The Day My Kids Flew Away

Sometimes my life is so eventful that I just can't wait to write about it...but then life keeps coming and I never get to it.  Although, it is really much closer to the truth to say I simply don't place blogging at a very high priority.  I hope you don't take it personally, but I do put potty training, laundry, and scrubbing showers before sharing my thoughts with all of you....

See, J had those staples put in her head somewhere around two months ago and today I sit here, finally,  writing about the absolutely ridiculous day we all had when we went to the hospital to have them removed. 

I recall it being a blustery Tuesday in which I had a number of errands on my list with the hopefully quick ER visit last.  We accomplished the other errands without incident and headed to the hospital (I would have happily gone to our pediatrician, but then I pay more because the ER kindly includes the removal visit in their nominal fee when you go there, in the first place, to have them installed). 

As I get out of the car I notice that my door closes on its own with quite a bit of gusto.  I make a mental note to carry M, as he does not like wind, and S as she is probably too small to withstand the wind (although she thinks it is great fun).  I proceed around my SUV opening the doors (and trunk-as two children enter and exit there) to let everyone out.  Yes, I do often feel like a flight attendent, in case you were wondering.  I hear some protests about the wind, but very sympathetically point out that the entrance is "right over there" (about 50 yards).

I begin walking toward the doors, shielding my youngest two from the wind when I notice I am alone.  I look around and find Z, carrying a bag of books, has made a beeline for the door with his head down and has severely missed his target and obviously has no idea of his misfortune.  However, that quickly becomes no big deal as over the wind I hear T and J screaming at the top of their lungs.  They are literally being blown across the parking lot. 

Time out: Have you ever watched the Weather Channel during a severe hurricane?  Well, if you are as dorky as Ryan and I and you have then just picture those poor weather reporter people who continue talking while they are nearly horizontal and holding onto a light pole, but much shorter, cuter, and helpless.

This is what I saw except that every two seconds one of the girls would actually fall to the ground and try to get up only to be swept FARTHER away from the door.  Meanwhile, I am completely incapacitated.  I can't set a child down (let's not imagine what would happen to a lighter person), but I don't even have a hand free. I have one child on each hip, one child blindly heading off to who knows where, and two girls nearly rolling across the parking lot.  I quickly decide that I have to get Z to come back, if he can hear me, to sit with M and S in the ER lobby. 

I wait for a brief break in the gusting and holler with all my might to get Z's attention.  It worked!  He looks more than befuddled as to how he ended up where he was, but now heads in the right direction.  I can now focus on the girls who are screaming as they have managed to find solace in a parking lot island and are CLINGING to a poor two year old tree.  However, this island happens to have small rock as its ground cover and they are continuously crawling or falling on this material. Thus, more reason to holler...other than being helpless. 

I attempt to tell them my plan, but it really isn't worth it.  I make a beeline to the door and get through the first set of sliding doors, set down M and S, tell Z to "watch them" and RUN back outside.  I rescue my two girls who are still trying to claw their way across the rocks on all fours, but keep ending up back at their beloved tree.  As we go in I notice that T is particularly upset.  Come to find out her headband blew away.  Deep breath...deal with that in a bit. 

As I walk through the second set of double doors, with all of my children safely in tow, I am now in a very crowded waiting room for the ER.  I feel fifty thoughts a second rushing to my head.

Something like this: This waiting room is full.  We are going to have to wait a long time.  It is almost lunch time.  I can't wait more than an hour.  Wait, they are all staring at us.  Are you serious? They must have just watched us fall all over the parking lot.  Wow, that is fantastic.  Glad my family could be of some entertainment.  Hold on people...really? None of you abled bodied people could have helped me?  Really???  Oh well, I will look straight ahead.  We are all OK.  I will be the composed mom of five and smile. 

I go to the counter and this kind woman looks at me sympathetically.

What? Did they have a running commentary going on in here?

She now informs me, almost sheepishly, that the wait is over two hours long; they have just been very busy today.  "OK, maybe my husband will bring her this evening", I say with a fair amount of resignation.  She kindly offers me the nurse station phone number which we can call later to see if the wait is shorter.

I take my brood through the first set of doors to many fearful protests and tell them to wait on the small bench that is in this small area before actually going outside.

As I run out to my car to pull it up to the doors I realize my keys were gone!!  I climb in the car to empty my purse and it dawns on me that I can hear the engine running.  I had never turned off our car!!!  I take another deep breath and place one child at a time inside the running car.

We all made it home safely. 

And I found the headband!!!

They really must be twins...

Often when I am out with the kids, T and J are assumed by most to be twins.  They are the same height, have the same hair and eye color, and generally look quite a bit alike.  The two of them have developed all sorts of responses to this question/comment (many people don't ask, but simply assume).

Just today, the mom teaching their coop class was introducing them to another mom who was visiting, and said, "And this is T and this is J; good luck keeping them straight!"  And their poor swimming instructor...they have matching swimsuits and both have hot pink goggles.  One can often hear her trying out both names for one girl just to see which gets their attention.

