7 Quick Takes - catching up

1) We took a family hike at the local lake a while back on a nice day.

We have every intention of being a "naturey" family - we want to be a rough and tumble, play outside, hike around, survive in the wild-kind-of-family.  But as much as we try to live and encourage that, it is a tough "way" to learn, especially for littles (and perhaps we do not "teach" as well or as often as we could/should).  Thus, when we chose a three-mile-hike for our "family adventure" we did not expect it to be quite so grueling.  I mean, seriously, we live in Kansas.  If the land slopes at all we consider it a hill and we have NO CONCEPT of serious climbing or underbrush or anything that makes a "trail" really a challenge.  How hard can a little three-mile-trek be?  Well, the older kids (Rebekah, Samuel, Jacob, and Paul) did totally fine - carried their packs, kept up, enjoyed the "nature," and generally were helpful and pleasant.  Other than wanting to stop for water and snacks all too often (but in their defense we did not eat lunch - just brought hefty snacks - and we began our hike at about 1pm).  Even Miriam hiked pretty-much the whole thing (Gordie only carried her in a pack for a few minutes in the beginning) and had no trouble.  

Zipporah on the other hand managed to make everyone's lives a bit "less fun."  In her defense, it was naptime, and it was windy - not cold, but rather windy.  I had Rebekah carrying her in a soft backpack carrier to begin with because being in my third-trimester of this pregnancy I was not sure how I would do carrying both babies.  Gordie was wearing Miriam in the framed backpack carrier at this time.  Soon Zipporah grew tired of Rebekah and after trying her on Gordie, I tried to wear her.  She continued to fuss in every possible combination - hard carrier, soft carrier, mom or dad, etc.  Finally I figured I would just carry her in my arms if that would make her stop crying!!  But alas, even in my arms, she was frustrated and I had forgotten a blanket, so the wind kept stirring her and keeping her from dozing off.  We ended up skipping a bit of trail and cutting over to make it a touch shorter.  Zipporah cried for at least half of the hike and refused to be satiated.  Then, as we were SURE she would just crash out in the car, she showed us by staying awake the whole fifty-minute drive home!

Miriam and Paul trucking right along.  ---Yes, this is what "hiking" looks like in Kansas - not quite as fun as those areas in other states with trees, rivers, hills, mountains, etc., but it is our home and we do the best we can.

What an adventure.  But we did have fun and maybe when we try it again, not during "naptime" we will have more pleasant results.

2) Rebekah made a special gift for Grandma's birthday.

Whenever the kids visit Grandma (Gordie's mom), she has a few "rules" that go something like: "No whining, no crying, no shouting, no pouting."  She is often repeating those while the kids are there.  So Rebekah decided to make some signs for Grandma with those rules.

"No Shouting, No Pouting Zone.  Proceed with CAUTION."  I helped her outline the letters so you could see them better, but she did all the painting, including the background, by herself.

"No whining, no crying zone."  This one was done, in entirety, by Rebekah.

3) Paul "officially" finished all of his school work on Tuesday.

I should note, he finished everything but a few science lessons (which I have to read to him) about three weeks ago.  But now, he has every possible lesson and activity complete - and he was not even required to do it all - 95% in his major courses and 85% in his Science would be considered "mastery" (as they simply do more of a pass-fail-thing for our virtual school = either you master it our you do it again until you do).  Anyhow, as much as you might think "way to go Paul!!" I am not really celebrating and actually asked his teacher if she could find some more work for him!  This is because a bored Paul is a distracting Paul and one that begs for computer games all day.  While the games are educational, they can still be distracting to his siblings, plus all that screen time.  It is a battle now with him.  Although I have more "busy work" worksheets, handwriting, etc - Paul is smart and can get into his "lessons" on the school website, so he KNOWS he does not have any left and anything I tell him to do is not "official" - thus he does not have to.  Who ever thought something like finishing school early would have any detriment?  Only with Paul. . . 

3) The other kids are doing pretty-well on school work.

