A Little of This and Little of That

It was the precious summer.

Arrival of one very beautiful and amazing Emerald Peace;
lots of lake trips with lawn chairs, life jackets, and an ice chest.

A new grassy spot for
campfire pit, playing Tag, and catching grasshoppers.

And the old old apple trees down by the log cabin - they have been
worth their weight in gold.  Our own "Giving Trees" support leggy
children on spindly bows and produce apples apples and more apples.
Still the trees keep giving and apple cores are common by the wayside.

The log cabin saw some progress too, in the framing up of doors and windows.

Susie had a birthday entering the double digits!!

This year we got her started with some essential oils of her own and
a case to keep them in.  The girl has been reading about their uses and
is fast becoming my resource for which to use for what ailments :-)
She says that cinnamon diluted and applied to the front of the neck works
fabulously as a cure for sore throat!

I'm so glad to have babies and toddlers underfoot - AJ and I agree
that we'll never get tired of having a two-year-old in our home - but this new stretch
of our lives with big kids is being A-MAZING!

These guys are so much fun; they have super ideas and thoughts and are truly witty!
They keep me company and share my foibles and laugh at my mistakes.
I mean, really.  It's the best thing ever to have these guys laughing with (at?) me
over adding 4 cups of chocolate chips to a recipe that was to have only 3/4 cup.
Wow.  It was not really such a bad mistake - if you like a giant cake-shaped
chocolate chip. Haha! (Could be a bit of sleep deprivation sneaking in there)

Also, they pick up some of the load for our family, which gives me time to just be mom.

When there were only 4 under 6, that was the most exhausting season, and not
because there were four, but because they were under six years old.
While dad was at work, I was it.  IT.  I was the sole sandwich-maker, potty taker-to-er,
cup-filler, diaper-fetcher, clothes-changer, tucker-inner, face-washer, shoe-finder...
You name it, I did it.  It wasn't that long ago, but if you ask me how I did it, I couldn't
tell you. It's a blur to me now. Those were the days of true super powers! :-D
No really, I was completely exhausted and tapped out.

What an unforeseen blessing of this large family experience to have such eager, willing,
and capable helpers that rescue me from nervous breakdown every day!
Little number nine has monopolized my arms because of her near-constant tummy
troubles this summer, and I've had the luxury of holding her because of my young
lunch-making Hero's and Heroines (and that is only the tip of the iceberg regarding
their stellar gifts, abilities, and precious service).

I hold Emerald, gently swaying back and forth with her small frame draped over my arm,
and listen in rapt attention to exploits, look (really look) at artwork, watch the peanut
butter being spread or the flour being measured as the cooks chatter away to my open ear,
read some stories to my littler ones, attend my middle ones reading to me.

In so many ways, there is more to occupy my day than ever in my history before.
Despite that, I get to enjoy motherhood in a whole new way.  I am relishing it.

I am relishing it so much.  Inhaling deeply as one would a sweet scented blossom.
How could I have known what those difficult young-mothering days would bloom into?
*(and for the sake of this conversation we'll ignore the difficult old-mothering days, ok? 
I'm sure you've heard of the woman who lived in a shoe... haha!)

All these ages are perfection.  I want to freeze time.  But no, I do want to see these guys
learn new things and grow into fellas strong and manly, and women sweet and graceful.
It's just happening too fast.  I guess the best way to be grateful for the best of this season
is to stop and enjoy these children while they are here.

And that's what I'm trying to do.

This five-year-old boy.  My heart, how I love him.
He is pretty fascinated with drawing birds these days and here are a couple
of his works of art - no kidding.

Two more pieces of my heart here below...

This little lady is picking chicken carcasses for me.  Ugh.  A job I like to avoid.
The other day it hit me - have Olivia do it!  She is such a tactile person and loves to have
her hands in everything (and feet, and head and hair and..) So thank you Olivia!

This pretty thing?  She is my up-and-coming baker/cook.  She wants to cook so badly
but she's up against four other kitchen thieves.  For school this year she's making her
own cookery book with hand copied recipes, and her sisters (or myself) have been taking
turns with her in the kitchen almost daily.

