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!