Not to make you think Paul is the only one working around here.  Jacob should be done with his lessons in about two weeks (just before the baby comes if we can stay on track) and Rebekah had her spelling and vocabulary for the year done by Christmas.  Samuel wrapped up his vocabulary a couple days ago and spelling is close behind.  I still anticipate doing some work into the summer, but mostly that is because I am going to be giving the kiddos a hefty break after the baby comes.  In any case, I feel like we have a much better handle on things this year, as compared to last year, and I don't think the kids will mind finishing up a few things.  Especially classes like German are really fun as they incorporate a ton of games and such, so having them open over the summer will probably be a bonus.

4) We finally renewed our museum membership.

'We are really blessed to have an AMAZING museum here in town and the cost of membership is really affordable.  Seriously, two visits and I have gotten my money's worth from our yearly family cost.  It is great.

Miriam is on the far right, pictured with some friends here.

Zipporah checking out the spider.

Jacob and Samuel having some spider fun.

5) This might sound bad, but Zipporah has been reminding me of a puppy lately.

Seriously, she has to weasel in around my legs - especially in the kitchen, and get herself into whatever I am doing.  It is kinda cute when I'm sitting on the floor and she comes over to sit by me (well, ON me if at all possible, but with my growing belly, she has to settle for beside these days).  In the mornings she will often follow me from room to room, close on my heels to be sure I do not disappear into an alternate universe.  But. . . she is also growing up by leaps and bounds and will even play outside (in our fenced-in yard) by herself sometimes!!  So I'm sure I will miss being the center of her attention soon, but goodness right now she often wears me out by the end of the day!

6) Miriam is turning from her sweet sweet self to "a child with a bit more spunk."

I think that is the best way to put it.  In other words, she is beginning to get quite an attitude about things!  And my rough-and-tumble girl is suddenly coming to me with tears over every little thing.  I realize this is simply part of growing up, but I am already looking forward to the conclusion of this "stage" of development!

Random picture of Rebekah pulling Miriam and Zipporah in the wagon - to the corner and back.  This has become one of the girls' favorite activities!

7) We are in the process of remodeling the downstairs bathroom.

Our bathrooms are both in need of serious updating, the downstairs is going first because Daddy wanted to pull out the shower and add a tub/shower combo. . . a tub especially for tall people to enjoy.  We got one that is six-feet-long and super-deep.  It is SO NICE already!!  The only thing is that since the tub is already in "use-able" condition (aka you can fill it and the drain works), someone seems to have lost his motivation to get on with finished the rest of the bathroom!  But I'm sure he will eventually get it done - no need to keep reminding him about it every six months or anything - haha :)

And if you made it this far, enjoy another random picture. . . 

7 Quick Takes

1) Rebekah made this awesome gift for Daddy for his birthday.

She planned it.  Then I took her to Hobby Lobby to get the letters and heart.  She painted them and I helped her hang them.  Rebekah loves Daddy.  Yep, she sure does.

2) We are planning for the new baby to be in Zipporah's room.

And thank God for nesting.  I cleaned the room up and maybe figured out kind-of where I might put the baby.  I also cleaned out a drawer of Zipporah's dresser for the new baby's clothes.  Zipporah has been super-excited, babbling and pointing at all the changes.  I think she likes it. . . for now.  She might change her tune when she meets her new roommate.  

I have never put a new baby in with a two-year-old before, but Zipporah does not fit in the other bedroom at the moment and she naps so well and sleeps in so well, it seems a shame to make her share a room with the animals her older brothers and sisters.  The past history of introducing the two or three-year-old into the "big kid bedroom" has been lots of LATE nights of repeatedly returning the new dweller to the new bed.  I am not in the mood for that right now, so as far as I'm concerned, Zipporah can keep her own room and her own bed (the playpen/crib) until the new baby is mobile enough to need it.

Sorry I cannot find a before picture.  I know one exists, but alas, I am not sure where.  Anyhow, it looks nice and tidy, right?  Zipporah will probably stay in the playpen/crib.  New baby's bed is pending on what it will consist of.  We scrapped the old crib because it was old and drop-down, but I am not ready to replace it.  Let's be realistic anyhow, new baby will probably sleep in MY bed for the first six months at least.

3) Speaking of the new baby, Rebekah gave me this list of boy names from the bible to help us decide what his name shall be.

She is so thoughtful.

4) Gordie got some bad news from the doctor.

