Confession 7

I love the planning of homeschool a bit more than the implementing of homeschool.

Can I get an amen?!

What's Christmas without a Princess Dress?

For my Mama - enjoy:)

Saying "cheese"

Pillbug is in love with dresses, not that one could tell that from this picture!

My First Yarn Along!

I'm playing along with Small Things Yarn Along! Enjoy!

The book is read each afternoon as part of my own "rest time." While Pillbug snoozes away upstairs, the boys are required (yes, required! I'm SO. MEAN.) to watch a video. During that time I get to rest and do my quiet time. This book is taking me through Galations and is focusing on our freedom in Christ. So far, I have gained a lot of insight from it.

My current yarn project is a dish cloth. These are so simple to make and are really the best. ones. ever. I need a whole new set. Slowly, but surely I'm getting there!

Happy Solstice!

Happy Solstice to you!

We celebrated early, early this morning by waking Treefrog to see the lunar eclipse. Thankfully, Fish and Pillbug slept through our craziness since the eclipse happened around 12:30 am:)

Both boys had dentist appointments and while I sat with Fish during his appointment, Ben, Treefrog and Pillbug reenacted the lunar eclipse (I believe Treefrog was the moon, Pillbug was the sun and Ben's fist was the earth). Treefrog has been talking about that most of today.

Tonight we'll continue our celebration with a little fire in our fire pit and roasting marshmallows. We hope to add more to our simple solstice celebration as the years go on, but for now, this fits our family just fine!

Peace to you this holiday season!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

To get me back in the swing of things, here is a bullet-y update for you:

• My surgery went well. Recovery took longer than I anticipated, though I don't think the doc really factored in the fact that my full-time job includes lifting a 50 lb. toddler.
• My grandfather passed away in November and I went back east to be with my mom for a week. Pillbug got to go with me. It sure was amazing to have it be just the girls - Pillbug is a whole different personality compared to those rambunctious boys we have!
• Homeschooling took a three week break due to the surgery and my trip back east. We will go an extra week this coming week with math and reading. Then we'll take a two week break. Yeah for breaks!!
• Ben finished up this semester and we are both looking forward to his evenings being free. On our first evening together, we laid in bed watching Howl's Moving Castle, drinking his homebrewed beer (English bitter if anyone cares), and reveling in the time together. It had been way too long since we had watched a movie without one of us working during.
• Our Christmas shopping and gift-making is complete. We'll be playing St. Nicolas to some friends over the next few days and I'll give an update after Christmas with pictures of what was made for the kids.
• I have been reading a blog called Small Things. I like the pace of her words and often feel a sense of peace and/or understanding of life with kids. She hosts a Yarn Along each week or so and I'd like to start posting a picture of the knitting project I'm working on along with the book I'm reading. Join us if you'd like!
• Treefrog has decided to grow his hair out. It is now in the awkward stage of fly-aways and longer-in-some-parts-than-in-others. I'll take some pictures when I can get him to stand still long enough. The best views are right after he wakes. So funny!
• Speaking of hair, Pillbug seems to still not have very much. Oh the irony - her brothers with a full head of hair each from the beginning and her with wisps still at 18 months. But, her sweet personality makes up for what she lacks in hair!
• Fish is FULLY. POTTY. TRAINED. It's awesome.

Alrighty, I'm pretty sure that is everything to date. Hopefully, I can get back into a rhythm with this blog. It sure is hard to reclaim parts of routine that have been lost!

Confession 6

Pillbug has never spent a night away from me, and it is freaking me out that tonight will be the first.

Attempting to breathe.

Ouch, My Uterus

Look away boys. What follows is a post solely focused on my uterus. You have been warned.

Back in May (yes, I know. I have been keeping secrets from the Internets) I started having periodic bleeding. It was crazy - no rhyme or reason. Sometimes it would be heavy. Other times just spotting. At times I would have this for a couple of days, or five days, then a day or three off. The bleeding always came back, though. I figured this was just my body's freakish way of adjusting to Pillbug beginning to wean. But, at the one month mark of this happening I decided enough was enough. I called my midwife.