I don't try to encourage this 'twin-like' behavior.  But I don't discourage it either.  I hope they are the best of friends and love each other's company dearly all the years of their lives, but they are two individuals who are really not much alike, underneath, at all. So I do my best to allow them to be however 'twinish' (or not) they desire on any given day.

However, on Monday this idea of occasionally being twins became a bit over the top.  Not to mention dangerous and expensive.

See, there was this post about 13 months ago: Our first trip to the ER.  For the sake of demonstrating just how absurd this is: T and J are almost exactly 13 months apart.

Well, we repeated that incident once again on Monday.  Only this time with J.  Yup, she has four staples in the center back of her head.

She was sitting on a small, low wooden stool using a side table to do her handwriting (she is known for finding odd locations and configurations in which to do most tasks) when she lost her balance and fell back.  It would have been a small bump on the carpet except that a chair had been pushed back and she came back on a corner of the chair leg.  I was in the kitchen (around a corner) making bread when she hollered. 

I will never get over the amount of blood that comes with head injuries.  Dripping all over the floor, down all of her hair, etc. She even had managed to cover a bit of her face with some.  Oh, the amount of ideas one's head suddenly has at a moment like this is rather staggering.  Anyhow, it was a mess, but once I washed her up a bit I saw that it was just like T's and knew we were in for the same treatment.  I also knew I could wait twenty minutes for Ryan to come home and watch the rest of the little ones.

On to the ER J and I went.  The nurse even remembered our family from when we all had come in for T to have her staples taken out.  I suppose there aren't too many groups of six people (only one of those persons being an adult) piling into an ER room with school books and pencils to have staples removed... 

Fortunately for J, the Dr decided to use a topical numbing gel.  T had no anesthetic with hers, but she is a much tougher cookie.  Four staples and a special teddy bear later we were on our way home.

I still can't decide on one thing: Is it simply sad or a blessing from above that we finished paying off our last ER bill (for T's broken finger) this month, just in time to begin another payment plan....

Oh, and did I ever tell you?  T named her bear, which the ER gave her last year, "Staples".  Seriously.

J's bear's name? "Fancy Jane"....don't ask; I don't know...but its things like that which go to show that they really aren't twins.

How our children do work

I have taken an intentional break from blogging.  The holidays were filled with some serious game playing, a Kutless Christmas concert where Ryan and I volunteered, baking, a trip to see the Nutcracker, and simple days.  It was awesome!  Ryan took about a week and a half off and we all really just enjoyed life together.

And then we rang in the new year with everyone at the Dr.'s office and many on a much needed antibiotic.

But here I am, back to writing, and healthy (except for a serious calf muscle strain-long story...let's just say patience is not one of my strong suits)!

I am going to wrap up the series on kids and work today. To find part 1 go here.  For part 2: here.

Our family has a designated chore time five days a week.  It happens M,T,Th,F,Sat.  Wednesdays are a busy day for us outside of the house and chores just don't make sense that day.  Currently, I have the kids doing their weekday chores after lunch.  This allows us to have a solid morning to get school done.  On Saturdays, chores are first thing. Sundays are a day of rest.

We do pay our children a bit for chores.  This consists of a couple of quarters a week.  We don't want to make this a large money making ordeal.  However, we want to give a small opportunity for them to begin learning some money managing skills.  In addition, it is a way to introduce the concept of working to earn a paycheck. 

We do not pay all of the children equally.  Our oldest two earn a quarter more than J does and their assigned jobs reflect that difference.  M and S do not have chores nor do they receive any income.

Our children usually begin doing chores when they are between 3 and 4.  This begins with simply putting away their own clean laundry, making their bed and maybe helping dust or wipe down counters or feed a pet.

Typically by the time they are 4 they are ready to take on some more independent light cleaning.  It is better to begin this process early rather than late.  Just don't overwhelm them; you want this to be a positive, helpful experience.

As a practical matter, how do we handle kids and chemicals?  We don't.  I use all natural cleaners.  You can make some of your own.  You can look to buy some 7th Generation at the store (not really my favorite, but convenient). 

We purchase through Melaleuca (I use all of their cleaners and laundry/dish detergent) and through Frontier (I buy Citra-Solv and all of our personal products from them).  Team up with like minded friends and family if you wish to do an account on Melaleuca as it requires a monthly commitment that I find is typically beyond what one family needs.  Or contact Frontier to see if they have a buying group in your area. 

Honestly, long-term, you will save piles of money with these two companies if you become committed to natural products. I don't sell for either of them.  It is just my honest opinion.

My last bit of advice is to be consistent, but flexible.  Keep chores going despite any whining or complaining.  Better yet, inform your children that income is only given out when their jobs have been done well and cheerfully. 

But if a child is not feeling well or it has been a particular stressful day I may declare that there are no chores, but that everyone needs to work together to get a particular two or three things done.  Sometimes this is simply emptying the dishwasher or picking up the living spaces.  This helps everyone enjoy a bit of grace, but work together to keep our home functioning.

No matter what, make chores and working together a priority.  It will instill work ethic, personal responsibility, and a sense of belonging to each young one.

Why should kids work?

I promised a few weeks ago, when I shared our fantastic chore system, more writing on kids and work. 

