Sibling love

The other day, I laid Miriam on the floor for a bit and her siblings decided they needed to join her.  They were falling all over each other (literally) to be the one next to her on the floor.  Too cute I think :)

Jacob, Samuel, & Miriam

Jacob, Samuel, Miriam, and Paul

Paul

Jacob & Samuel

Thankfulness Thursday

. . . with a heart of gratitude

This week I am especially thankful for:

1)  A day off with the family.  The fourth of July this year was really a great day here.  For the first time in about 7 years, Gordie had the day off (yay for salary this time).  We were able to take it easy in the morning.  We cleaned up the garage (what is done so far) so the van would fit and got rid of an annoying "shrub" that had grown itself too close the air conditioner.  Then I went to Wal-mart WITHOUT ANY CHILDREN and stopped at Dillons (as there are things I needed from each) and went to two other stores to find a cable for our "original x-box.  We hooked up said x-box (which we just had sitting around) and the kids were (and continue to be) ecstatic.  Good family fun there.  (Now if only we could find Star Wars Legos, we would be set :)  Then the hubby grilled for dinner (LOTS of yummy stuff there) and then we finished the day enjoying the city fireworks from the top of the garage (with the youngest three in bed).

 

2) My washer and dryer.  I do A LOT of laundry (2 regular "house loads" every other day or so and diapers ever other day as well, plus sheets or blankets fairly regularly).  We have front-loaders that are high efficiency (using much less water) and they are nice and make me happy.   A friend of mine is constantly needing to fix her washer or dryer which I'm grateful has not been much of a problem for us (yet at least - I think we have had these about 3 years now) and I was also thinking how nice it is to be able to throw in a load whenever I need to. (Since kids make LOTS of messes!)

 

3) A fiction book I am enjoying.  I have read lots of fiction but then took a break from it for a while as I was trying to read lots of other books I though were "important." But in an attempt to "de-stress" (not distress :) I picked up a fiction book and I have been enjoying it (sometimes it is difficult to find something that holds my interest or does not feel like a waste of time).

 

"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures for ever." - Psalm 107:1

Happy Birthday, Rebekah!!

Rebekah is 7-years-old today!

*Rebekah has AMAZING "sneak skills."  We think she might be a natural ninja -seriously!  The girl can be so quiet and patient.  (Side note: Her akido teacher thinks she has great potential as well.)

*Rebekah is an avid reader. She regularly reads chapter books, joke books, really any book she can get her hands on. And now I have to watch out on the computer as she will read over my shoulder - so no more typing things I am not wanting to tell her!

*Rebekah is the most HELPFUL 7-year-old I have ever known.  Seriously, since the birth of her sister, Miriam, Rebekah has turned into a "little mamma" and I am so grateful.
--Duties include: (but not limited to)
     1) Holding in her binky
     2) Singing to her
     3) Helping snap her clothes (especially pjs with a million snaps)
     4) Giving her lots of hugs and kisses
     5) Rocking her to calm her down
    6) Putting her up on the changing table and undoing her diaper (putting a fresh one on is still a bit of a challenge as a wiggly baby makes getting the snappy right a little above her as yet)

Hopefully this will foster a great relationship between the two of them.  (If nothing else, it keeps me sane and Miriam happy while teaching Rebekah responsiblity :)

*Rebekah is good with her brothers.  She will get drinks for Paul (or keep him out of the bathroom or kitchen).  She will also help "solve disputes" between Samuel and  Jacob.  She will play with any of them, although she prefers to play with Samuel best (as she can have the most entertaining imaginary play with him).

*Rebekah's favorite meal is meatballs and she has requested brownies for dessert today, but she really likes all sweets (cookies, cake, ice cream, etc).

*Even though Mom has tried to hinder this, Rebekah still REALLY likes princesses of all shapes and sizes.  Her favorite is Cinderella, but she would not turn down anything to do with really any of them.  Despite this, she is able to understand that just because something is "princess themed" it does not mean that is the best one of whatever it happens to be and that often a non-themed (or simply colored) item is often more cost effective and long lasting.