I went in and had the normal exam along with a lot of discussion on what was happening throughout the month. She listened and offered two follow-up things for me to do: have an ultrasound to rule out "things" and start a round of hormones (not birth control but similar hormones to get my body on track). I was nervous about the hormones. Fake hormones, in the past, have sent me in a downward spiral with regards to my depression and I just didn't want to go there again. I knew I needed to do something, though, and so I agreed to try it for three months. I went in about two weeks later for the ultrasound and had already started the first round of hormones. Two days after the ultrasound I got The Call. As soon as I heard my midwife's voice I thought I was doomed. Cancer, I thought. I have cancer.

Turns out it is a polyp or possibly a fibroid tumor. The surgeon I met with gave me the option of leaving it in (I said no thanks) and he feels confident that there is nothing to worry about (he didn't even mention the 'c' word). So, in November I'll have a little procedure to remove this alien that has taken up presence in my uterus. It should just be a simple out patient procedure with me up and going as soon as I'm out of the stirrups.

The other day, though, I had to get a shot to "prep my uterus." (I don't know, either, just go with it like I did . . . nodding and making it look like I understood the words leaving my surgeon's mouth.) I have a little, ahem, thing with shots. Like, I can sometimes faint. Only sometimes. Really not that often. But it does happen. Sometimes. But, Ben was busy the day I needed to go in and I wasn't really thinking it was going to be a big deal and so I dropped my boys with a friend and Pillbug and I drove out to the doctor's office. Upon arrival, I found out it was a shot to be given in the buttocks, in a small curtained off area, with only a chair to sit in (so, apparently I will be standing?!). Everything happened so quickly that I didn't really have time to react, though, which was probably just what I needed. Pillbug was trying to touch the freshly alcohol-swiped area and I was trying to keep my bum from being exposed to whomever was walking down the hall. Before I knew it, I had been poked and it was over. We packed up and went out to the car.

I don't know if it was a bit of adrenaline or if the shot just didn't have an effect until a bit later, but once I sat down in the car, it felt like my leg was going to fall off. All through lunch I just wanted to lie down (not really a possibility with the children here!), but instead I mustered through. By that evening I felt a bit better and all the pain was gone the next day. It was weird, is all I'm saying.

Now, apparently, my uterus is prepped and I'm ready to be scraped and whatever else to which I nodded my head. Good thing is the "prepping" means no actual period between now and the surgery . . . now if only the spotting would stop!

And so ends my post of which the male audience may not wish to read.

Confession 5

There are days when my quiet time involves a nap . . . today was one of those days.

I think Jesus gets it.

Apple Picking

Sweet Crabapples - an oxymoron, but true!

I wanted to take the kiddos apple picking after spending a week immersed in our book. My plan was to go on Friday of our first week. Alas, that did not happen as the orchard we were going to visit took a three-day holiday starting Friday. So, Monday it was.

Hmmm, I sure do wish I could remember what Fish was explaining:)

The day was great. We spent some time letting the boys walk quickly (did you know there was no running in the orchard?!), pick until there hearts were content, and taste testing (yum!). The boys loved a tree full of crabapples, partially because the limbs were perfect height for a three, five, and six year old to reach. Normally crabapples are tart and nearly inedible (unless they are jammed), in my opinion, but these ones were very sweet and the kids chomped on them as they picked. I even added some to the applesauce I made later and I think they were the ones giving the sauce such sweetness even without sugar.

Here are the boys, all together (Pillbug was a patient gal, hanging out on my back, munching on her very own crabapple):

Confession 4

I stopped drinking coffee in the mornings a while back and I don't miss it at all.

This one surprises even me.

First Week

Ben and I decorated the windows for our first day of homeschool!

We spent the first week of homeschool talking about apples. It was not a bad week, in my opinion!

Our curriculum is pretty loose. We are doing a lot of reading, mostly from a book recommended to me from a friend called Five in a Row. I am LOVING this book. It recommends wonderful, full of life stories for us to read, as well as some great activities (I use this word loosely) to take learning further.

