Food

This blog was supposed to be about eating habits but I seem to have neglected that. Today we had homemade veggie burgers for lunch. I hate veggie burgers from the store. I think Boca burgers taste like warm cardboard. These were really good!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homemade-Black-Bean-Veggie-Burgers/Detail.aspx


We had them with chips and celery sticks. No one has wanted meat yet. Last night we had spinach pizza. It's funny, it's easier for me to give up meat than juice. I'm not sure what we'll have tonight. Mack got me a few cookbooks from the library. I'll have to go grocery shopping to grab a few things. Nicky ate his burger with no problems. That never happens. It seems like he survives on breastmilk alone some days.

Big day

Today is my 10th anniversary! No one thought we'd make it this long. It's quite an accomplishment. Aaron is 9 months old today. He can stand all alone for at least a minute. I bet he'll be walking next month. I spent the day cuddled with the kids on the couch. I did hair, read books, played games and watched movies. Mack left at 7am. He works 13 hours on Saturdays. He left me a card, it was very sweet.

Today I also watched Earthlings. WHY did I watch that movie? Every since then I get nauseous at the very thought of meat. I wonder how long, if at all, it will take for this to pass. We ended up with peas and carrots, brown rice and butternut squash for dinner. I'm half tempted to try the vegetarian thing....again. It'll be my 20th time and I never last longer than a couple weeks but then again, I hadn't seen this God awful movie before. Honestly, the movie wasn't bad. It was a good movie but it was very gory and I'm not sure I wanted to know those things like I thought I did.

Ode to couches and cars

I'm feeling kind of poetic, lol. This isn't what I had in mind but I got rushed and....oh well. I'm sure I'll fix it if I ever get a spare second.

The poor old couch fought a good fight. It withstood the wrath of Nicky's tantrums, endured the mighty Zachary's bounces. It's been a comfy bed for a tired father after work, a soft spot for a mom to relax and cuddle her new baby. It's had been a comfy reading spot for the big boy and a cuddle spot for tired sisters watching good movies. The signs of wear had started long ago. A few loose threads, a small rip on the back. It soon became apparent the old couch had to go. But it just wasn't ready; it had more love to give. So it was covered with blankets and the fluff was stuffed back in. This lasted a while longer before the old couch said no more. It was ready to go but had one last gift to give. Inside there were treasures! So many lost treats. We gently opened the bottom to see what was in store. We found dominoes and shoes, our new remote control. We found socks and old cookies, games pieces and lost coins. The greatest gift of all was a little toy car. This wasn't just any car it was THE YELLOW car! Nicky long lost friend had been found, once again it was handed over. Nicky's eyes shown with love as he held his old buddy. An old friendship started anew. The car's hiatus was over. Its old job was back. While the car's job was long and tedious the rewards were great. He slept in a comfy bed with his young friend. He'd taken many trips to the park, his favorite part was the slide. He was always safe in the hand of young Nicky and when he was lost everyone cared to find him. It was a good life. As the car watched the old couch retire he was happy to be Nicky's favorite toy to have many more years of love ahead to give and to receive.

Relax

I have completed all my soap orders! I'm so happy. In the last 4 weeks(I only worked 4 or 5 of those days though) I made probably 50 POUNDS of soap. That is a lot...for me anyway. I'm spending today making shea butter creams. That is going much slower than I thought it would. Probably because I'm exhausted. I also made bars to donate to MRU for the kids' gift swap. They smell yummy but didn't come out quite as planned, lol. I wanted swirl, I got amateur tie dye.

My classes are coming along. I fell a couple days behind but caught up last night. I'm going to try to stay caught up since doing a weeks worth of work in a night while cooking 8 pounds of soap isn't my idea of a good time. I'm also almost done with my birth class! I have one more class to go. My training weekend will be in February. I wish it were sooner. I'd like to be done.