Hopefully, you subscribe to the 'better late than never' philosophy...if not, well, um...I'm moving on.

So, the question today is, 'why should kids do chores?' or 'why should children work?'.

Really, I could simply say to refer to the book of Proverbs.  There are more than a few nuggets on how God created our bodies to work.  But that wouldn't be necessarily super helpful so I suppose I shall expound a bit more.

It has surprised me, over the last few years, to discover how many parents do not think their kids should have to do jobs around their home.  Possibly, these parents felt over-worked as kids, themselves and fear they will do the same to their children.  Maybe they don't want to put in the effort to teach their kids how to do some tasks. And there are even more adults who simply believe 'kids are kids' and shouldn't have to do more than their schoolwork.

We don't believe in any of that. Period.

God made all of us to work.  And parents were given children for many reasons and one of the purposes of childhood is to learn how to be a productive adult and the parents are the teachers in this endeavor.  And last time I checked, productiveness requires a fair amount of effort, or work.

So, I hope my children learn to be comfortable with working their bodies physically in many ways, including with tasks that can feel meaningless and redundant, although necessary, around the house (really...who likes to vacuum up a floor only to see it dirty a few hours later). 

In addition, our daughters need to learn to be good keepers of their future homes and chores are a first step in that direction.

We also believe that required work helps produce a certain amount of character and attitude improvement. 

Ryan works in middle management.  I could write for hours (except that I have work to do) about the stories he comes home with which demonstrate an adult's lack of determination to simply suck it up and go get the job done.  How sad would it be to carelessly develop a worker like that under our own roof? 

I am not saying that by having my children do chores they will turn into future five star employees.  I am simply saying that chores are a beginning step in developing the 'work' part of their character.  And we find that to be Biblical.

"Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." Proverbs 10:4

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23

"One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys." Proverbs 18:9

"Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry." Proverbs 19:15

Everything is good in moderation and with consideration.  Requiring children to work is no exception.  Next time I intend to tackle how we have our children working.

The quickest chore system for the cleanest house!

Do I have you sold by the title? 

Can you tell I really like how we are doing chores lately? 

I had heard of various systems using chore cards, chore charts, lists, etc.  And we had tried a few different kinds, but they always had their drawbacks.  Usually there wasn't enough flexibility built in or not enough variation for the kids. 

For example, Z would have dog poop pick up on every Tuesday and Thursday.  But then what happens when it is pouring buckets on Tuesday morning and then Wed is bright and sunny.  Is he now supposed to do two days chores on Wed, but nothing on Tuesday?  And no, I do not put him in a rain suit and send him outside...that was not one of the options.

Or let's say vacuum the family room was on Friday, but we decide to go somewhere on Friday.  Now the family room ends up super dirty all weekend (not a good plan, if you ask me).

What was I to do, you ask?

Here is my awesome solution (or at least, I think so):
1. Buy different colored magnet clips (one for each of the children you would ask to do chores). For us this is three.  I might be a rather driven mom and all, but no, my one and two year-olds do not have assigned jobs. 

2. Take a stack of 4x6 cards and cut them in half (because I am cheap and didn't need the size of the whole card).  Make a list of all the jobs you have ever had the children do. Be specific: it works better in our house if I break up the rooms for vacuuming.  So I have about five vacuum cards-dining room, school room, upstairs, etc.  And there are cards for the specific bathrooms: upstairs and downstairs. 

Don't forget to help your sanity out by including what I call 'half jobs'.  These are to maintain the cleanliness, but not take as long as a full cleaning.  For example: my older two kids can clean the bathrooms (everything except the showers-those are still my duty).  However, the counters get messy in between once a week cleanings.  So, I have a card labeled for wiping off both bathroom counters.  All three of them can do this job and it keeps things decently clean and allows for J to begin learning how to clean the bathroom.

3. Write these jobs on the cards.  If it was a job that they all do on the same day sometimes (like put away their clean laundry) then write that job out on three cards.

4.  Assign each color clip to a child. 

5.  The next morning, before chore time, glance around the house and decide what needs to be cleaned.  Is the bathroom beyond presentable?  Are your floors collecting dog hair like crazy (like mine)?  Or is the dust able to be measured?  Pick out those cards.  Decide who should do which job.  Put those cards on the appropriate clip.  Around here there are days when everyone has one large job and there are other days when they may have up to three smaller jobs.  On our homeschool coop/errand day and on Sunday nobody has chores....here in lies the beauty of flexibility.

Note: I am a bit strategic here about a few things.  You learn as you go along.  Each household will vary as to the best strategy, but here are some of mine:
1) I only have one caddy for bathroom cleaning so I will not ask for both bathrooms to be cleaned on one day.
2) Vacuuming upstairs does not go as smoothly when I also have someone trying to clean the upstairs bathroom.
3) I only ask one child to do a chore that I know I will need to assist them with to avoid mass frustration.
4) Think ahead: do you have company coming in the next couple of days?  Are you going to be gone tomorrow? Etc...

6.  When the child has completed their job they bring me their cards and I can check their work at this time if I didn't earlier.  Now the cards go back in my master pile.