She's the one who tells me: "I can't WAIT to be a mom so I can cook good things
for my family.  I'll make cookies for my husband."
I tell her that's the best :-) Definitely worth looking forward to!

What can I say about this guy. I am proud fit to bust!
I'm just so privileged to know him. I'll be more than content for the rest of my life,
just to be known as Zack's mom.
He blesses me every day.

And if you're wondering if Emerald has a reddish tint to her hair, it sure seems like it!
Kind of fun for a change :-)

Yep.  They're keepers - every one of them!

O' what to do with a mobile baby?

Good luck.
If you have one, you may need it.

My model is nearly one year old, can rev her engine and get moving
pretty fast for mere hands-and-knees motation.
I've been trying to work on her scrapbook and to do that I spread everything
out on the living room floor.  Yeah.  Not a "safe" option (for my paper and supplies)
 for sure, but it's the biggest clear surface I have.
Add to that a seasonal outbreak of flying ants IN the house, and you have a
recipe for, well... for confining baby to... to something confining.
In most cases that would be my arms.  Today once again, I don't know what
to do with the girl to keep her out of trouble (and from eating winged carpenter ants)
so I sit in the rocker and we visit.  She sips a bottle of milk, and I daydream.

In my daydreaming, I look over and see a laundry basket.  It gets me thinking
of the old days when Zachary, my firstborn, was a curious toddler, and how stumped
I was on how to confine him while I took a bath (no shower in that house).  Probably there
was a baby in this story -  there usually is.  Clayton would have been a sensibly immobile
baby several months in age.  At that time the safety of 2 was at stake and baths were a kind
of laughable dream!

Somewhere in my desperate ingenuity I dragged the laundry basket into the bathroom
with me and plopped my toddler in it. Handed him a bag of Cherrios, and kept him
within reach.
That's how I got clean in the early years.

Normally naps are the hot ticket, but lately the various naps overlap so there is a ready
supply curious fingers no matter what time of day.
Big brothers and sisters - they are the real unsung hero's!  As I sat daydreaming today,
I concluded the laundry basket not the right option for this toddling baby in this season.
I have a feeling it would have been an upside-down basket with crying-baby in no time flat.

So the formula for this day is: 2 big sis's, one big brother, bedroom, and baby gate.
Big brothers and sisters were something I didn't start right off with (for my children),
but I find they are real life savers!  I highly recommend getting some.

It's been a creative hour or so.
Now:  rescue of the babysitters, bright praise doled out, kisses, and food.
Life is good.

It seemed like measureable success.

Whew!  What a day.
Quite a good day if I say so myself, but I'm just wondering how it's 10:30 at night already!
I'm in the throes of revamping the school-day agenda.  We don't use a scheduled curriculum,
so I usually focus on several subjects for a portion of time (weeks/months) and then
transition to some others.  We do Bible reading together and our three R's every day, but may
work on social studies or the sciences by turns. 

It so happens that family life is ever-changing.  It is dynamic.  It is seasonal.
There are seasons in which I get more sleep; there are seasons I muddle through morning sickness.
There are seasons where I plan and make all the meals; and seasons where one of my children/students
take over breakfast prep and little brother feeding so I can feed the baby.  Or shower.
Sometimes there are even seasons when I shower and get dressed before noon! 

Life requires some flexibility.  If we can't roll with the punches, we teach our children something
untrue:  that we are for the system. 
I want them to understand that the system is there for us.   
Our schedule, our lists, our lessons, and chapters are serving us and we use them to benefit our
quest for knowledge, for skill, and most importantly for the shaping of good character.
I find there are a lot of character lessons to be learned in the flexible moments we experience!                                                              
So today I tweak.  Again.  Still.  What is working?  Sometimes what is not working is a longer list...
or feels like it... or I need to look harder - maybe in another corner where success is hiding modestly
under the cloak of a victorious heart lesson.
Maybe even my heart.
Hopefully.

What bliss is the day that runs like clockwork!  Your people are dressed before reading commences,
 you actually ate something yourself before that time.  And fed the baby (never mind the shower - that
can come later).  Your people remembered their chores, and even remembered to wipe little brother's
sticky hands before setting him on the loose! 
The day when you planned ahead enough.  When your dinner was already simmering on the stove at
noon, and the ones who were doing personal homework were (wonder of wonders) not distracting
each other!  The little ones were even playing sweetly.