The kids are loving swimming! They have come such a long way in such a short time. The can swim all the way to the middle of the pool. Some are doing better than others but they have all improved and having a great times. We went this past Monday and there was no class. We just hung out at the Y for a while and came home. We might go early next week so we can play racquet ball. That game is such fun! We didn't get to play this week because I was trying to convince Nicky that kid country is fun. It worked though I'm still not sure he'll stay. I'll probably have to go a few more times and hang out there with him before he'll stay without me. I'm not sure what happened. One day he'd stay and then all of a sudden he wouldn't.

We miss summer so much. I'm sure I've complained about that enough but I really dislike the cold. I hate being stuck inside. I miss park days. At this time of year I'm thankful for MRU and the Y. At least we have some place to go hang out when it's too cold to be outside.

Today is the day we'll get this house back in order! I've been saying this for months. I'm not sure it will actually happen but I'm hopeful. I did clean my soap room. I've been working in there so much it was a mess. And when I'm not in there it becomes a catch all for Mack. He just sits stuff in there and forgets to remove it.

This winter, I think we'll concentrate on crafts more. We're always bored and the kids are always asking to do them. We made little wood car and plane models last weekend and painted them. We got cute and creative. Zach's is very interesting. It's not exactly how it looks on the box but it's a plane all the same. Chris likes to Story of the World(history) crafts so we'll probably do those. I'm looking forward to it.

Still hanging in there.

I'm so thirsty, lol. Nicky has gotten over it. Kids are so easy to please. He's nursing more but is getting more water all the same. I'm dying over here because I'm so stubborn.

Nicky had a good day at the dentist! He's such a big boy and did so well. I'm proud of him.
Short and sweet.

Rough start!

Today wasn't easy. Nicky and I had the hardest time. My girls aren't home so they haven't started the water challenge yet. I savored my last few ounces of juice as long as I could and then moved on to....water, blah. It's just so plain. I've been avoiding it and think I may be a little dehydrated because of it. Nicky is not happy. In my mind, I thought he'd be easy. I give him water all the time. It didn't dawn on me until today that he doesn't actually drink it. He pours it out and plays with it. He also puts it into his mouth so he can spit it on people(nice, huh?). Mack and I have been....disputing(arguing about) him giving Nicky liquids other than water when he wakes at night. I suspect I'm getting less than truthful answers from Mack about what goes in the cup to...keep me quiet(read: shut me up) about the cup. He just wants to go to bed, lol. Mack now works most nights and I have more control over his cup so things will change! We had a HUGE battle tonight over water in his cup. He wanted 'oakmill' which is soy milk in Nicky speak. I told him it was all gone and gave him water. He finally settled when I gave him *my* water. His wasn't good enough some how. So far so good I guess. I'm already struggling and I'm not one day into it. I swear, I have no will power.

The challenge

I hate water. I will drink it sometimes but normally I get water for the kids and drink juice. I'll even have a soda if juice isn't available. I don't even like soda(with the exception of Blood orange Italian soda, YUM!!) but I prefer that to water. When my older kids were born, they got juice as babies because I actually listened to doctors back then. I had to teach them to like water as toddlers. I decided I didn't want to do that with Nicky so I gave him no juice as a baby but as he got older I gave him sips of mine. Bad choice, he's just as bad as the others were. So, no more juice in our house. I don't want the same thing to happen with Aaron. Nicky has decalcification of his enamel(his enamel didn't form properly while I was pregnant so he has next to none on his teeth)) and we're trying to save his adult teeth by removing as much sugar as possible from his diet. Also, it would save us money. We spend a lot on juice. So, today is our first day. I have a little juice here, I'll finish it but no more is coming into the house. Is it sad that this makes me nervous? lol My mom never pushed or even suggested water. I've never been a water drinker and this isn't my first try at this. It's probably my 25th try over the last few years. I obviously failed before, I'm hoping to have better results this time. So, off we go! Lets hope I beat my previous record at least. I've lasted a whopping 3 days in the past LOL.