During chore time if I am not needed for assistance I may move the laundry along, put away Ryan and my clean clothes, wash the dishes, deep clean the kitchen, make bread, or prep for school that day. 

Although my kids do help with a lot of the cleaning around here (and I am very grateful) there is still plenty for this mom to do!

For more details on how our kids pitch in around here...stay tuned.

What a difference ten days makes!

About ten days ago this was our Saturday fun:

And this was the weekend work on that same day:

Three truck loads later we were ready for winter to come in a month...or not...how about today?

I got the older three kids up early from their rest time today to go play in this:

I love the absolute thrill on their faces with every first snow...

T even went and drew candy canes and made snow angels, but do you notice how everyone of them decided they needed a bit more clothing???

And the snow was so wet that Z had his very own snowman made in about ten minutes

And since it was blowing at least twenty degrees outside I was especially surprised that they all lasted about an hour. 

But then what else was I to do except put them by our wonderful crackling fire (thanks to a local gentleman for the wood and my own hard-working guys) with some good hot chocolate.

Has anyone else ever....???

Have you ever had to shop vac out a dishwasher entirely full of soap suds??? 

And I mean, the entire tub full of bubbles!  Twice!

You can't even imagine the horror running through my mind at the possibility of a dishwasher out of comission.  I detest hand-washing.  I would rather pick up dog poop or scrub a shower...you get the idea.

Anyhow...here's how it happened:

See I washed the dinner dishes while Z and T put them into the dishwasher.  When we were near completion T took out the soap to start the dishwasher (which she has done probably 50 times) and closed it up. 

It never crossed my mind that we had recently finished up our old container of automatic detergent and I had purchased a new kind.  It also didn't cross my mind that I had also recently purchased new dishwashing soap (for hand-washing) which looks quite a bit like the old automatic detergent.....

Thus, as the last bit of tidying was done Ryan and I began to wonder why the DW was sounding like it was trying to churn ice-cream (although, now that I think of it, that would be a wonderful feature in a DW although there would be a slight temperature issue...but I digress).

When we opened it up, bubbles were EVERYWHERE!  They came out on the floor, covered the now open lid, and filled the entire DW tub.  It was rather like the dishwasher was growing into the kitchen before our eyes (remember my horror)!

Ryan put towels on the floor, pulled out the bottom rack of dishes, and revved up the shop vac.  Once it was empty of suds we started up the DW again and then very shortly repeated the process over two or three more times.

Fortunately it seems we caught the whole mishap in the early stages and we have a happy, non-bubbly dishwasher again.

As for T...well, she recovered after a while.  She takes mistakes (even innocent ones) rather hard, but is very comforted that all is back in working order (as am I). 

Z's haven and a place for creativity

Today I will show you our 'extra, tiny room'.  Yesterday was the actual school room post. If you missed it, just click here.

When our little S finally figured out how to sleep through the night she was moved from this downstairs room to the upstairs girl room.  First off, I had to do a paint job.  It had previously been a very 'cabinish' themed room with moose, deer, bears, and such painted all over.  Can't you just smell the pines already?

I couldn't. 

So, I decided to give chalkboard paint a try along with extra paint from our bathroom remodel.  First we made this room a sort of guest room but the queen bed took over the 9X8 size of this room.  It was great for while my grandparents visited, but we don't often have overnight visitors.  So, back down to the basement we took the bed.

Now, with a relatively open space, I thought about our family and what would make the most sense for us. 

First priority was to give Z some private schoolwork space.  The table in our school room did not work well for him.  He is simply too distractable and there is a lot of opportunity for distraction in the center of our busy home.  So we found him a small, used desk.  He likes having his own space a lot.

However, there was a bit more space in the room.  So, we took the easel out of our school room as it was in a cramped corner and added in some craft and book storage. 

The cabinet on the right has four bowls of chalk, dry erase markers, and paint brushes for everyone to quickly grab as they wish to create. The paints are kept up higher in this room's closet to avoid some serious S mischief.  The bookshelf on the left holds Z's reading and history books for next year, a children's dictionary, along with some Boxcar Series books (which are very popular in our home).  I also keep some extra blankets and pillows in this room as it is where T and J rest. 

We thank God for bringing us this home at the perfect time and hope you enjoyed the glimpses inside.

A very 'poopy' greeting

A few mornings ago I woke up at my normal time, showered and began dressing.  Just as I finished putting my shirt in place, there was a frantic and panicked, "Mooooooommmmm!" from a younger female resident, who is flying down the stairs.

Seeing as I am rather undramatic by nature (I don't know why God did not see fit to pass on this trait, but that is not for today), I simply responded, "yes?"

J quickly informed me, while out of breath and with bulging eye-balls, that S had poop all over her hand, her belly, her crib, and was putting her hand in her mouth.

Oh goody. Good morning, my busy household!  Now, S did something similar a few days prior after her lunch, but I had hoped she might have been cured seeing as she gagged on her poopy fingers...apparently not.

"OK, I'm coming.  I am going to hang up my towel and then I will be right there."  Upstairs I hear a very earnest reassurance to T, by J, that I will be right upstairs. 