The eating habits (and/or genetics) of my dear husband have caught up to him and he now has "high" cholesterol.  He has been hitting the exercise pretty-hard for the past couple of months and that has helped, but it looks like his diet needs a remake as well.  I am thoroughly impressed at his efforts to switch from eating basically meat and cheese, with everything fried, to vegetables and fish.  It has only been a few days, but he is starting out strong and actually seems to enjoy the fish!  Plus I discovered I REALLY like asparagus - something I might not have tried if it were not for the hubby trying it, too. 

5) The Study is locked and might stay that way for the next month.

One of our upstairs bedrooms is affectionately termed "the study" as it houses many shelves of books, toys, educational games, etc.  It also attempts to contain the legos and kinex (but we all know these toys are really ALIVE and jump out of their proper storage containers when we are not looking).  In any case, Rebekah takes the State Assessment tests for school, but since we would have to drive an hour and a half each way - three days total! - to have them officially proctored, her teacher allows her to do it virtually.  Anyhow, in order to make sure Rebekah is not cheating, her teacher will have her use the webcam to pan the room.  Thus, the reason I had to clean the study, as I had THOUGHT the test was the next day - no time to make the kids do it and it needed to be done well!  In any case, I had the date wrong, she is not taking the test for another month but. . . let's be honest, cleaning never keeps that long and as great as all my children are, they just cannot seem to get the legos and kinex picked up "well-enough" for my tastes, no matter how much commanding, begging, bribing, encouraging, etc I can come up with.  

Since I cannot fix this "cleaning problem" for the moment and do not want to think I just cleaned the study for no reason, I did the very "adult" move of locking the door and not allowing anyone in.  The big kids are mildly annoyed - they do not spend copious amounts of time in there, but it is a nice oasis where they can escape the little kids, or have quiet for their online classes, or in Rebekah's case, avoid doing schoolwork and be crafty (as she has her desk in there where she does various artsy things, as well as her sewing and attempts at knitting and crocheting).  Plus, they all miss the legos quite a bit - I did not realize they played with them so much!  In any case, although I'm being a little mean I think, there is a good chance I will just keep that door locked until after the assessments.  Probably this will provide fuel for my children's future therapy sessions - or maybe just laughs, "remember that time Mom locked the study for a month?!?!"

"The Study."  Look at that beautiful floor!  Normally you cannot see it at all.

6) So somehow I got signed up for updates from the USPS.

You would think this would be great, right?  Well, actually it is just incredibly annoying.  I rarely go to Wal-mart anymore (like maybe once every six months) so anything I would typically buy there, I buy online.  Thus, we often have packages coming.  So every time one of them moves - from one location to another, I get an e-mail about it.  And often packages move 6 to 10 times before reaching me - that's a lot of e-mails!!  And I would probably not mind that so much, but all the USPS includes (understandably since they are just shipping) is a tracking number, so I have no idea what they are updating me on!  

In contrast, I appreciate how Amazon is so clear - they send a confirmation that I made an order and then they tell me when it ships - and they always clarify WHAT IT IS in each e-mail.  Then if I want to track it, I log on to their site and check the tracking.  Why do I not just buy everything from Amazon you ask?  Well, mostly I do, but sometimes they sell stuff that is shipped directly from the seller.

7) A minor embarrassing story for you, since you read this far. . . 

Typically we have a fairly structured day, granted it starts a bit later than a "regular school" but usually we eat breakfast and dig into our studies, take a recess, have lunch, and hit the studying some more, until our afternoon/evening activities.  However, with me getting closer to the end of pregnancy and being more tired (and loopy - I cannot seem to think straight anymore either - I'm blaming that on being pregnant, too) things are getting a little crazy, as follows:

We should have been doing schoolwork but we all got distracted (*we as in the older four children, as the younger two were napping).  So we got to talking about inventions because Jacob had recently read about several inventors and now was supposed to draw a picture of his own idea for an invention.  Anyhow, the kids talked about a robot to clean the floor - which made me inform them about roombas, which led to u-tube videos of roombas and pets, which led to googling toy-pick-up machine (because I pointed out a roomba would not work in our house due to all the toys on the floor).  We concluded the toy-pick-up machine did not exist, but then went to Amazon to see how much roombas cost (out of curiosity) and were still discussing something to pick up legos (found a little contraption to do so, but not motorized) which led to lego organization.  And the next thing you know we are purchasing one of those little drawer organizer cabinets on Amazon for the legos - and each of the big kids is chipping in on the cost.  Technically no schoolwork done, but were learning, right?