Too busy to blog

I've been so busy that I've let my blog fall to the wayside. Aaron is crawling everywhere! It's hard to get anything done with speedy getting into everything. If he were just a few inches taller and a little more steady he'd give Nicky a run for his money. He's finally eating. Butternut squash and zucchini are his current favorites. It's funny how he went from thinking food was gross to scarfing down full bowls in a week's time. He's also taken to crawling around the kitchen floor in search of wayward cereal. I'll have to put the baby gate back up.

I'm really missing summer. It's barely over and I'm so sad it's gone. Today it got dark at 5pm. That is just wrong. There just aren't enough day time hours and it seems to have happened more quickly this year. On the upside we have to Y to help us through this year! In past years we got less active and were stuck inside. This year, we have lots to do. The kids are loving swimming lessons! They are learning so fast. By the end of this class, I'm confident some of them will be able to swim the length of the pool. I'm glad I finally got them in lessons. Having kids that can't swim makes me nervous.

My soap. Oh, how I love my soaps. I have many to make for the holidays. I cut 4 pounds, I'm curing another 4 and I have 8 pounds in molds. I finally got the simple swirl I wanted to try! It looks beautiful and I can't wait until it is cut. I think I'll try the more complicated method tomorrow. I'm no longer as impatient as I was so I think it will go well. My soap will have a new look!

My other ventures are going well. I'm nearly done with the birth class requirement for my doula training. I finished the semester with and A and a B. I'm a bit disappointed about that. I'm sure I'll get over it and will do better this term.

The kids are all stuck to the computer lately. Between Starfall and their math games, they seem to keep pretty busy. Chris is focusing on building. He wants to start making miniature houses(NOT doll houses). He's interested in haunted houses and log cabins. I think the older three will got houses to build for Chrismas. I'm excited to see what they create.

Never as planned

Yesterday was supposed to my clean up day. My house is a HUGE mess and it really needed some attention. I know I wasn't feeling great and the kids had stuffy noses but I was determined! I got my living room exactly how I like it. I cleaned the front closet that is my husband's designated dumping area. I'm not sure how he decided to make that closet his personal black hole. Things do no disappear in there forever, contrary to what he seems to think. That is when I got tired and the cough got worse. I sat down and decided to hang out with the kids. It wasn't all bad. We had a good time. No one even asked about the TV! We played Tangrams and Rush hour. We read books. Chris did some of his co-op assignments. We talked. I don't regret that but I really wanted a nice clean house. Is that too much to ask? I suppose it is. It is driving me crazy. I need to learn to relax more. I know my house will never be as clean as I'd like it to be for many, many years.

Today I'm not even going to try. I'm less well than I was yesterday and the kids...I have no desire to struggle with them in this state. Maybe my husband will help me tomorrow though I expect him to be tired after working almost 30 hours this weekend. Hmmm, I think I'll take a nap and dream of a clean house. That may be as close as I can get.

Following the trend

Since it seems a few people have posts on Obama's recent award, I think I will post too. I found a link a few hours ago on facebook and it seems as if even those who like this man(and I do like him) agree he shouldn't have gotten this award. I don't understand. He has some nice ideas for peace. That is great and I hope they actually lead to peace but no one has ever won this award for ideas that haven't actually made a change. I think he got this award because of who he is, the first black president. Again, I think it is great we have come so far but that has nothing to do with this award. If he keeps getting all this positive attention for being a black president he won't be remembered in history for what he accomplishes. He'll be that black guy who didn't do much but was handed things just for being black. I really hope he makes his term great so he can live up to this award and all the attention he is getting.

Bad word

Did someone say.....nap? I have learned over the past few days that this is a very bad word. Nicky never, ever wants to 'need a nap'. It's perfectly fine to 'want to go to sleep', to 'need some sleep', to 'be tired' or to even get 'put to sleep'. However, he never needs or wants anything to do with a nap. Nicky will actually wake back up to give you a dirty look if you utter any phrase with nap in it. I'm not sure why naps are negative. It reminds me of "Honey, I Blew Up the Baby". Remember that movie? The 20 foot tall toddler would throw a fit at the very mention of the word nap. This must be something that comes in the toddler handbook because I don't think I've ever used this word negatively. Very interesting.