As I climb the stairs the situation greets my nose first.  So I hasten to begin the removal of the stench.

Seriously, how do you get a child, who can stand, out of a crib without being touched by their hands?  I am fairly certain it isn't possible!  Then it becomes a question of strategic planning as to how to clean so that one does not actually mess more areas up than were already soiled...First step:  wash the child's back and hands.  Second: lay them down...so on and so forth.

I cleaned up the mess and decided that this incidence should not be repeated, if at all possible.

So, I took the opportunity of my mom coming to visit that day to go and find many 24 month onesies at the second-hand store. 

S is very sad to have 'lost' her belly, which was one of her first words, but I am very pleased to have 'locked' up the poop. 

And as an added bonus she now eats her meals with a shirt on!  (she was a pro at undressing at the most opportune moments)

How our Garden Began

This was in May.  Ryan and I began on our plans for our garden.  We decided on a sunny area in our yard that is out of the way.  It is bordered by a neighbor's garage, our three-seasons room, and our clothesline.  

Ryan made three raised planters out of fence pickets.  Why raised?  Well, we had heard good things about how well veggies grow in them and secondly, it grossed me out to think of the veggies on an even plane with the dogs.

Then we wondered, where do we get all the dirt? Really, who wants to pay for dirt?  Suddenly it hit us: we were planning to put in a sand box!  Out went some grass.  Now we had a bunch of free dirt.  Ryan brought home a cubic yard of compost one day and we mixed it into the sandbox.

M is preparing for a career like his father.  He was a great manager.

Into the boxes went some nice rich soil.  The kids leveled it all out and prepped it for planting.

Then my worst garden thoughts came to life.  The next morning we had dog paws in our nice garden plots.

So, now we began on an inexpensive fence that keeps the dogs out.  And since we were now fencing it off we decided we might as well dig up some of the surrounding grass area for potatoes.  You can see the fence (which rolls up) stuck into the pile of pulled up sod near where Ryan is mowing.

Please, never mind the camera strap in the pic, it was the only one I had of J helping out.

We planted corn in the north planter box with green bean seeds and cucumber plants.  This I planned out using the Three Sisters form of gardening.  I first read about it on Smockity Frocks Blog.  It is a method used quite a while back by the Indians. 

In the other two boxes there are sugar snap peas, tomato plants, baby tomato plants, many lettuce plants, carrot seeds, onions, salsa peppers, and broccoli.  We put potatoes and a couple of watermelon plants in the ground level plots.  The two buckets have two extra cucumber plants


A few weeks ago our garden looked like this:

The biggest surprise to us both is how our two baby tomato plants literally took over our planter near the yellow garage.  These beasts of plants had better give us pounds of cherry tomatoes! We have worked endlessly to try to save our onions and salsa peppers that these two weeds have tried to bury.  We'll see...

My Emergency Breakfast recipe

You know those mornings when you just can't hardly pull yourself out of bed, much less dress many little people, help make their beds, comb tangled hair...??? Oh and then there is breakfast.  I nearly forgot.  Now I am thinking  frantically, "what do I have that I can quickly put on some plates?" And what will fill them up?  Because almost worse than waking up, for me, is having a houseful of children who suddenly blood sugar crash from a weak breakfast.

My go to breakfast on these days is granola and yogurt. They all like it.  And I like it, for that matter.

But really who likes buying eight to ten boxes of granola a month?  I know I don't.  Seriously, it can be nearly depressing to go through a box of cereal in one morning!  So I decided to do something about this.

I had some criteria for my recipe.  No sugar added!  It had to be crunchy.  I wanted it loaded with healthy stuff(otherwise I don't see a whole lot of point to the effort).  And it had to be made in huge batches so it could be done every other week at most. 

After some work I have a keeper.  And the recipe's finalization coincided with the discovery of a natural food coop through some people at our church.  Thus, I now buy almost all of the ingredients at wholesale prices and freeze them in tubs.  I would highly suggest bulk buying if you attempt much granola making!

Without further ado....

Mix in a giant bowl:
4 1/2 C Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned)
2 1/2 C Steel Cut Oats (AKA Oat Groats: they are much better for you than rolled oats)
1 C shredded Coconut
1/2 C sesame seeds
1 C Raw Wheat Germ
3/4 C sliced almonds
1/4 C poppy seeds
3/4 C sunflower kernels
1 tsp salt
1-2 Tbs Cinnamon

In a four cup measuring cup whisk together:
1 C Honey (raw is best)
1/2 C Oil (I use peanut)
1/2 C real maple syrup
1 Tbs real vanilla extract

Pour the liquid into the mixed dry goods and stir very well with a wooden spoon.  Spread onto a large pan (I use the large stoneware bar pan from Pampered Chef) a thin layer of not more than 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  This recipe makes three to four bar pan batches.

Bake at 300 for 35 minutes.  Note: if you do not use stoneware I might reduce the cooking time. 
Granola tends to not look done when it is actually finished.  It will burn fast and NOT taste very good.