*Bonus - if you read this far, you deserve a picture of Zipporah and Miriam

Please pardon Zipporah's messy face.  I love to see them with their "babies" and Zipporah with the purse on her arm.

Journal #31

Out My Window:

Snow, lots of snow.  The local schools were canceled today and already for tomorrow as well!  We did schoolwork in our house, but we had some fun, too.  I really enjoyed walking to daily Mass this morning through the snow (it is only two blocks) and enjoying an intimate celebration of about 10 people.

Clothing Myself In:

A really big hoodie I got from my dad and sweats.  But in my defense, I wore jeans this morning.  I just had to change cause they got wet while I was shoveling snow.

Around the House:

Thank God for nesting.  I have been cleaning out little areas where clutter collects.  Unfortunately it is an endless process and the minute I get one spot clean, another pops up!  But one mess at a time I figure.

The Baby:

She has taken to wearing dress-up clothes pretty regularly and it such a hoot for me to see her tromping around in them, often with a little purse on her arm, acting all fancy.  She still is not speaking many actual words, but she will either bring the clothes to me to help her put on, or point to them so I know what she wants.

Zipporah is also getting more curious about things.  She is still considerably attached to me, but she will occupy herself for large chunks of time on her own and really enjoys playing with her siblings, especially Miriam. . . most of the time.  Sometimes Miriam gets a little TOO lovey on her and Zipporah lets out her goose honk (as someone - I cannot remember who now - called it, but an apt description for sure) to let Miriam know she has had enough!

The Kids:

Rebekah is growing up more and more each day.  Her latest skill is cleaning and cutting up vegetables for salad.  I enjoy keeping a salad ready to eat in the fridge and Rebekah has been so helpful in washing and tearing up the lettuce, as well as cutting up the tomatoes and cucumbers and whatever else I happen to find to put in there.  In addition to gaining skills, I think I'm noticing a bit of moodiness from Rebekah, but I'm not sure if it is just her beginning to turn into a woman, or her picking up some of my crazy-hormone-flux that the last trimester of pregnancy always seems to bring me.

Samuel is also becoming exceedingly helpful and responsible.  He is still a bit sensitive sometimes and rough with his brothers (especially poor Paul) at other times, but he seems to be figuring things out.  I really appreciate Samuel's help in the kitchen and how he is always eager to do what I ask right away.

Jacob is figuring things out - slowly but surely.  His reading is really coming along as he wants to read novels like Rebekah and Samuel do.  But he is still sort-of in a stand-off between acting like a little kid and being able to do what is asked, especially school work, when I ask it of him.  I can tell he is processing things more and more and am hopeful he will soon let go of his stubbornness.

Paul remains too smart for his own good some days.  He catches on to things - almost everything, exceedingly fast.  As predicted he is done with all his coursework in Math and his other subjects are close behind (but in the defense of the schoolwork, he is only in Kindergarten and that is not exactly a heavy load by any means).  But beyond schoolwork, Paul picks up on social situations and physical activities as well.  He is just pure awesome - and he knows it! - hah  I'm just hoping his conscience will start kicking in soon, as I've been feeding it every chance I get, but that is one area that he is still "childish" most days.  I am hopeful he will grow a little virtue soon, though, as him complaining about having to go to Mass is really getting old.  Just zap him, God, ok?

Miriam is showing a little attitude lately as she gets closer to four-years-old.  She is beginning to question more and ignore the directions she used to follow so well!  But alas, that is all part of growing up.  She is still cute as a button and loves playing with her sisters.

In the Kitchen:

I've finally begun making a weekly menu on Sunday and it is helping some.  I often do not stick to it - or at least not exactly, but having some ideas for dinner and lunch lined up is really helpful.  Now, before you all jump on me and tell me how important it is to plan by the month and know it all, let me say that I have tried that and finally realize that is just not how I work best.  I buy general staples for meals I like to make and I buy things on sale and toss them in the freezer.  But thinking things through, a week at a time gives me a few ideas - but I keep it loose and will cancel a dinner if we have unexpected left-overs, or throw out the plan and try something else if I feel like.  I like to keep things pretty loose.  Well, that and I do not know a lot of meals, so trying to plan an entire month is quite intimidating.  In addition sometimes I do not feel up to making a given meal as things like homemade pizza and calzones need to be started considerably early and require quite a bit of hard labor to complete.