*Despite her reading ability, Math is Rebekah's favorite subject.  She gets it easitly and she enjoys it a lot.  She is also a good teacher to her brothers - very patient!

*Rebekah always scored highest in listening on those standard tests they take in school.  When she wants to, she can be VERY perceptive. (good and bad - as she is a natural evesdropper!)

*And last and perhaps least, but what I find most entertaining:  She is completely loyal. She always sides with Mom or defends Mom in arguments - even ones she is not invited into!  Why she likes me so much is beyond me, but it does come in handy sometimes!

Ahh, my sweet little girl.  You are truly one of my greatest blessings.  May God continue to form you into a gentle, kind, and cheerful young lady!

Thankfulness Thursday

. . . with a heart of gratitude

This week I am especially thankful for:

1)  A house that we own.  Our air conditioner might not work so well.  Our kitchen outlets may all be on the same breaker.  The doorways may be narrow and the rooms small.  But it is our house - a place for us to live and grow and stay safe from harm.

2)  A challenging two-year-old.  Yes, I am actually thankful for Paul - and Paul in his current state of "testing the limits."  Earlier this week I did not think I would be able to be thankful for him.  I was contemplating "whining" about him and his recent behavior, but I'm really trying to take it all to God and I can see a great opportunity for growth here.  His cries for attention and his destructive outbursts are causing me to grow and stretch in ways I would not have otherwise.  And for this, I am thankful.

3) A van that fits all of my children and has a working air conditioner.  (We have gone a couple summers with no cars that had working air conditioners.  There is no feigned gratitude here!)  It feels good to be able to transport my children to and from activities in comfort and safety.

"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures for ever." - Psalm 107:1

Pondering the 40 hour work week

Disclaimer: this is a long-winded post -not for the faint of heart or easily bored. . .

Lately I have noticed that I am wearing "a little thin" on the edges.  I'm a little snappy, quicker to anger, slower to think, just flat-out tired.  Noticing was the first step, now I am working on fixing and it has dawned on me that I might need to rethink my schedule. (AGAIN I might add - as I am always trying to fix my schedule it seems! :)  But seriously, I think I am on to something here.  It seems like stay-home-moms are viewed as either not working at all or working INSANELY harder than anyone with a "regular job."  I don't really see it as either.  Some days it is easier than a "real job" and other days it is more difficult.  It probably evens out.  But the catch is the hours.  I begin "work" when the first child wakes up - technically that means I work almost nonstop insofar as the baby is concerned.  Granted there are a few times were she naps for an hour or two at a time, or someone else can give her a pacifier for a bit, but generally I am "on call" 24 hours, 7 days a week.  Now, the catch is that a baby is easy to care for (and so rewarding as holding a sleeping baby is so sweet) so I don't really consider taking care of the baby as "work."  However, taking care of the other children, although sometimes rewarding, is OFTEN exactly like (or more difficult than) work.  Now, the 2-year-old generally gets up at 7am (sometimes a little before) and does not go to bed until 7pm (and lately has been giving SO MUCH TROUBLE at bedtime that he really is not actually asleep until closer to 9pm).  That is a LONG DAY!!  7am to 6:30pm five days a week is. . a bit more than a 40 hour work week.

*Side note: I am considering a 40 hour work week the "typical" or "ideal" for the average worker - setting aside there are several professions where this is not an option due to the nature of the position, but I'm just giving a general idea here.