Why isn't this the day your nosy neighbors drops by.  Or your mother-in-law.  Why?!!  This is that
"perfect" day for showing everyone you . can . do it!

Ahhhh me.

Remind me to savor it, because I'm going to need a strong dose of recollection when tomorrow comes.
One thing pretty dependable is that days like that don't come two in a row.
But opportunity for my character to be stretched?...
...is probably just around the corner. ;-)

What works for me... Notebook

 I like lists.

I am not a schedule person.
I am not type A
I am not organized.  At least, I can't seem to keep organized.

I have often watched the clean, thoughtful, meticulous methods of others
thinking things like:

"I should"

"I could"

"I want to"

and

"A guy really oughta"

And maybe as my seasons change, so will the things that work for me.
I might get really bold and set a schedule I stick to, but in this season
- actually for all my married life of 14 years -
there has been one little thing that has served me faithfully.

My notebook.

My notebook is the place I plan for tomorrow.
The evening before, I write a list of things I want to accomplish on the morrow.
I often write specific assignments for the Bugletts, along with what I plan for dinner
(including a reminder to get X out of the freezer to thaw),
and always a running grocery list.
It holds the things I want to check off in the short term,
and how I want to celebrate Christmas.
No list is too trivial, no thought unallowed in my notebook.

My notebook is completely random.
Sometimes I throw down things to order off amazon.
Birthday gift lists.
Appointments.
Phone calls to return.
An address to remember.

When I get ready to go into town, I designate a whole new page to a list of places
I need to go, and what I need to buy at each place, attempting to list my groceries
in the order I shop through the store..
Sometimes there's a reminder to get fuel.  Or a Mocha Coconut Frappucino. 
One mustn't forget!

My notebook has a place on a shelf behind the dinner/school table,
but it usually follows me around the house throughout the day.
I tuck my notebook into my purse/diaper bag when I go out
and in this way it takes some abuse.

But for me?
A few crinkled corners are totally worth it.

At first I used a blank pad of note paper, and in recent years
I've switched to a spiral bound notebook so I can depend on pages being there
when I hunt down phone numbers I copied weeks before. 

It is my brain on paper.

Many of you can relate possibly, to the feeling of relief one feels when one
knows they can retrieve a piece of information even if the little gray cells
are not pulling through!

The only thing that could possibly make this method better
is  the Pilot G-2 ball point pen.  My favorite in the world!  And did you know they
come in a couple girl-ish colors besides the usual black and blue ink?
If you ever meet my notebook, you will know it by the G-2 pen stick in its spiral.

My secret is out, and an explanation for why I still forget certain birthdays.
Perhaps there could be a page marked just for that.  Birthdays Not to Forget.
Or maybe just a reminder I can check off saying: "go look at the calendar Lady!"



I love my notebook.  <3 <3 <3
(and a new one all ready for me to muff up the corners!)

What works for me... Beads.

A mason jar full of beads and another full of pipe cleaners
serve as instant entertainment and practicing of fine motor skills
for little fingers.

I usually pour a small amount of beads into a bowl and let my
little Buglett pick out a pipe cleaner to string them on. 

I often end up with more strings of beads than I really know what
to do with, but I have been known to bend the pipe cleaner just
enough to hook over a flower pot or hang in a window for a few days.
When it's been there long enough (what's "long enough" may vary ;-))
and no one notices, I sneak it down and unstring the beads back
into the jar. 

I can't help but love how pretty it is to store craft supplies this way!


p.s.  The Dollar Tree is a great place to "stock up" on pipe cleaners
        and sometimes beads too.

Because She Rolls

(Which we found out the hard way, though everybody survived).

And because she is a girl.
And also because girls appreciate pretty things (even if they are only 4 months old).
I can tell that Aloria appreciates pretty things, can't you?

So out went Bryce, in came the crib, and even though she doesn't get her own room,
she gets her own niche.  A very cute, very comfortable niche I might add!
We have always had limited sleeping quarters and I've only had the luxury of a nursery
once (and that only for a couple months).  However, I found that there are times when it's
conceivable to make much of what little I do have.
This time, what I have is a crib and a crib-size spot in my room to put it.

