Fruits of our labor

Today was such a productive day.  It started at 5:30am.  Somehow the children have not figured out that just because the sun is up does not mean it is always time to be up.  I took in stride and figured we could get a jump on getting our home ready for the Sabbath.  That was until I started feeding Daniel and realized how exhausted I was.

After feeding him and getting him back down, I laid back down myself for about 30 minutes.  Jared helped some of the younger ones get breakfast, and then joined me.  I always enjoy when he comes back and cuddles as we fall back to sleep.

We finally got started around 7 and went full speed ahead.  We started with family scripture study.  I introduced some new methods we will be incorporating into what jobs they get to do on Saturdays and through out the week.  We also introduced a pilot of how they can earn money. 

This picture was taken when we lived in Scottsbluff Nebraska.  The windiest place I have ever lived.  There was a nice breeze here where we live all day today.  This evening I opened the windows to let the nice cool air in.

When I was at my friends home the other day we somehow got on the subject of kids and earning money.  At that time I thought I had come up with a great way for the kids to earn money but then she shared this nugget of info she had learned about at a recent meeting she attended.  She told me that a woman with a lot of children had said that what worked for her family was that at the end of each month the child would be paid how ever old that child was. i.e Emma is 9 so she would get $9.  Their children were then taught to give 10% to the Lord for their tithing, 20% to put into a savings and the rest they can do with what ever they want.  Fabulous in my opinion!

After our study we got to working.  Everyone stripped their sheets from their beds and we gather all the towels, so I could start the wash.  This took a bit of reminding, but it eventually happend.

The kids are always in charge of cleaning the play room on Saturdays.  I figure they can make all the mess they want during the week, but come Saturday I expect them to put everything back in order.  Well it did not go so smoothly today.  I chalked it up to very early rising.  So around 1pm I had waved my white flag and had 5 of the 6 children soundly sleeping.  It was amazing what a good nap can do to any ones ability to focus.  Good call on my part. 

Before the naps though Lucy and Jared cleaned the bathrooms.  This is Lucy's specialty.  She loves to clean them with Jared.  Sera sat on top of her bed for over an hour huffing and puffing how she could not get her new sheet on her bed.  I responded with "You are right sweetheart you certainly can not get your sheets on your bed if you are just sitting there.  At least try.  We had a lesson later on how if you have forgotten how to do something or you need specific help then we can do a review, but to just sit there and complain to the universe on how hard it is, it will never get you anywhere.  Bless her heart.

Kady seems to have figured out that she is the fourth child and that the fourth child can often times get overlooked when it comes to doing work.  I made a mental note that this is something that I need to put more energy into.  It will be on my "things to ponder" list on what I can do differently to help her.  Who knows maybe she is just one of those kids that will end up with maids one day, but at least I will know that I did everything in my power to teach her how to work hard and how to use some elbow grease.


While the children napped, Emma and Jared worked in the yard playing detective on the sprinkler system.  It was fun to watch them locate the heads and then dig down around them to expose them.  Emma seemed to enjoy getting very muddy. 

And while they were doing that, I worked on making delicious stuffed green peppers for dinner.  Once I got that done I stuck them in the fridge so they could be ready to stick in the oven later on to heat for dinner time.  It is so much easier for me to make meals that can be made earlier in the day so when "that" time of the day comes all I need to do is re-heat the meal.

Once everyone woke up from naps, the home was nice and fresh and ready for the Sabbath.  It is one of my favorite things.  A freshly cleaned home.  The energy that comes from my home.  Almost like a "thank you for cleaning me, I wasn't sure if you had noticed me at all during the week.  So thank you" kind of feeling. 

 Again another Scottsbluff picture.  We were having macaroni for lunch and I was cleaning stuff up when Sera said "wook mommy funny!"  It certainly was and I was able to capture it .  Nothing says yum like macarnoi in your nose

Jared took Kady and Lucy to the dollar tree on a hot date.  They came back with cotton candy and were so happy.  We had dinner which was soooo yummy!  Lucy did not care for the green peppers.  But she gagged them down because her desire to have dessert was great than her desire to not eat them.  Gotta love determination.  I had cut up a watermelon for a side dish and Eliza ate hers and then would sneak others off of their plates while they were not looking.

After dinner and dessert everyone got bathed.  Then my wonderful step-brother and his beautiful wife and son came to babysit for us so Jared and I could attend a church meeting tonight.