And it is EVERY DAY.  Weekends, Daddy is home but then we specifically do family things or he does projects and I do what I do all week - be in charge of the kids, cook, clean, run errands, etc. So unless I specifically take a break, there is not really one built in. Granted Daddy does get done with work around 6:30pm and often puts the kids to bed (and back to bed several times).  And there theoretically is a little time in the evening, but that is generally our "couple time" where Daddy and I spend time doing things together.  And I think this is important for our marriage and it is enjoyable, but it is not quite enough.  It is not really a break, just a change (well, and less work - Gordie does not make nearly as big a mess as the two-year-old :)

Now, there are times during the day when the kids are "mostly occupied" so I can do things like read a little (if I can handle being interrupted every 2 minutes or so :) or check facebook or write a letter or pay a bill, etc.  But the catch is that I'm ALWAYS ON, even when I'm not specifically playing with or doing things for the kids.  Even now as I try to collect my thoughts here I have been interrupted an average of every minute or two (and let me tell you it is wrecking havoc on my thought process - I hope this makes some sense when I'm done).  So what I'm trying to say is that I don't really get coffee or smoke breaks - if that makes sense.  I don't really get a true break until every child is in bed (or in the 2-year-old's case, asleep), unless I leave the house for some reason or another in the evening and leave the kids with Daddy.    This is basically my point.  I'm not writing this for pity or to awe you with my "amazingness." (although you are more than welcome to think I am amazing :)  What I am trying to say in many more words than necessary is that I NEED A BREAK SOMETIMES!!!  There I said it.  I love my job.  I love my kids.  I love my life.  But sometimes I NEED A BREAK!!  I need to leave the "chatterboxes" and go somewhere and soak up some quiet.  I need to eat a meal I don't have to cook or clean up after.  This really hit home as I left the house to take dinner to a friend a few days ago.  It was a 15 to 20 minute drive to her house.  Now, I took my oldest child and the baby.  The baby was sleeping and the oldest child was blessedly quiet, or maybe she was just not asking any difficult questions at the moment.  Honestly I cannot quite remember, but I do remember how I FELT.  I had some music on and I just sat there and enjoyed it as we drove.  It felt wonderful - like soaking up sunshine on the beach.  It was only at that moment I realized how much I NEEDED this break.  I know I need adult conversation regularly (as does my husband - haha) so I often meet with other adults (often stay-home-moms) during the day, but this was more than just adult conversation.  This was uninterrupted quiet - well there was music, so perhaps it would be more precise to say it was uninterrupted pleasure - something I have trouble getting during the day.

Now, if you have actually read up to this point, you are probably thinking, "well, this certainly is not earth shattering.  Many poeple have come to this conclusion before."  And of course you are right.  Although this was my "ah ha" moment where it really hit home, that is not my main point for bringing this up.  My point is that now I have a plan. . . and I'm curious what you think of it.  Or if you have already come to these conclusions and have a plan of your own to share.  Ideally I would take time to actually leave the kids, but this would require outside help for babysitting.  Although Daddy does give me some time away, he works all week and needs some down time as well, plus he has projects and friends and other commitments.  So a sporadic day or evening out and away while Daddy keeps watch is a necessity, but unfortunately, in my case those have been too few and far between (and with Daddy's new crazy work requirements it could be a LONG WHILE before things "settle" and he is able to relax a bit and spend more time with the kids, simultaneously freeing me up). 

So here is my plan. . . one day a week I take an "easy day."  I'm still plotting how this will all shape up, but I want to see it as at best, a less stressful day where my "regular duties" are decreased or avoided as much as possible.  I want to take a day where all we eat is left-overs or sandwiches or whatever does not require effort. I suppose we could get dressed, but I want to have no "to do list" or appointments or errands to run on this day.  I want to have no activities planned for the kids (well, maybe a playdate if I want to get some "adult conversation").  I want to do no laundry, do no cleaning (unless, of course, I feel like it and that is another post entirely - taking pleasure in simple chores).  I want to get up and goof off as best I am able.  And most importantly - I want to do all this and NOT FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT!!  I basically just want to set my expectations a little lower and have a "chill" day because we all need a break once in a while.  So, what do you think?  Or do you do this already?