I had been debating how to doll up her little corner, and when a package came
in the mail from Auntie Heather with a hand crocheted fuzzy pink and melon colored baby blanket...
I knew.
And there was this mosquito netting set aside for just the "right" place, a paper star lantern,
and a myriad of quilts with special significance and the perfect pops of color.

The inspiration:



































1.  Auntie Heather's soft sherbet afghan.
2.  Baby quilt that belonged to Aloria's Pops (AJ's dad).
3. A baby quilt I made before I was even expecting Zack.  I signed up for a class
    at a Honeyrun Quilters and used flour sack reproduction prints thinking I'd enjoy
    sharing it with all my babies one day!
4. Cotton and flannel blanket I made for Aloria.  Both prints are Valori Wells and
    may be ordered from Amazon.
    (she designs some of my favorite bird fabrics!)
   
5.  Throw pillows upcycled from my couch (I've been wanting to use that word for
      a while now: upcycled.  It's very in vogue!)
      I made them last year, and the yellow is another of my favorite designers Anna Maria Horner.
6.  Quilt made for my Carolina by loving hands, and one of the most accomplished
     quilters I know, Deborah (Thank you Deborah - I just love it!)
7.  2 paisley flannel receiving blanket with crocheted edging, made by Gramsie.
     I use these blankets for literally everything!
8.  Retro crib found and restored by Gramsie for Zachary 10 years ago and loved by
     me again every time I put a new baby in it:-)
9.  Paper star lantern.  I bought these on line and don't use them as lamps, though I do
     have a few hanging in my living room as bold splashes of color.
10.Mosquito netting from IKEA.  I love IKEA.  'Nuff said.

I am happy.  Aloria is a bit safer with 4 sides to keep her contained.
When my Dearly Beloved saw my handiwork he said "You're enjoying having a girl"
and do ya know?  I think he's right!

Socks for 18 Feet

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

That's the idea behind a new series of posts I'm going to write for the purpose of reminding
myself that we have systems that work well for the function and rhythm of our family.
I may need to refer back.
Often.

Being larger in number forces us to be creative about things a household of 4 takes for granted.
Food shopping and meal planning become an undertaking, and making sure there's at least one
pair of jeans without holes in them when we venture into public, is no small feat.

It's tempting to read all the books - pages of method that works for someone else, and actually,
I'm really glad those books exist - but in reality, we've refined a lot of our own ideas that have
increased my sanity, and I'm often amazed at what I cam up with all on my own!

May I remember that what works for one isn't necessarily for me;
and may you be humored, encouraged, or enlightened as you take a peep into
what works for me.

**********************************
What Works For Me #1
 Socks:

I  buy only white socks.
I buy one size for my two boys (who are only a size apart in shoe);
I buy another size for the two big girls (same thing), and the only differentiating
feature is that the boys have grey bottoms and the girls are all white.
Bryce's socks are a tiny version of the big boys, and Lina has white with a pink toe.

[The dad of the family and I get whatever color socks we want]

My goal is to match socks quickly, not need to look for one lone sock, and never guess
which socks belong to whom.  I match all the socks of one size/color and divide the
matched pairs equally between owners.
I like this system because "extra" socks that don't get a mate are thrown back into the
sock drawer and after several loads of laundry they eventually end up with a partner.

After trying several brands, I've fallen in love with Jeffries.  I buy crew socks for my
crew (no pun intended) because they wear boots year-round and like the taller socks.
I think Jeffries is more expensive than other common brands (at about $2 per pair),
but have found them to last for twice to 3x as long and still be as soft as when I bought them!
My children find them a lot more comfortable than other brands they've worn,
and I love that I can order them off Amazon.
LOVE not having to go to the store for socks!

It's "That" week...

 ...The one where Adrenalin has left without a farewell and Tiredness catches up,
tackles me, and I get buried at the bottom of a dog pile.

I thought I was doing pretty good.  "That" week usually hits me at 3 weeks postpartum.
This time I made it to 4.