So, our first book was How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. About a gal who decides to make an apple pie but finds the market closed. She then travels to different countries finding the finest ingredients for her pie. We read this story once each day and then took a part of the book a little further in a lesson (geography, art, science, etc.).

Reading makes up the largest part of our curriculum. Hmmmm, maybe that isn't quite the truth. Training Fish to play on his own without destroying things may actually be taking precedence right now. Oh, the joys of an active, to say the least, three year old.

Next comes math. We are working through Right Start Math which is awesome for Treefrog at this point. I have planned through Lesson 10 and there is only one worksheet in those first ten lessons. It is, obviously, very manipulative based and that has been great so far.

Handwriting is a combination of copywork from books that we are reading or that he chooses (thanks for that great idea, J!!) and pages from a book we started working on this summer.

There was a lot of time for Treefrog, Fish, and Pillbug to interact (which I love) throughout the day. We had breaks to change diapers, get snacks or drinks, clean up messes, go for a walks, help a friend in crisis, etc. Though the week was tough, it is what I thought it would be - a LOT of family life with a bit of school. The tide will turn one day and family life will focus more on school, but for now, I'm going with the flow.

The obligatory "First Day of School" picture:

Meet Brielle

Isn't she so cute?!

We recently got the chance to meet "our cow." We are a part of a creamery and receive a gallon of milk each week from one of two cows on a farm about ten miles from our house. Both cows are pregnant right now and the one in the pictures isn't due until about February. The other cow will deliver sometime in the next couple of months (so she is getting a break from milking right now so her body can grow that calf!). We will make another trip out when the calf is born, but hope to visit sooner than that if possible.

Treefrog and Fish had a great time running around, saying hi to Brielle, and thanking the cows for giving us milk (literally! It was so cute to hear Fish, "Thank you for our milk!"). Treefrog, ever sensitive to smells, decided it wasn't very pleasant to breathe right next to Brielle. He did like climbing over the hay piles and jumping from higher-than-Mama-would-prefer.

I resisted the urge to offer my milking services on a regular basis, but just barely. I would love to get my hands on those udders *wink*

It is such a huge responsibility, caring for two milk cows. I'm so glad that there are people who are willing to make these two beauties a part of their life! The milk is delicious and fresh. We see first hand how the cows are cared for, the process of milking the cows, and how the milk is cooled quickly to keep it fresh longer. I have had people ask me if I am nervous about giving my family raw milk and my answer is a resounding "NO!" It is very comforting seeing the entire process and knowing the milk my kiddos are drinking is roughly 12 hours out of the udder.

Want to find a creamery near you? Check out this website. It is an incredible source of information for local food sources all over the United States.

A Day at the Beach

Laughing

Running

Splashing

Playing

Watching

Learning

Seeing

Building

Breathing

Loving

A Quick Check-In

I haven't disappeared. My mom came for a visit and life was rather busy with her here - busy in a very good way! We had fun at OMSI, exploring the tide pools at the beach, and going for walks. Of course, we went to The Cheesecake Factory (a little tradition we have going on) and shopping. Mom bought us a butter bell to keep our homemade goodness a bit fresher and a laundry system (to sort clothes as we take them off, instead of my previous system which was put them all into one bin).

I was delighted with these gifts.

Am I a grown-up or what?

Thanks for a wonderful visit, Mama!

Confession 3

I buy Reese's Cups and Dr. Pepper, consume them together, and don't feel an ounce of guilt.

Sittin' On the Dock of the . . . Bed?

I'm in bed.

It's the end of a CA-razy week. Last Tuesday I lost Fish. Friday I turned thirty. Saturday we all got the flu and Pillbug cut the tip of her finger off. Today my back decided to spasm.

So, here I sit.

*Sigh*

Here are the details of each event. Tuesday: Fish squeezed his little-big behind through a hole that he had made in our fence and then into our neighbor's fenced-in backyard. Many folks helped me search for him and he was gone a total of 15-20 minutes. It seemed like a lifetime. He patted me on the shoulder when our neighbor brought him back and said, "It's okay Mama. Don't cry. It's okay." The little buggar.