Busy, busy!

I haven't had much down time. I decided to blog at group and had a great something for my blog. I can't remember what that was for the life of me. I should probably get a few more than 6 hours of sleep if I actually intend to use my brain.

We've been so busy! I've been all alone for the last two days and they have actually been pretty productive. I'm not sure what it is about husbands, or my husband, that prevents things from happening when they should and pushes the clock forward so it always seems as if I'm late. We started yesterday with co-op for Chris. Being the completely unorganized mom that I am we went to get lunch so we would have some later. I dropped some off to Chris after his first class. We also got a new puppy for Nicky. After Nicky's car incident I always let him wear puppy when I'm with the kids alone. No way can I chase him, or dive into a busy intersection, while wearing Aaron. Our old puppy had a broken tail(read: leash) so we went to replace him. Now we have two puppies! They are such good friends that they share a tail. Nicky adores them both and I can keep what little sanity I have left.

After we got Chris some lunch and worked out our puppy problems we went to tour the Naperville YMCAs. They are both very nice. I think Kroehler will be most visited by us as it seems the pool at Fry has a serious design flaw. I'm not sure if they know the pool has a window that faces into one of the fitness rooms. Now, if all the visitors had great bodies, no stretch marks, no fat, this would be a wonderful set up. Unfortunately, I have had 6 children and I am not a member of that elite, hot body club. I do not want extra people staring at my fat thank-you-very-much. I really think they should have thought that through. I'm sure those extra few moments of thought would be greatly appreciated by myself and anyone else who isn't currently blessed with a hot bod.

After the Y, we picked Chris up and headed home. I needed down time as I was really tired by then. The moment my butt hit the couch, my husband called to be picked up. Out the door we went! I got him home and remembered all the class work I'd neglected. The end of last week was a disaster that I shall blog about another time. I settled in for a long night of work. Everyone else had a movie night and got to watch the movies I wanted to see. This responsible thing isn't much fun.

Today was just as busy. We got Mack to work and headed back to the Y. Chris got his fit pass and can use all the machines. Not that he does much more than machine hop for fun, it's still nice to have a buddy to exercise with when he feels like it. The Kroehler Y is nice because it's set up in such a way that I can hear Aaron through my work out. I can also look in on my kids from above without them knowing with very little effort. Very nice!

After the Y we headed to group. I got ridiculously lost. I somehow ended up in Bolingbrook while trying to get from Naperville to Plainfeild. I was helped by a helpful, but clueless, 7 11 attenedant who sent me on my way via a street that doesn't exist on the street I was on. My 10 year old, bless his heart, somehow knew the general direction we should go in and saved the day. I called ahead to a friend who confirmed I was heading the right way. We arrived after having driven 1 hour and 15 minutes on a trip that should have taken maybe 30. I should make being lost my hobby. I do it all the time when my husband isn't with me. Not that he doesn't get lost, he is just very good at convincing himself he knew all along when he lucks up on a familiar street.

We also went grocery shopping. I love doing stuff with all the kids by myself. Not sure why, it's pretty difficult and would be much easier if I went alone. It was a decent trip to Meyers. We really went to kill time. It was Meyers or sit in the hot car for an hour and wait for Mack. We arrived to pick him up just in time with good stuff for the next few days and snacks, too! I was on a roll today. I'll just try to forgot how lost I got so I can say it was a perfect day.

I guess that's all. I'm planning a calm day tomorrow. Mack gets off at 1:00 which kills any plans for homeschool group. We'll have to miss apple picking. Hopefully, I can get some stuff done and spend some time reading and cuddling with my 6 favorite people.