Thinking About:

Cleaning, schoolwork, finances, and how we are hoping to spend our tax return money.

Bringing Me Joy:

An understanding husband (pregnancy is hard sometimes) adorable little kids and helpful older ones.

Pictures to Share:

First time in "snow gear" and Zipporah is not so sure about all this!

Miriam and Zipporah for Zipporah's first real time to tromp in the snow.  She enjoyed it once she figured out how it all worked.

Big sister, Rebekah, helping Zipporah navigate the snow.

7 Quick Takes New Year, New Input

Here are  some things I am learning. . . 

1) Teaching my children to accomplish more tasks can actually be fun for all of us!

Maybe I am just in a bit of a nesting-mode right now, but whatever the case, I have lately realized that my oldest two children are ready for more responsibility.  So I've been showing them how to do stuff they can "almost" do - such as make homemade pizza from scratch or REALLY clean the bathroom.  Basically I have them shadow me and help me several times and eventually, they can do it themselves!!  (As in the case of Samuel who now makes amazing scrambled eggs - doing everything himself - and waffles!  And Rebekah can get the front room picked up and the toys put mostly where they go.)  It will be a while before Rebekah truly masters rolling out the pizza crust (or I switch to another recipe with easier-to-work-with dough) but even now she is learning the different components of how it goes together and even if it only gets so far as her being able to do the sauce and toppings for the next several tries, that is something I don't have to do!!!  My world is bursting this reality that kids can honestly be helpful!!!  Who knew??

2) Exercise is important. . . but really it is just movement.

I have told you before I am really digging the bio-mechanist, Katy Bowman and her writings on human movement.  She did have several titles for her work such as the "Aligned and Well" facebook page, and"The Restorative Exercise Institute," as well has her blog "Katy Says."  Now she has changed all to "Nutritious Movement" and I think that is a brilliant move and really encompasses the philosophy behind her work.  Her main point is that we do not move throughout the day as we used to (and are designed to) because of modern conveniences and culture cues.  But we still can!!  So put movement back in your day - do things differently, stack your life!!

3) Walking is my main focus at this time.

Following my previous point, Katy says repeatedly that walking is the ideal "movement" for humans.  And we should move lots of ways, but if you can do nothing else, at least walk.  So I signed up for a walk-every-day challenge and so far (all 8 days into the year) I'm doing well walking at least 20 minutes a day, though I shoot for more like 45 minutes or an hour - sometimes broken up throughout the day.

4) It is humbling and sometimes mentally taxing for me to change my movement patterns.

Anyone who really knows me knows that I LOVE to exercise.  I love to run.  I love to push myself.  I love to WORK HARD.  And I LOVE to be sore later.  But alas, at the moment running - while I can still run - makes my varicose veins cry out in agony for the next several days - not to mention my back complains and I am just WIPED OUT.  It really would not be prudent to continue running or high-impact "exercise" right now, no matter how appealing that "runner's high" and those "happy work-out endorphins" may seem.  Instead, the walking, the stretching, squatting throughout my day sitting on the floor, hanging from my pull-up bar - these are my "exercise."  And I'm taking it one day at a time, but so far, this seems to be best for my body.

5) I am AMAZED at my capacity for sleep lately.

Now, being pregnant is exhausting work - I would be the first to admit that.  But in my current situation, I am actually able to take a nap, or sleep-in when I feel like it and I am amazed at how much sleep I can actually accomplish!!  Yesterday I went to bed at 10pm - fell right to sleep and slept until 7:30am.  I got up, made coffee for my husband, and decided I was still tired.  I laid back down and slept soundly for another hour.  Then in the afternoon I concluded I needed a nap about 4pm and slept until 6:30pm.  And you are thinking, "ah, she won't be able to go to bed in the evening!" but oh no, I promptly laid down again at 10pm and was out like a light until 8:45am the next morning!!  And this is not a "oh maybe I'm feeling a little sick" day - it has been like this for most of the past five months.  Apparently I am just excelling at sleeping right now - perhaps this is a sign of what type of baby I'm going to be having - haha.  In any case, I am grateful to be in a position to get this rest as my kids can be fairly self-sufficient for the most part or at least leave me alone and not burn the house down, so I am able to take time to indulge in this area.