Friday: 30. 'nough said.

Saturday: I woke up thinking my hormones were to blame for feeling like a Bitch (and trust me, it deserves that capital B!), but it turned out I, and the rest of my family, was just getting a stomach bug. Of the vomiting variety. Great. It hit Ben first. Then Treefrog. I held it together until about 4 pm and asked if I could take a shot at laying down since I was feeling queasy too. I had been in our bed for roughly two minutes when I heard The Scream. I bolted out of bed and met Ben at our bathroom door. He was holding our screaming Pillbug who was missing the tip of her finger. Sweet Treefrog had been trying to bring Ben a glass of water since he was throwing up. Ben told Treefrog to shut the door so Pillbug didn't follow him in and Treefrog shut it rather aggressively, taking Pillbug's middle finger with it. Oh, that image is hard for me to remember. She and I rode in an ambulance to our Children's hospital and met our favorite ER doc. He gave her six stitches and sent us on our way. Tylenol and Ibuprophen are working wonders at controlling her pain. I found out today that she really likes to look at it and try to pull the stitches out. Apparently, it isn't bothering her too much.

Today: Scene - lunch time in a typical American house. Mama is shredding cheese for quesadillas. Friend of the Dad, J is keeping Pillbug from clawing at Mama. Mama is looking uncomfortable.

Mama: Gosh, I really need to crack my back. And if I am ever rich I am buying all my cheese pre-shredded!

Dad enters kitchen.

Mama: Oh, I'm glad you're home! If you pick me up to crack my back, will it work in the middle?

Dad: Yeah, it should.

Mama: Wait! You have a broken back. You can't lift me!

Dad: Yes I can!

Dad begins chasing Mama around trying to pick her up.

Mama: Joke's over! Stop it!

Mama lays on floor and swings legs from side to side to stretch and crack her back. She attempts to get up from the floor and at that moment realizes she has made a mistake. A very. big. mistake.

Yes, this is my life. One child who is an escape artist, one with stitches, and me not being able to move an inch without shooting pain in my back. Oh to be 29 again!

Confession 2

Due to [insert whatever justification makes sense at the time; tiredness, laziness, I-don't-care-ed-ness . . .], I sometimes throw away a perfectly recyclable container because it still has food residue in it.

It All Ended In Screaming and Crying

I know the pictures I'm about to show you will in no way depict that title. You'll just have to trust me. A mile walk to the ice cream shop apparently is not overcome by a scoop (or, in Ben's case, two scoops) of ice cream. There was much rending of clothing and gnashing of teeth. BUT. Before that, we had this:

Oh Fish! I will never get past that smile!!

This is the first time I have ever seen Treefrog eat an ice cream cone (he usually wants one, but then uses a spoon to finish the ice cream and throws away the cone).

I know you all are jealous. She is not for sale.

And neither is he.

Confession 1

After submerging myself in the blueberry bushes to get all the berries the birds so kindly leave us in the most unreachable places, I roll around on the floor like a dog to make sure I don't have any bugs on me.

Unless Ben is home.

Then he gives me a rub down. And not that kind of rub down. Geez.


This is something I'm toying with - maybe a confession per week? Who knows. Sometimes I start things and don't follow through. Hmmm, maybe that is confession 2 ;)

Weekend Sewing

This past weekend, I found myself with a bit of time on my hands AND a sewing project started (and by "started" I mean I had the main four pieces cut). When the stars align, one simply cannot push them aside, so I started sewing.



I started a bit before this with the cutting of the fabric. Other than that, it was just following the directions (fold this seam, sew, pin these together, sew, etc) and viola! Here's the final product (a dress for Pillbug):









I'm not kidding about how easy this project was. I am an amatuer sewer at best and I had absolutely no problem with this pattern. It came from a great book I splurged on one weekend called Making Children's Clothes by Emma Hardy. I fell in love with this book the instant I picked it up. It has great ideas and requires very little previous knowledge in sewing. I hope I can make more projects from this book soon, if only those darn stars align again!