  Elder Allan F. Packer, of Quorum of the Seventy spoke at our meeting this evening.  All who spoke shared such great messages.  It was all so edifying.  It was exactly what I needed to hear.  About 7 months ago we got to here Elder Packer speak in our stake back in Michigan in the same kind of setting.  When I saw that he was going to be presiding over our meetings I thought of how he had shared how much he enjoyed calling people to come up at minutes notice to share a message.  I am glad he did not do that tonight.  I always get so nervous for whomever is asked to do such a thing.  


We came home to an even cleaner home than what we left.  Dishes were done, kids in bed.  No lights on.  All was well.  I am glad the girls got to spend time with their aunt and uncle and cousin.  They will be moving at the end of May.  We will miss them but we are also so excited for their next adventures that are ahead for them. 

 I felt like my eyes went cross a few times today.  Nothing a little chocolate can't fix

Today was a great productive day.  Even if it was like pulling a tooth that isn't ready to be pulled out, to get some of the kids to do their responsibilities.  I know that consistency is what matters and even if they don't get it now someday they will, I hope.

Dreams

I was dreaming this morning about something random when in my dream all of the sudden a baby started crying out of nowhere. I tried to find the crying baby to see if I could comfort it. My efforts seemed to be fruitless and then I woke up and found Daniel was up and crying. It is so facsinating to me how that happens.

Kady tuckered out after church.  She found a place under the dining room tables.  She actually peed on the floor shortly after I took the picture,

Last week he went through a growth spurt. So for several nights he was up for a midnight feeding to up my milk supply to accommodate his growth.After the growth spurt feedings it leaves me quite full in the mornings now. This morning was no different. I think he had been crying for a while so he must have had a good air bubble. After chugging down on the first side he un latched himself looked at me with a very overfilled look and spewed milk all over me.

Can you count how many chins he has?

Kady had come in his room to talk while I fed Daniel. (yes some of the kids wake up that early) When he exploded she said "Oh dear! He's okay?" So cute.

I got frustrated with Emma this morning. She needed to finish her homework. She had about 4 questions left. I came down stairs about 7, after I got myself ready for the day. She had already been down there for a good 20 minutes prior so naturally I had thought she was done with homework.  Nay, nay.

This is what it looked like when I came to the kitchen.

Emma was sitting at the table still in her pajamas, hair crazy. Her change purse dumped out on the table with a few random pieces of trash from her drawer. Still no breakfast.She was chatting up a storm with Lucy about who knows what.

My first thought was, "well maybe she is using this stuff for homework. " But after about 20 more minutes of just sitting there I felt it necessary to sternly remind her that she had roughly 15 minutes to get her lids done and that I was pretty sure nobody at school wanted her to show up in her night gown.

Most of the time the responsibility lids work. Sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, I need to work on how to respond to it. I get so frustrated. Mostly because I feel that they have been doing the lid thing for so long (about 4 years now) that surely they get it.

Unfortunately, I get reminded on how many times I need to be reminded of what I am suppose to be doing.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and His example of the kind of parent I need to be. 

After Emma and Sera left for school we got to help a family in our congregation.  We took the 2 older sons of the family to school and got to bring a dinner for them.  Eliza closed her eyes and pretended she was asleep to avoid the strangers.  She has been going through the stranger danger stage lately.  It was cute to me to watch through the rear view mirror.

I love looking at my kids eyelashes when they are sleeping.  So cute!

We got home and while I fed Daniel we watched some footage of the royal wedding.  The girls got bored so they played with play doh. 

We made cupcakes this morning for our babysitter.  Her birthday is on Monday.  We had fun.  I ate 4 of them.  They were so airy so I tricked myself into thinking that surely something so light and fluffy couldn't possibly have too many calories. 

After lunch we all took a nice nap.  Oh blessed nap time. 

For dinner I had some free pizza coupons from the community.  They sent us a nice welcome package thingy with several coupons to use at local places.  We got a Barros pizza.  Double cheese.  Yum! 

The girls had a picnic dinner in front of the tv while they watched their Friday night movie.  Lucy's tummy got a rumbly and threw up.  She seems to have a sensitive tummy lately.  Once Jared got home from work we headed out on our hot date.

Kady and my Dad napping during conference

I was in charge this week.  We take turns.  We went to the Mesa Temple.  What a great night.  We headed to Culvers to indulge in their yummy butter burgers.  We got a vanilla bean shake but that was not as good.  We talked about how we are going to work on making and succeeding financial goals for the future and I told him some cute things that happened this week with the kids.  He looked so handsome sitting there in his Sunday clothes.  He told me about how the retreat went.  What a great night!  I am glad he is home.
Off to bed ;)

 Jared napping with Emma and Sera when they were 3 and 2.