Remove from oven and let cool completely in pan.  While cooling sprinkle with raisins, dates, craisins, or whatever fruit you desire.  Cut it into squares and let drop into a plastic container.  This gives the granola a nice texture with some crumbs and some chunks.

Happy crunching.

A Recipe for an eventful weekend!

Ryan and I really like the 4th of July.  It celebrates the amazing freedoms our country enjoys and has fought hard for. 

We especially enjoy this holiday in the Midwest.  Here, one can typically count on beautiful summer weather, parades, grilling, get-togethers , and some serious fireworks.  I don't know what the laws are regarding the firepower allowed at fireworks displays, but lets just say that Ryan and I now might fall asleep to the fireworks displays we were accustomed to on the west coast.  The fireworks here are awesome!  And they happen in nearly every town, with many communities close together spacing their shows out over the days surrounding the holiday. Throw in the fact that the shows are unabashedly patriotic and thankful to our veterans and you have a really cool American weekend.

This particular 4th of July was a bit more eventful than normal, as you will see...
We began our weekend with:
30 pounds of pick your own strawberries
Mixed with
1 Tractor Ride and one lost toddler sandal
Followed by
2 Hours washing, drying, and hulling berries.  Placed in freezer for future jam making.

1 Yummy Cook-out with friends
12 Kids playing in a slip n slide
4 Guys (one older child) playing 2 on 2 basketball
6 Parents eating first (enjoying that rarity seeing as how soaking kids were not hungry)
This mixture becomes a late evening of bedtimes.
Suddenly top it off with the discovery that T has likely broken a finger from above mentioned recreation.
Now you have a very late night with a trip to the ER.
You may remember how we have done this before with T.
The ending result of this concoction is a severe sprain, possibly a buckle fracture, and a tape up.

Begin with a slow and tired morning (ignore the crankiness that appears in the pot from last night's cooking)
Now race off to church
Knead in a big thank you to the gracious sheriff who let a certain parent off without a well-deserved speeding ticket
Let rise with naps for all.
Stir in some biking and fishing.
Top with some small-town fireworks (population 2000) done in a HUGE way. 
Relish in the fact that you landed a spot for your blanket and giant bowl of homemade popcorn 25 yards from the launchers.
The result here is another late night, but much more enjoyable than Saturday's cooking

4th of July special:
Chores and laundry done in the morning (seriously, you can not go more than 3 days without doing some serious washing around here)
2 hours of slip-n-sliding
Zero broken bones
3 hours of playing at the lake
2 showers, much needed, each containing a few children
2 more showers, of the proper adult variety
5 exhausted children napping soundly
Burger buns made
1.5 pounds of burgers grilled up
One bonfire in our backyard
Many smores
Put PJ's on the little ones
Three mile car ride to another small-town (pop 10,000) fireworks show that makes you say, 'wow'!

Happy 4th to you all!

Precious Time and Late Easter

I have been very absent here on this blog, but for good reason (at least I think so). 

My ninety year old grandparents from across the country came for a three week visit to our neck of the woods. 

I grew up with these grandparents as an integral part of my life.  I was used to them being at every birthday and holiday, sporting event, musical presentation, etc.  My grandma taught me how to make pies, tutored me in some sewing, and introduced me to making rolls all from a very young age.  And I have been told many times how much like her I am and I am very grateful for the comparison.

My grandma is one of those people who has had at least four or five little ones named after her (including our T).  She values her family above all others and takes any in-laws in immediately. She is never idle (until being forced to more recently) and many enjoy the fruits of her labors.   I hope to follow her example...

But now we live very far away and it grieves Ryan and I how little we see of them.

So our family has spent as much time as possible with these dear family members the last few weeks.  Our kids read to them, they read to the children, Z learned card games with them, T and J did puzzles with my grandma, M loved hearing great-grandpa read, and S enjoyed and entertained them. 

I learned some fantastic ways to improve my sewing from grandma and we cooked together.  Ryan and Grandpa worked on the bunk beds he is making for the boys.  And Ryan and I relaxed many evenings while playing pitch (a great strategy card game) with them.

I hope there are many more enjoyable years for my grandparents here on this earth, but no matter what we certainly treasured the last few weeks and hope our kids remember them as well.

Seeing as I have been so absent Easter pictures are still not up and S did turn one nearly a month ago.  For now, I hope you enjoy these Easter pics and you may anticipate a S birthday posting very soon.

My Kind of Birthday: Embracing the Turquoise

We moved into our current house about ten months ago.  We are very pleased with this home as it is a great amount of space for all seven of us and it came with the right price.  However, what we don't love are some of the very dated fixtures. This home was built in the fifties and the original owners apparently enjoyed the turquoise and pink theme, alot.

We really haven't done much significant to the home since we moved in and the lack of personalization was beginning to get to me.  So, about two weeks ago I decided I would make the main level bathroom my first project.  I picked this room because we plan to replace most of the windows in the house, but not the one in this bathroom as it is newer.  And although this bath needs a major redesign, as there is literally a two foot wide walk space (and that may be a generous estimate!), that project is not remotely in our sights. 

