Out My Window:
There is some snow (just a dusting) and it is cold, but not too cold. The wind is subtle today (which is saying something for Kansas). The sun is shining and although the heater is running, I would say it is a "good" day for March.
(A good day to "march fourth" - hahahaha)
Clothing Myself In:
Black yoga pants and an old MS Walk T-shirt, with bare feet. (FYI I took Samuel to the doctor earlier and I put on jeans and sneakers for that, but at home I enjoy my yoga pants as they allow me to sneak in some stretching while I'm running after the kids - jeans can be a little restricting for some stretches.)
Around the House:
I finally hung some rings for the kids to hang on in the front room. The beam has been exposed for years (put in when the hubby knocked out the wall and could not decide if it was weight-bearing, which he has since decided it is not) so I figured what damage would a couple more hooks really do?? I used climbing carabiners to connect the rings to the hooks so I can easily take them off and only the hooks are there, way up high, not attracting any attention. Everyone loves the rings (including me) and I am MOST IMPRESSED with myself for putting them up! I had to drill out the hole to for the giant eye hook. And I had to use a screwdriver through the hook to get enough torque to get it to screw in! It was the most hands-on of a project I have done and I did it all when my hubby was not home!! Now every time I catch Miriam trying to hang from the fridge handles I redirect her to the rings.
In other news, I am thinking of getting rid of a couple of our couches (we have three). I am becoming "one of those crazy alignment people." Gordie will not let me get rid of all of them, but I figure one is enough - especially since I can sit on the floor and we have some bean bag chairs in the garage we can always bring in for company. I'm hopeful that less furniture will give more room to play and move during the day. Here is post by one of my favorite Alignment Gurus about her choice to go more furniture free.
The Baby:
She continues to be happy and healthy. I started giving her some solid foods and SHE LOVES THEM!! Unfortunately I gave her a little too much too soon as she had some digestional (which is probably not a word) discomfort for a few days but she seems to have figured it out now and we stick to one "real food meal" a day (or a few snacks in the morning and some in the evening) along with her regularly scheduled nursing and she is doing great.
I have snuck her onto her stomach some and she is holding her head up well and wiggling around some. If I just flat out put her down on her belly she is OUTRAGED and will wail until she is either picked up or in some other way compensated - if left alone long enough she will flip on her back, but she will continue to cry over the outrage of putting her down on her stomach. Now, on her back she will reach up to her toys and kick her feet to scoot along the floor - on her back, head-first, which makes me think of her as some floor-fish. She is definitely going about this locomotion thing in an odd fashion.
She likes to stand and hang from my fingers for a few minutes, but she does not pull herself up yet. She is not very fond of sitting, but she can handle that position if you are sly about getting her into it (again - she gets a little grumpy about going straight to sitting - somewhat like being laid on her stomach).
Instead of dragging out the big high chair we have been feeding her in the bumbo, with a tray. That is a hit. Plus, having her down on the ground allows the kids to help. Miriam loves giving her yogurt bites. I am amazed at how far she can reach and grab things while in the bumbo. She has got some majorly long arms and giant hands with long fingers!
The Kids:
We purchased a new pitcher (for milk and other drinks at meals) a while back and it is a winner so far. The mouth is very wide, which scared me at first, but it pours well and so far the kids have done well with it.
We were doing really well health-wise, especially as all the school kids were getting two different strains of the flu and strep, but last week we had some heavy coughers and today I have one with a fever AND cough. At least they seem to be spacing somewhat so I can focus on one or two at a time.
In the Kitchen:
I am falling in love with onions and green peppers in the crock-pot. Why did I not try this sooner? I am putting them in everything from soup to the traditional fajitas. They are amazing.
Thinking About:
We did away with "date nights" once a month because they were overwhelming and the kids were getting a little too demanding about them (declaring they needed ice cream or other sweets and lots of other things on top). Instead we tried to do "family night" once a week, but then Daddy started going to darts that evening. So, I am trying to decide how to go about this "family time" and individual "date time" with the children. I am leaning toward making "family night" be Friday or Saturday night (which would put our "marriage date night" to a different day) and to have each child get one date night with each parent once a year (so basically a "date night" once every six months) and to step it up a little - a dinner out, or a movie, or something REALLY special, not just staying up late to play some video games and munch popcorn. But I am still mulling it over and unsure exactly what is best for our family at this time.
Bringing Me Joy:
*Zipporah's smiles - she just lights up the room.
*Jacob's progress in school, especially reading. He was giving me some trouble, but I decided to "grease the wheels" with some bribery. Every day he was cooperative he got a star. After five stars, he gets a prize. He has two prizes now, is reading like a champ, and RARELY gives me any trouble when it comes to school work.
*An online class I am taking on health and alignment. It is very informative and I am learning so much! Plus I am starting to see good results in my health because of the exercises and such.
Pictures to Share:
(I broke my camera by dropping it. Sad day. But I managed to find our old camera, which I do not like NEARLY as much, but at least it takes pictures. . . and some times they are not blurry!!)
 |
| Daddy and Zipporah (who happens to be wearing the dress my Great Aunt Rosie made for me as a baby). |
 |
| "The Girls" (Rebekah, Miriam, and Zipporah) before Sunday Mass. |
 |
| Jacob wanted me to take a picture of his creation. |
 |
| Daddy with his girls: Rebekah, Miriam, and Zipporah |
