor as his bed, instead of a crib (as we finally threw the crib out since it was so old and recalled). He seems to like his mat, but has already shown that he can roll off it and I am sure before too long I will have to hunt for him when I come to get him. The plan is to give him Zipporah's pen once she no longer needs it (aka starts sleeping on the bunk beds with the other kids). We'll see if the stars align for that one.

The Baby:

Peter seems to really like his room. He has been sleeping longer and longer stretches. He gave me seven hours straight a few days ago!! He would probably be consistent, too, if I were not constantly messing with his preferred schedule as I run after the other kids and entertain a social life of my own. All in all he does well to adapt. Yesterday I got home LATE - like almost midnight. I had taken him with me and he had napped some at my social engagement, but obviously a good chunk of his night was lost. He made up for it by sleeping in until after 11am (he woke up to nurse once in there).

Generally he is becoming more and more adorable. I really love his grin and his squeals. He enjoys watching his siblings and especially likes music. We have several musical toys that he is fascinated with. But nothing beat Miriam parading around him yesterday with a baby bell in her hand, shaking it for all she was worth and smiling at Peter as she did. He had been in full melt-down, but stopped to smile back at her. She was able to calm him two more times this way while I finished up the meal I was preparing.

The Kids:

Zipporah and Miriam get closer all the time. Those two girls are just hilarious together. A few days ago they were pulling old keyboards across the living room, by their cords, pretending they were dogs. My favorite, though, is when they play dress up or have a tea party. They are adorable.

Miriam really likes her "cow book." (Which is actually a Kumon Pasting book for preschoolers that happens to have a cow on the front. All the kids love the Kumon workbooks.) This gorilla came from said book.

Samuel remains the favored playmate. Jacob and Paul both love to play with him and in Paul's case, do everything he does. Paul would pick Samuel as a playmate over Jacob every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Poor Jacob. Course, he doesn't care. Jacob does his own thing. But he still likes to play with Samuel and does NOT like to be alone. The other day Rebekah, Samuel, and Paul were at play practice. I put the little ones to bed and Jacob was so lost (as he stays up for the second bedtime for the big kids).

Rebekah appears to be doing well. She is such a resilient and self-sufficient (in a lot of ways, though not necessarily all) child that I feel sometimes like I don't spend enough time WITH her if, if that makes sense. But she really likes walking and talking with me -- which we try to do every day, even if it is just around the block. She was appearing a little burned out at the end of the summer, but I think she is back to her usual helpful, joyful, creative self.

Rebekah really likes my woven wrap and is always asking to wear Peter or Zipporah. The wrap in this picture is actually a traveler (aka someone else's that we were borrowing for a week).

As I sort of mentioned, Rebekah, Samuel, and Paul are all going to be in the Hays Community Theater's upcoming production of "Gran's Guide to Stop an Ogre" I'm grateful they have the opportunity to do drama at such a young age and am looking forward to the show!

The Schooling:

School is going well now. We started out a little slow. Some of our books were late. I was very nervous for Rebekah as she is middle school now (6th grade) and that means lots of virtual classes and no more retaking tests she has done poorly on! But we are getting in a groove. Rebekah has two classes a day Mon-Thurs, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, an hour at a time. And then she has a couple assignments due a week. It really is not that bad. . . so far.

Paul and Jacob are supposed to be writing letters on those little chalkboard. Oh boys.

I feel much more confident this year as Rebekah was in 4th grade, Samuel in 2nd, and Jacob in Kindergarten when we started with Lawrence Virtual School two years ago. So now I have done all the grades from K to 5th (as this year Samuel is in 4th, Jacob in 2nd, and Paul in 1st) and I know what to expect. Plus I know the system and how to make it work for us. I can set our schedule to populate as I like it and I know we can do work out of order and how to cut corners if we need to (like do three or four lessons in a row -- how long it will take, etc). Thus, it is still a lot of work, but I am confident we can make it happen.

I was stressing over how to organize the books this year. I was afraid there would be too many to put in our space her or that they would all group together and we would lose books within the shelves as we did last year. Then I was trying to find containers to buy to keep the supplies in. But alas, the boxes the books came in fit perfectly!! It might not be beautiful, but they get the job done. -- Likewise, I was delaying taking a picture, thinking I would clean the shelves up first. But then I realized if I waited for that, I would probably never get a picture taken.