 

My New Journal

For the past 5 years I have documented every single day of my life, that is until the end of last November. I think that with all of the change that happened at the same time I put it on the back burner. I felt that a piece of me was missing. I figured out that I wasn't doing what I enjoy doing and that is recording what went on in our daily lives on a consistent basis. After thinking about what I could do I differently, I realized getting back to blogging would be the answer. Except now it will be more of a personal recording.

Thursday April 28, 2011

I got to bed around midnight last night and boy did I feel it this morning. It was nice that Jared did not have to leave until later in the morning. So I snuck in a half an hour more of sleep. Sera was up bright and early because she was so excited to be going to the zoo. Anytime one of the girls would come in to the room I told them to go downstairs to spend time with Dad. I finally got up about 6:45, showered and got ready. I got the girls lunches ready. Sera wanted her hair put up in pig tails. As I was doing her hair I suggested that she wear her pioneer bonnet for a hat when she was at the zoo. She informed me that that was not going to happen, and that if she did do that then she would be the only one wearing a bonnet and that would be weird. She opted for a girlish baseball cap.

After the two older girls left for school, I packed everyone else up and we headed over to a friends home to play. It is always such a joy for me to visit with my friends. The kids played beautifully. Eliza enjoyed getting in and out of the kiddie pool. Her diaper looked like this big bulge. Kady and one of friends son role played and pretended. It is so cute to me to listen to little people role play. Their little voices figuring out who's gonna be who and who's gonna say what.

Around one we wrapped things up and headed home. On my way home I had thought of my best friend back in Michigan. I planned to call her once we got home. We we arrived home, Eliza had fallen asleep, so I got her to her bed. When I got Daniel out he had, had a blow out, so I cleaned him up.

I thought to check the phone to see if anyone had called, and to my surprise my best friend from Michigan had called and left a message. I love when things like this happen!

I gave her a call and we talked for about an hour. She was having "one of those days". I hate those kind of days. It was so wonderful to catch up.


This morning I had a thought to call a friend here where we live to see if I could watch her youngest while the rest of her family went to her kindergartners spring concert thing. I am glad she let me watch him, because we all know how fun a 2 year old can be when you are suppose to sit still and be quiet. She dropped him off about dinner time. He cried for a moment until the girls came to his rescue and mothered him to happiness. I love that our girls are so kind and considerate.

I made tacos for dinner. Always a hit with the kids. they especially love building their own tacos. It is one of those meals that I close my eyes half shut because it is quite messy. By the end of the meal our table looks like a taco has sneezed all over it. It is worth it though. Messes can always be cleaned up.

Eliza has had diarrhea for 2 days now. A sure sign that teeth will be coming. At least that has always been the case with all of the children when they cut teeth. 2 year molars, here you come!


Jared has been working like crazy. They have a retreat today and tomorrow and he has put a lot of work into making sure it turns out well. Of course it will! Because he is fabulous at what he does.

Tuesday night I tried staying up with him, but by 1:30 a.m. my body had, had enough of being awake. Goodnight honey. see you in a few hours. It may have taken me a full 10 seconds before I passed out on my pillow. My body was so tired when I woke up a few hours later to start the day. I got a brief nap mid day, and that helped me get through the rest of the day.

My sister is letting me borrow this baby thing. It is my lifesaver and Daniels too. If I leave him on the floor when Eliza is up, he ends up getting a nice pile drive and Eliza plops right on him and then proceeds to give the biggest, wettest kiss right on the nose.

During the girls spring break a few weeks back, I had them help me clean our beautiful plantain shudders. I keep old holey sock and we use those to dust with. They worked wonderfully.

Eliza and Lucy were in charge of the table area blinds.

Sera wanted her hair to be curly, so we put her hair in about 7 little buns. It curled up real nice.

I LOVE this girl! I tell her all the time that she is my favorite Kady. Her age is one of my favorite too. 3 years olds are the best in my opinion. I seriously could listen to her play all day.

This above picture and below picture were taken a while back at our local library. This particular night they had the BYU ballet company performing a very condensed version of their full ballet they were going to be performing somewhere in Mesa or Phoenix that weekend. The girls loved watching them. Afterward they wanted to play in the very green lush grass. It reminded us of Michigan.

Eliza stuffing her mouth with Easter candy.

Emma got her ears pierced this past month for her birthday. She has done such a great job at taking care of them and making sure she cleans them daily.

This picture I took that same night as the ballet thing and I just black and whited it.