Good-bye Summer

It seems as if summer is over. I hate to see it go. I am not a fan of winter. While I do enjoy fall, I do not like that it opens the door for the cold winter months. We have a few more weeks of nice weather before I dread opening my door and leaving the house. Last winter I was very pregnant so I had an excuse. This winter I'll have to deal with it. Joy.

We've been having so many busy days. It seems as if we're always so busy but it doesn't feel like we do much at all. Where is the time going? We started a reading competition. They had such fun over the summer with the program for the library that I made sheets for them to fill out at home. Zach and the girls can fill it in for reading and playing on Starfall.com. Chris gets points for his co-op work and reading. I think that's pretty fair.

We're having fun with our new friends. It's great to find someone else who love board games the way I do. I could play them all day! I've developed a new obsession for Bananagrams. I've been playing on facebook and found myself reading the dictionary for fresh new words today. Who knew that fe, qat, qoph and ka were words? I can't say I know what they mean but they sure help me place tiles! The kids are having a hard time getting used to friends who aren't homeschooled. They are always asking if they can come over during school hours. It's something I have to get used to as well. I haven't had a friend with kids who actually go to school in such a long time.

Tomorrow is apple and banana day. We found apples on sale. It was an incredible sale too. There has to be about 45ish pounds of apples and we paid $5 for the box! We got about 10 pounds of bananas for 99 cents. So now I need to do something with them. I'm thinking apple butter, apple sauce, apple pie....not sure what else. Tons of banana bread and I'll make smoothies with a few of them. You can freeze them in the peel if you just want them for smoothies and bread later. I need to think of a few more ideas. I love projects like this! I will have to head over to walmart for canning jars in the morning so I can put apple butter in them.

Aaron has 2 teeth now! They are so cute when he's not biting me with them. He's learning not to but this past week has been painful. He has a habit of turning his head to look behind him while still latched. Not fun. It wasn't so bad when he didn't have teeth but now...ouch, is an understatement. He's also army crawling everywhere! He can take a few 'steps' crawling on hands and knees but seems to prefer getting around by wiggling and pushing off with his toes. It's absolutely adorable!

I'm enjoying my classes. I'm taking 2 classes towards a nutrition degree online as well as Bradley classes toward my doula certification. I really look forward to my Sundays. The class is fun and I get to take Aaron. Pregnant women really love babies. They ohh and aww over him and he flirts with them shamelessly. He's such a boy already.

Lets Write Together

I thought I'd blog while Amanda writes. She is going to have me write a little here for her once she is done making a drawing. Her topic today is Princess Adnama(her name backwards).

Today was such a nice day! We had a lot of fun at the park. The conversation was interesting to say the least. I love how all the moms can be so accepting yet have such differing views on things. It really helps to keep things interesting. Never a dull moment. The kids had a wonderul time and we stayed at the park until about 5, which is pretty late for us.

I also went to La Leche League meeting today. I used to really like this group but the dynamics have really changed. It's more of a partial breastfeeding support group. I heard, "There is nothing wrong with formula" a few too many times. Hopefully the leader will get back to me about an IBCLC that I can volunteer with to work on hours for my LC certification. Aaron was a dream, as usual. He's so awesome. He's the best baby ever, so happy and smiley. I need to go hug him.

Amanda is ready now!
There was a princess and her name was Adnama. She loved horses. So one day she went horse back riding but then the horse carried her too far into the woods. She got off the horse to see which way to go. She named the horse Sunshine. The horse ran back and she said, "No, wait Sunshine!" but Sunshine just kept going. She couldn't figure out which way to go. Her father and her mother came looking for her but they couldn't find her so they got very, very scared. They just didn't know what to do. Then they saw Sunshine run out of the woods. When they saw him run out, they knew that she was lost. They sent their knights to go look for her. Along the way they saw the horse's path but the princess was not there. They went back to tell the king and queen. They were not very happy. They waited for three days. All of a sudden the princess saw somebody and she said, "Who are you?" He said, "I am the prince." And then she said, "Do you know the way back home?" He said, "No I do not." So they were both stuck in the woods but he had his horse. So they went on the horse to find the way back. They were hoping that they would find the way but they didn't. They went way further in and it was dark, very dark. They didn't know what to do.