6) I am really enjoying this video series called "The Wild Goose."

It is basically Father Dave Pivonka, TOR (whom I know from Franciscan University of Steubenville - not sure if he is still there or not) speaking about the Holy Spirit.  There will be 14 segments by the end, as of now, I think 5 are available to stream - all free, of course.  Fr. Dave is a wonderful, dynamic speaker, always with a simple message.  I enjoyed his homilies at school and these segments are great in the same fashion.

7) Final point. . . 

I cannot think of another point at this time and it has already taken me two days to get this together, so I'm publishing this "as is" and enjoying the humility I gain from not being able to "fit the mold" all the time.

Bye now.

Happy Birth-Month Samuel!!

So Samuel had his birthday this month. . . earlier this month. . . but the month is not officially over for several more hours - hah - so I'm still good to go with this post I think.

Happy Birth-Month Samuel!  Nine-Years-Old!!!

*Samuel's favorite subject in school is Math because it just makes sense to him.  (And Mom suspects it is also because it often requires the least amount of writing to answer a question.)

*He really enjoys humor and often wants to share a good joke he has heard.

*Samuel LOVES TO TALK. . . kinda like his mom. . . 

*Samuel is an amazing helper in the kitchen!  He makes wonderful scrambled eggs and waffles.  He is also eager to assist in whatever way I may ask.

*This year I let Samuel light the candles on the Advent wreath.  He did not even burn the house down or anything.

*Samuel is my best cleaner/picker-upper/doer of what Mom and/or Dad say to do.  He often does whine a little, but when push comes to shove, he gets done what he is supposed to do - and generally does the best job of all his siblings, even his older sister that often gets distracted!

*Samuel enjoys roller skating and used his own money to buy a pair of skates last year.  He uses them on the sidewalk when the weather is nice.

*He learned to write in cursive this year and produces very nice handwriting when he really tries.

Dear God, thank you for the blessing of Samuel!  May you continue to mold him in grace and virtue, ever-closer to the man you desire him to be.  - Amen

Advent Updates

So the title might make you think that I'm going to be doing some deep reflecting on the season of Advent, but I tricked you because I actually am just using that title because it IS Advent and these are some of the things I have been noticing.  So while some MAY have to do with the liturgical season, I actually chose the title simply because of timing.  In any case, if you are still reading this, feel free to read on. . .

The Children:

Zipporah reminds me of a little monkey as she toddles around, all bow-legged, tummy sticking out.  It is really adorable.  I read in a book somewhere that children learn to walk by mimicking their parents, so perhaps I need to consider my walking style.

Samuel has taken to whistling. . . a lot.  And I've been grumpier than usual, so I'm often telling him all day to cut it out (in a bit of a gruff tone).  I hope I'm not scarring him for life.  On the positive side, he must be happy to be constantly wanting to make such noise "music."

Miriam, all dressed up.

Miriam is growing into her middle name, Dolores, at least as far as it favors her Great Grandma Dolores Stroda.  While Miriam continues to be sweet and kind and loving, she has this growing bossy attitude.  She wants things done how she wants them and done and while she is sweet and polite about it, her persistence can be overwhelming!

Jacob is really blooming at his school studies. . . when I can manage to keep him in the same room as me to get them done!  He seems to really enjoy reading now, although I don't think he would admit that, but he will gladly sit down and let me read to him and ask him questions about the text as we go.  He is also quite proficient in Math and LOVES to do Science.  His only trouble is handwriting.  Since Math has lots of writing it is definitely a chore to get done.  And as for writing sentences. . . oh buddy, the challenge is real.  I'm going to laugh when he becomes a writer some day - hah.

Random picture of Rebekah and Zipporah, for your viewing pleasure.

Rebekah has started this habit of drinking from her cup sideways.  Seriously, she holds it up to only have her mouth, purses her lips real tight and drinks.  I try not to comment but just seeing it drives me nuts.  At least she has it down and does not spill or anything.