So, what was I to do with the 'dijon mustard' walls (that were peeling to show previous pink paint) and the very bold, but high quality turquoise tub and toilet?  Not to mention the brown and sage green towels thrown in for good measure...

I chose to spend last weekend, my birthday, embracing the color turquoise and telling the mustard good bye.  I took great pleasure in removing the peeling gold fixtures, the hideous shower door, and an almond colored mini blind!   

It was the kids' first taste of 'remodeling' as we emptied the room of nearly everything removable and masked it off for painting.  Z did not like the upheaval nor the smell of masking tape.  The girls thought it was quite exciting to see everything going on.  M didn't really care what happened.  S enjoyed dropping the cordless drill on my foot, which is still bruised and eating screwdrivers.  One thing they all agreed upon by the end: they were tired of going shopping!!!  These projects sure take a lot of errands....On the other hand, Z thought it was nice to be going to 'boy' stores (just don't tell him how much Mom likes Lowe's). 

Ryan thought it was the strangest birthday he had ever been a part of, but I thought it was great fun.  I felt a great sense of accomplishment in chiseling off glue from the old shower door and having it come smooth after a good hour or more of elbow grease.  I tackled hanging a curtain rod and towel bar and won.  Ryan and I painted together, laughed about how much he HATES plumbing (and it is alot), leveled mirrors, patched a major hole I caused (long story that involves the above mentioned bruised foot and horrible old plaster), and were able to accomplish something besides diapers and feeding, which felt really good!  Not to mention a greatly improved bathroom.

We have a few small things to finish up, but it is sure feels like an improvement to us! Who knew you could work with a turquoise tub and toilet (at least that's what it feels like I succeeded to do)?? Today we will finish up some electrical, a bit of plumbing (yes, Ryan is very excited), do a bit of touch-up and we should be 99%done.  This week we watch for our new rugs and a oiled bronze recessed toilet paper holder (thus, the hole under the window) to arrive by mail.  Meanwhile, I ponder what area I will take on next (no I will very likely not wait until my next birthday)!

Happy 5th Birthday!

Our T turned 5 a few days back.  She is a very special girl and an immense blessing to our family.  As a baby she slept like a rock forever and was nearly always content.  Now as a young child T feels much empathy for people, is responsible beyond belief, loves to help, and adores her family so much that she adamantly states (with tears, if pressed) she will never NOT live with Dad and Mom! Oh, dear...to be five.

Earlier this week she touched me with her empathy.  She received her five year old shots and didn't make much fuss, but clearly stated they hurt.  Then she asked me if S was going to have shots soon to which I said "yes, in a few weeks".  It was only then that she lost it.  Her tears rolled and rolled as she sobbed that S was too little for that. 

T is a very diligent and particular girl.  On any given day one can find her suddenly emptying a whole closet or cabinet to which I used to ask what in the world she was doing.  Now, however, I completely understand.  "Mom, it was too messy.  I am cleaning it all out!"  Poor thing...she has two parents who are strongly melancholy.  And it appears to Ryan and I that she single-handedly took a double dose of it.

Over the last few months we have been implementing new chores around here.  The girls are both responsible for helping me clean a bathroom once a week.  As a result, T can clean a whole bathroom on her own, except for the shower.  In undertaking this with her I now plan on about forty minutes, fifteen dirty rags, and ten used QTips.  And yes, the cleanest bathroom any five year old, or most adults, have ever cleaned! No, she is not for hire!

T delights in taking care of S, watercolors, dancing, singing, pretending with J, and helping out around the house.  She surprises us with her balance of responsibility, maturity, and sensitivity.  We look forward to her next year being filled with the discovery of books and reading as she is currently tackling this new ability head on.  And we thank God for adding her to our family.
We celebrated her birthday on a weekend in which she was blessed to have a lot of extended family around.  Ryan and his sister (who was visiting from CA) decorated our house the night before.  T enjoyed getting ready for her big day by wearing her 'birthday dress' which is a new tradition we started.  I took her to the fabric store and she picked out fabric, buttons, and ribbon for a fancy dress.  This new tradition gives the girls some creative license and helps me stretch my sewing abilities.

Next, we all feasted on T's requested Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast.  Check out Nikki's blog (look for recipes down on the right) for the recipe.  Yes, it appears we are joining our friends in California with the same birthday breakfast tradition! 

Soon, the guests arrived and she enjoyed a mid-day celebration.  We all played a giant duck-duck-goose game and the kids tried to pin the tail on the bunny (her requested animal).

We all shared in her choice for lunch which was quite a random assortment of fruits, vegetables, breadsticks, and munchies...

Then T opened some gifts and blessed Ryan and I with her very joyful reaction to her new doll crib which Ryan had built, I had sewed the bedding, and we had both painted.  This blog is awesome for simple wood working plans (we have a plethora of birthday ideas from it)!

She enjoyed receiving new ballet clothes, a bag to take to dance and swimming class, pottery to paint (from her pen pal in Idaho, no less: she was beside herself with excitement for days that her friend had mailed her a gift) and adorable cooking attire.