He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while."  For many were coming and going and they had no leisure even to eat."  (Mark 6:31)

Miriam Dolores - Child of God

The baptism of Miriam Dolores



 
Here she is, clothed in her white garment.  Looking absoultely content and at peace (as we all should, knowing we belong to God).  The baptism went VERY WELL.  All of our other children happily went to sit with their grandmas (one on each end like bookends - Grandpas in the pew behind).  Miriam herself was also amazing.  After a quick snack at the beginning of Mass, she slept through EVERYTHING - even the ice cold water on her head.  Father was most impressed.  Of course, he claimed, to the entire congregation, that "she must be drugged" (not excatly my favorite word choice, but everyone gave a hearty laugh).  She did not even stir for the applause that I was sure would rouse her.  In any case, I was most grateful God blessed us wtih a meaningful and stress free Mass.  No pictures were taken during the baptism part itself and unfortunately the ones taken afterward with my camera were blurry.  (There is a certain setting to pick in order to avoid that, but the person operating my camera did not realize - I should have set it for him, but for various reasons let it go - to my detriment, apparently.  In any case, other people took some pictures, perhaps I will get to see those eventually.)

Doesn't she just look angelic?

Here is "the baptismal dress."  It is made from my Grandma Mary's wedding dress (my mom's mom).  I believe all of Grandma's kids, all of her grandkids (myself included), and all of our other children have all been baptized in this very dress.

This is "the cake." I wanted to make my own cake for the reception. I was thinking of doing our traditional "party cake," the Nutri Cake. But I have no skill at decorating cakes, as I wrote about here. I just wanted a simple verse:

Let the children come to me. (Mark 10:14).

I thought of just printing out the verse and posting it somehow beside the cake and then just putting her name on the cake, but even that, I feared was beyond my skill. I briefly toyed with the idea of making my nutri cake and having someone else decorate it, but finally I decided to just let someone else make the cake so that would be one less thing to stress over. Unfortunately I was not so pleased with the result. You could hardly see the verse. Her name was very pretty, but. . . plus, the cake was SOOOO SWEET! I know, it is cake and that is how they are made, but I guess I am just conditioned to what we usually have. In any case, it is done now and the guests seemed to enjoy it (as did our children) so life moves on.

Miriam, asleep on her Grandma Mary Alice (Gordie's mom).  We never quite got the dress snapped back up after the anointing with oil on her chest, but she did not seem to mind.

Miriam's Godmother gave Miriam these AWESOME hair bands and homemade bows for them.  So Rebekah and I decided to take a few pictures with them after everyone went home.

Rebekah and Miriam

Mom and Miriam (picture taken by Rebekah!)

Thankfulness Thursday

I have participated in Whiney Wednesdays and Small Successes Thursdays, but I feel inspired to create my own weekly reflection.  I'm calling it Thankfulness Thursdays.  It is just me and what I feel called to do at this time.  Whining can be a great release, but listing things - specific things - that I am thankful for really helps me "realign" myself.  The material will probably end up looking a lot like my Small Successes lists and reading between the lines will probably look like my Whiney Wednesday list, but when combined it creates the ups and the downs with the important part underscored - a heart of gratitude.  So without further ado. . 

This week I am especially thankful for:

1) The gift of a second daughter, Miriam.  Even when she fusses and cries and is not "the perfect baby" (and wakes me many times at night, making me weary), I am so grateful for her presence in our family.

2) How hard my husband (and children's father) works to support us financially.  His new position is quite stressful right now, but I am so thankful for his effort!

3) My group of friends that pray with me (and for me) and share my joys and struggles.  (I'm still looking for that checkbook, btw, but I'm sure God has HIS eye on it (and is laughing at me in the mean time) so I'm not worried.)

4) My first daughter who is so sweet and innocent and helpful in caring for her sister.  My life would be MUCH MORE STRESSFUL without her in it to help in caring for our family.

"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures for ever." - Psalm 107:1