Paul has been grumpier than usual lately, but I'm chalking it up to the holidays.  He carries a lot of energy in all he does and that can be overwhelming at times.  He was throwing himself full-throttle into his school work, but he is only in kindergarten, so there really is not that much to do!  He will easily be done with Math by the end of January and his Literature will be close behind - as will the rest of the his work.  I'm wondering if his teacher has any tips for us as this happens (I forgot to bring it up in our last conference).  There are lots of educational games for him to play on the computer, but I don't think more screen time is the answer.  If more "official school" curriculum is not available I just might need to get him some extra workbooks of some sort.  Unlike his older brother, Jacob, Paul LOVES to write and even wrote a letter to Grandma - all on his own!

Around the House:

I taught Rebekah and Samuel how to do laundry, but honestly I like doing it myself.  Samuel is still the best at folding and putting the clothes away, but he is grumpy about it.  Miriam is the most eager and a little helpful, Paul is even more helpful, but neither of them are good at keeping the drawers neat - surprise, surprise.  Fortunately we have low standards around here.

A while back our oven died and we picked up another used one that was nicer than our old one!  And get this, the new one has A SELF-CLEANING feature!!  I used it the other day and it turned out great!

All the kids are are getting better at getting their dishes into the dishwasher after meals and that is such a blessing.  Although, once again, Samuel is the best at getting the table cleaned off.  Rebekah can do it, but she often comes up with some mostly-plausible excuse to not have to (just like her Daddy).  

As for cooking, Rebekah and Samuel are both quite helpful in making simple meals.  Now we all just need to learn some more recipes!

Faith

We had a friend over to play the other day - a friend we see at church regularly - and somehow my older kids got on this kick bragging about the prayers they know!  They were going on and on and while I am glad they know lots of prayers, I was thoroughly embarrassed to have them flaunting them that way!  Oh humility.  I guess I have been focusing a little too much on the "bare bones" (aka, the words to the prayers) and not enough on the spirit behind the prayers!  Back to the drawing board here.

Our Advent wreath continues to be a hit.  Rebekah and Samuel take turns lighting the candles.  Samuel reads one of our devotionals and Rebekah reads the Scripture for the Jesse Tree ornament.  If I forget, they always remind me.

Gordie and I have been consistent with our Night Prayer (from the Liturgy of the Hours) finally, due to an Advent resolution on my part.

Fun

Gordie was going to put climbing stones on the OUTSIDE of the garage and get harnesses and everything and have the kids climb all the way to the top (two stories up!) but then he realized anchoring the stones on the second story would mess up his drywall inside our playroom.  So instead he came up with this idea for an indoor wall!  The kids all love it and he can hardly wait to get materials to make more - thinking of having the kids climb horizontally around the room.  Gordie is also hoping to put some handles on the ceiling for the kids to swing from to get around as well.

Rebekah received the game Dixit from St. Nicholas and it has been a hit.  Her artistic side really enjoys the pictures I think and it is simple enough that she has been able to play it with Samuel and her cousins when they came and her friends.

Speaking of which, St. Nick brought the game  Suspend to Jacob and of course the pieces have never been used in the recommended "game form" but they have gotten non-stop action as building tools, of course.  Jacob has built everything from collapsible planes to giant leaning sky-scrapers.

Picnic in December?  Sure, why not?

Journal #30

Out My Window:

A beautiful Fall day.  It is almost 80 degrees, the sun is shining, a gentle breeze is about.

Clothing Myself In: 

Work-out capri pants and the shirt I wore to Mass this morning.  I started to change and apparently got distracted in the middle.  Don't worry, I'll be sure to make myself presentable if I decide to go out in public.

Around the House:

I'm starting to feel the clutter.  I really need to go through and deep clean/trash a bunch of stuff sort and organize. . . probably every room in the house, but I just cannot catch a break!  I am busy from sun up to sun down with the regular house duties of cooking and cleaning and schooling.  Then our extra-curricular activities in the evenings and weekends more of the same - still the meals, cooking and cleaning and often school stuff to finish up or activities I promised the kids.  I need a good solid chunk of time to devote to this "project" for the next couple weeks and sadly I do not see it happening.  But that's just life these days.  Maybe if we get a little ahead we could take a day off school and the kids and I could tackle a room together.  That might be interesting.