In the Kitchen

Oddly enough, I thought you would never ask. I don't really understand what has happened, but the past week or so I have grown in leaps and bound domestically in the kitchen. I have no idea why.

It all started when I finally bought a griddle to make pancakes on. I used to make pancakes on the stove (like pre-children era) but then we got a gas stove and I could NEVER get the temperature just right, so they were either burned or doughy and sometimes both!! (don't ask me how that happened) Since Samuel has become our waffle man, making waffles, about once a week, I have been looking to upgrade our waffle iron to at least a double, preferably an industrial grade one, but I cannot find anything I like thus far online. So instead I picked up a griddle. Rebekah helped and it cut our cooking time in half.

This is only the beginning. We had at least three, maybe four meals worth of baked yummies by the time we were done. But what can you expect after taking a recipe x12?

I have also been slowly growing some other recipes slowly and now they make me most happy. For example, I like sausage, eggs, and sweet potatoes for breakfast. Those are three foods that really fill me up, taste good with my coffee, and keep me happy! Unfortunately, they take quite a bit of time to cook every morning. So not long ago it dawned on me to combine them. I mix up a dozen eggs with maybe half a cup of coconut oil, throw in some sauteed onion and steamed sweet potatoes, and then add browned sausage and cook for about 40 minutes. It makes this great breakfast casserole that I can keep in the fridge and warm up a piece at a time for breakfast.

I have also finally started using my instant pot as a pressure cooker. I originally bought it to replace my crockpot, figuring a little pressure cooking on the side would be nice. But suddenly I discovered I can cook a whole chicken in about 40 minutes and it is GOOD!  Then I can whip out bone broth from the bones in another couple hours and it is even better!! Plus, chicken was on sale a few days ago, so I stocked up.

This is one of my FAVORITE meals -- chicken salad. Thanks to my pressure cooker and grapes on sale right now ($.88 lb) I have been making a ton of it.

I also have a recipe for a paleo soup that I love. It is basically chicken, sweet potatoes, onions and peppers. I made a giant batch of that for myself and froze several single-serving jars.

And while we are talking food, my giant roaster has been seeing some use as well. Pork roast often goes on sale here and I picked up a couple on my last shopping trip so I could make them up. I roast them all day and then fry them up to give the meat a crunch. It is SO GOOD. 

Tonight I thought I'd make an even more special meal. To go along with the fried pork, I steamed potatoes in my pressure cooker to make mashed potatoes. But we don't have a mixer for potatoes (we use a drill to mix things -- and usually chuck in a paint mixer, that has never seen paint, mind you, to do things like 15 tons of cookie dough or 7lbs of natural peanut butter). Anyhow, using the drill to mix the potatoes was a bad idea as it gave them the consistency of gum. Then Gordie tried to make gravy from my bone broth and it ended up runny and under-seasoned (which is not typical for his gravy -- it is usually amazing). The children appreciated the sentiment, though and at the meal as if it were the best one we had ever prepared. God bless the kids, tonight. Whether they didn't notice or they just didn't say anything -- it was just great to have it well received.

My Job:

This is a new title, but I just have to share. A few months ago now I stumbled up on a job doing transcription work. I have really fallen in love with it. And I would be lying if I told you it was not so satisfying to have someone else recognize when I do a good job. I love staying home with my children and homeschooling them, but there is not solid gratification from that -- not in the same way doing a job and receiving feedback gratifies. 

((P.S. If you ever need something transcribed, be sure to check out Noble Transcription Service.))

I am also writing for a blog called Mamma Tech. I am slowly coming into the vision for that blog. Stay tuned for more on that.

Thinking About:

Getting older. I am only four months postpartum but I am so frustrated with my body lately. I hurt my back a few weeks back and then this morning I woke up with the world's sorest neck. It was bad. I made it to the chiropractor this afternoon, but I'm still feeling it. And all I did was sleep wrong somehow! Imagine if I ever actually go back to serious exercising again.

Bringing Me Joy:

*My husband. We have really been growing closer in a lot of ways lately and it is so wonderful to experience.

*The bathtub of awesome that my husband put in. This five-foot long soaking tub is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If you ever want to take a swim in it, pop on over. You will not be disappointed.

*Peter. I just love that little guy! His ears sticking out a little bit is definitely his unique feature. I hope they always do.

Pictures to Share:

This was before moving Zipporah to the other room. She has a good daddy.