All of a sudden, emotions take the wheel, and brain takes the back seat.
It (my brain) doesn't even help give directions or answer critical questions as in:  
"Why am I standing in the pantry?"
or 
"This diaper is dry.  I must have changed it twice and it's the other kid who's stinky.
What is WRONG with me?!!"

But then again.  It's not my brains fault I fuel it with only a couple hours of sleep at night.
And I DO know what's wrong with me.
It's "That" week.
"That" week occurs every 18 months more or less, and is of duration.  It won't last forever.
Thankfully.

And I know what it is; can anticipate it's arrival. I recognize it when it crashes my party.
I have the advantage there because I've made a point to find ways of outsmarting Self Pity.

The very best one I know is to cuddle baby.
Or to watch my babies cuddle my baby!

To number the infinite blessings I enjoy - especially the holding of
a squishy, rosy cheeked, sleepy baby.
A baby who is healthy, and a warm nest to keep all my little chickens near.

Sometimes I continue to feel the way I feel.
But I know that it's just a passing feeling.
That with a little encouragement Truth (the Truth of God's mercy and grace poured out on my life)
will illuminate a way in which to go, and paint colors of vibrant hue on my circumstantial canvas
banishing a gray deception.
Oh blessed victory!



































"That" week is now on the countdown!

The view over the end of my bed

 I've been so fortunate to rest a lot.  I have a greater value for the quick and complete
recovery that comes with taking it easy, and since AJ's mom, my "Mom-in-love"
has come to help out with the running of the household and loving on her grandies...
I am taking full advantage!

When I've been taking it easy from my bed - nursing, changing, kissing, and generally
playing with my "new toy" (as my Dearly Beloved calls her), I've not been in seclusion.
No indeed!  I've had lots of nice things to look at and enjoy
(notwithstanding the clean pile of clothes, which is its own cheering sight!).

Yikes!  This scary head came into the room growling!

And some Math recitation...

...which inevitably turns into distraction

The view gets closer and closer when visitors find out that Sister is awake and chatty.

Oh the wonder of it - this time in my place of rest!

Serenity

I posted this picture just so I could look at a clean floor for longer than five minutes.  HA!

Actually I thought you might enjoy seeing how I hang the Bugletts current artwork.
I've really enjoyed having a designated place to enjoy their best pieces.  Plus I just love the
burst of color they add to my wall (and life!).

I have a box which holds all the rest of their daily artwork and unfinished drawings
(the ones that have to be put away because it's time to set the table for dinner)
but when that gets filled up (usually every several months), I sort through and collect all my
favorites, making sure to name and date, then punch holes in them for a three ring binder.
(psssst... the rest get thrown away - I know, *gasp*)

The children really enjoy perusing that binder/s every year or so and looking at their great
creations from years past!
It works for me today, so that's how I do it :-)

Aaaaand She's OFF!

Susanna has aced the "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons"
That means the book is all Olivia's!
She's been waiting for quite a while now, and because I didn't let her start
while Sue was still working through it, she resorted to teaching herself what she could.
"Mom, how do you spell...?"

Strangely, now that we have officially started the book together I find
the girl is bored out of her mind!
Doesn't take kindly to all the repetitive rhyming and saying words slowwwwly and fast.
It's not a game.
It's not fun.
She's heard it all before when Sue did it.
And I am going to kill reading to make her jump through all the hoops
just because that's the program.

Today I decided to make that book work for ME instead.
I let Olivia skip all the exercises and just say the sounds and a few words
until we got to a list of words and THAT made her little heart go pitter-pat!
I especially enjoyed how she wanted to give me a sentence for each word she read:

"SEED... I have a seed I am going to plant!"

and

"SEE... I can see it and YOU can't!  That's bragging, isn't it mom?"

We made it to the first "story" with accompanying picture in lesson 13
SEE ME EAT
and that just tickled her SO much.  Perhaps now we can slow back down
to the books intended pace.  But if not, that's okay.
That book has been a super resource for me, but as with any tool we use in
helping our children to learn new things we must not forget that we are trying
to LEARN something, not complete a checklist.
So... whatever you use, don't be a slave to it.  make it work for YOU!

Melt my Heart

I always thought a BIG brother would be nice.

Now I understand why :-)