The Baby:

I found Zipporah sleeping like this when I went in to wake her from her nap.  Babies can sleep in any position it seems.

She walks, she talks.  Well, ok, she is walking much more - and oh so proud of herself.  She honestly rarely crawls anymore.  But she still walks fairly carefully and falls some.  She talks. . . well, sometimes when she is worked up she will call for Mamamamama  or Dadadada and I'm pretty sure she knows what she is doing, but it is not a frequent thing.  She also says "hi" in response to someone greeting her - though not always.  She has an extensive passive vocabulary, though - as she is very perceptive and thus far can get what she wants with a mere cry or gesture, so why bother with words?  Plus, she is just perfecting her stride, so I imagine the words are next on her "to do" list.

She also went in for her 15-month-check (a few weeks late) and here are the stats:

Weight: 25lbs, 8 oz (75%)

Height: 31 & 1/4 inches (50%)

Head: 47 cm (75%)

So, she is no longer a "runt" and all is well again in the growth of dear Ms. Zipporah.

The Kids & Homeschooling:

Paul is going through a bit of a phase now.  School WAS so cool and now he is often "so tired" and just needs to "play a minute."  But fortunately he is so far ahead, I have no qualms about giving him a break.  He is 60% done with his Math - his favorite subject.  If he keeps up this pace he will finish it by the end of January.  I'm trying not to push him or hold him back. When it is done, if he wants more, I will find something else for him to do.  If he burns out and does not want to do more, I will give him a break.  He has earned it think.

Jacob continues to give me grief, but I think he is in a "growing up" phase and will soon come around.  Some days he surprises me.

Rebekah and Samuel keep plugging along, but I often have them do work in the evenings or on weekends as I spend most of my day helping Jacob and Paul.  They take it well, though.

Miriam continues to learn and grow, much like a flower in the wild.  I do not specifically work with her, but she has many educational toys (puzzles, pretend play, paper and pencil) that she employs throughout the day.  She counted animals on a page in a book this afternoon - up to 8, one-to-one correspondence.  That is impressive for a three-year-old in my opinion.  

All the school-aged kids are doing a "Marathon" as a challenge for school.  Basically I am logging their miles walked or time spent doing activities like swimming or biking (15 minutes of activity = 1 mile).  Once they get to 26.2 I will send their sheets in and they will get a t-shirt and their picture and name on the "wall of fame" and such.  It seems like a fun idea to make sure the kids are getting their exercise!  Rebekah has been really enjoying walking with me anyhow, so this is a great excuse for us to keep it up.

In the Kitchen:

I wanted to share a recipe that I have been making pretty-regularly, just for myself (as it contains entirely too many veggies for the rest of my family) and really enjoying.  I make a big pan and then eat on it for basically a week.  It is called Almost 5-Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie.  I add mushrooms and black olives to mine, as well as more eggs - well and generally just more of everything, as the recipe says to bake it in an 8x8 pan, but my spaghetti squash usually over-flows that on its own, so I upgrade to the 13x9 pan.

Also, we made an octuple batch of cookies the other day.  I had just picked up this 16 quart stock pot on sale at Dillons (as I have been looking for one for a while) and it was perfect for the job.  We used a drill and a paint mixer to mix the dough. (I had purchased the paint mixer - for cooking purposes - after my dear hubby had broken my last four beaters trying to mix my natural peanut butter that I had let sit too long.)  It was a lot of fun.  We needed cookies for a party we were attending, for our family to enjoy, and some for the freezer.  Other than the annoyance of spending over two hours baking them, everything went well.

It took both of us at the end.  I needed both hands on the drill so Gordie held the bowl.

And you can see the bottom!  Thank God I was almost done baking at this point.  If we do a batch this big again I will probably freeze half the batter as that was a lot of cookies to manipulate in and out of the oven all evening!

Thinking About:

Money.  Spiritual growth.  The Sacrament of Marriage.  And trying to prepare for Advent!

Bringing Me Joy:

My children - and getting to spend the day home with them, learning and playing.  It is such a blessing.

Pictures to Share:

Rebekah, Zipporah, Miriam, and Samuel.  Zipporah was just smiling, but my camera is often too slow to catch it.

Still not quite a smile, but closer.

Gordie and I stopping to smile during the great cookie making process.