Later she blew out the candle on one of her requested strawberry cupcakes with her aunt Kristen (whose birthday was a few days before). No recipe here! I am not a cupcake person nor do I pretend to be.  I attempted various recipes (with disastrous results) in the days leading up to the party and the result was still much closer to poundcake than to cupcakes....but T liked decorating them with J so it worked out OK this time.

Happy Birthday T!

Double the pleasure (or poop)

I'm sure most of you would proudly nominate your husbands for many awards.  However, you will need to excuse me as I proclaim mine the grand prize winner today.

Yup, that's two at a time. 

He rocks!

First trip to the ER

By the grace of God we have never had to take any of our kids (or ourselves) to the ER.  That is, until last night.  We were just about to put the kids to bed and through a series of unfortunate events that involved T and M, T rolled off of Z's bed awkwardly and slammed the back of her head on a part of a wooden bedside stand. 

She sat with Ryan for a few minutes and was completely herself, other than crying from hitting her head very hard.  I then asked to see her head to make sure the swelling wasn't too bad.  Much to my and Ryan's surprise we found a head covered in blood.  Z hollered out in grief (I'm pretty sure he thought she was dying, seriously).  I calmly took her to the bathroom.  Ryan and I did a bit of cleaning and knew that although we didn't mind if she had a scare on the back of her head, she needed to have this wound closed up.

So, with the temperatures near zero and her and I in PJ's we headed out. T asked in the car why she must to go to the hospital and I explained that her head opened up a bit too much when she fell so a doctor needed to fix it.  Realizing how open it was, she asked, "What does the inside of my body look like?"  I told her to ask the doctor. In the ER room I told her what I saw inside and the doctor gave names to some of the tissues.

After a very thorough cleaning I saw just how deep it was and felt justified in putting the poor girl through the hospital ordeal (I know many don't see eye to eye on this, but I just don't head to the doctor unless it is crystal clear to me that their help is needed). The wound was at least an inch long, about half an inch gaping open and over half an inch deep.  The doctor suggested three staples without anesthesia.  Yes, I gave her the same astonished look you just made.  She explained that it would be less painful than the numbing shot route.  I finally took her word for it.

T sat on my lap while they stapled her head three times and never made a peep.  After the room was clear she then let some tears roll and told me it hurt really bad.  I should think so!  She was a champ and received a very soft teddy bear after her ordeal.

T woke up Z this morning to tell him she was OK. But he couldn't really stand to see her head; I'm not sure if he was going to cry or pass out, but he was not alright with the sight of staples in his sister's head!  Apparently, after Ryan got T and I on our way last night he went upstairs to put the rest of the kids to bed and talk with Z to calm him down.  Ryan suggested they pray for her and Z responded, "I already did, twice!".  He really is such an awesome brother!

The pain seems to have subsided quite a bit now but sleeping is very uncomfortable for her.  She also seems a bit emotionally worn out.  Praise God she did not sustain any more serious injuries!

In case you are curious, scroll down for the wound picture.  But don't if you are squeamish about such things. 

You can't say I didn't warn you....

We are normal again...or at least we think so

Since July of last year our family lived a second shift life.  The last time Ryan worked an unusual schedule was the first three months we were married.  It was interesting.  At the time.  Now we have kids.  Five of them.  Young kids.  Who wake up in the morning by eight, no matter what.  Are you tired yet?  We were.  All of the time.

But Ryan and I tackled our new schedule head on.  We tried to focus on the benefits.  We went to bed after midnight most days.  I would stay up until he came home so that we would have 'our time' to talk (this wasn't too hard for me-I am a natural night owl). We also enjoyed Ryan taking some mornings to teach the kids science. 

All in all, though, the schedule always felt awkward.  It pushed against our natural inclinations.  But a week ago Ryan was moved to first shift.  It was abrupt and much appreciated. 

Now we feel like we are a part of society again.  We can attend evening activities.  Dinners are a family meal, once again.  We could even have company over!  And everyone is thrilled to have Dad around for bedtimes.

It is astounding how much a schedule effects a family. 

I was excited last Monday to refine our new schedule.  However, the entire family spent last week blowing their noses.  So, I begin anew today.  It isn't smooth sailing yet, mostly because Mom hasn't figured out how to be a morning bird! Oh, and if S wanted to sleep through the night, that might help, too.

T is on a roll!

Heard recently from our four year old going on thirteen:

At the lunch table the kids are discussing the possibility of their Aunt possibly coming to visit.
T, with very furrowed brows and a 'get on with it' tone: "Why doesn't Aunt Tina just go and find a boy and get married already?"
(And no, we do not tell our children anything about their aunt's personal life!)

In the bathtub, while playing with J and some squirtable sea creatures:
T: Mom, do you know what seahorses do?
Mom: No, T, what do they do?
T (very matter of fact like) : They go into the sea and walk around.

Again at the lunch table, this time while Ryan is getting ready for work:
T: I really hope Dad took clothes into the bathroom for after his shower.
Mom: T, why do you say that?
T (very dramatically): Because otherwise we will all have to see him with only his towel on and then, OHHH, I don't want that!
(For the record, Ryan does take his clothes with him (and won't be forgetting any time soon)! )

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Bathroom?

by Ryan

:-)