To be continued....

She writes very long stories, lol.

Camping

We had a really good time camping! I'm glad we decided to make our not going back to school celebration a camping trip this year. I hope we go again next year. The kids had a great time playing with their friends and it was nice to rough it for a night. I did learn several things on this trip. I'm not as big of a nature lover as I thought. I'm perfectly happy with just one night. The bugs and dark freak me out. I'm going to work on it. I'm determined to camp at a national park and I'll need to be a better camper by then. I also learned it gets REALLY cold at night. I'm surprised my husband isn't frozen. He did not listen to my instructions for packing blankets and ended up with no blanket and wearing shorts with no jacket. I was cold in all my clothes, a jacket, a blanket and the body heat of Both Nicky and Aaron. We huddled as much as we could once he admitted it was too cold for him. This leads to my next lesson-bring a king sized air mattress. I can't sleep on the ground...not if I want to be able to stand the next day. I ended up on a twin(thanks to a friend, I didn't actually have one at all) with Aaron and Nicky which was hard enough but then Mack tried to squish himself on to stay warm. Not working! It was a mess. I should have known Nicky wouldn't sleep away from me in that situation. I was hoping he'd sleep with Chris. Despite these few issues, it was a wonderful trip. The kids had fun playing with their friends in the dark. I got time to talk to friends once the kids were in bed. The kids got to experience camping. It's been so long since we've camped that none of our children could remember. I hope this was a memorable experience for them.

It's almost midnight and I'm so glad this day is done. I'm so tired. After we got home I was able to sit for a bit until I got a frantic message from a facebook friend. She came over and I was able to help her out. We then ran off to Chicago for ICAN meeting, missing the first hour and a half of a two hour meeting. I'm still glad we went as we weren't really friends before and tonight may be what bring us together. Good friends are always nice to have. It also strengthened my desire to help nursing mothers. Breastfeeding is so important to me but now, for some odd reason, I feel it's importance is even greater. I think seeing a mom who is feels so set on her child getting ONLY the best has added fuel to my fire.

For the love of hot wheels

Nicky is in love with hot wheels. All the boys have gone through this but Nick's obsession is at a whole new level. He takes these little cars everywhere. He sleeps with one every night. It was so cute...at first. It does have it's perks. He likes to find out what color they are and is learning his colors pretty well. He sorts them, he lines them up, all those good two year old milestone behaviors. He prefers to sleep with a yellow car. That leads me to one very unpleasant aspect. Nicky is two, these cars are small and they always get lost. We put him into the car having tantrums because he's left his car behind. That isn't so bad because, so far, we've always managed to find it. This is not fun at all in the middle of the night. For three nights this week we had to wake up to go looking for his car. Last night was the worst since I don't think he actually went to sleep with it. Mack and I were both up at 4 am looking for a yellow hot wheel that is 2 inches long in the dark so we wouldn't wake Aaron. I might stop while we're out and buy 10 of these little yellow cars. I'm exhausted and do not want to do that again. I wonder if velcro would work.....;)

Wow! Muscles in my stomach?

Zach and I read 'The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body.' We had a great time on our field trip with the Friz. I love reading to Zachary. Not only is he a sponge but his questions are so much fun! I told him that he has muscles all over his body. He looked at me in amazement. He started looking all over himself and asked if he has muscles in his stomach, his leg, his mouth? Yes, you do! Oh, he was shocked, lol. Five is such a fun age. I often wonder if he just humors me. He's seen this book on DVD and we've talked about it before but he still seemed shocked to hear all this information he's heard many times before.

Assumptions

A friend of mine on facebook is considering homeschooling. Someone told her she would be punishing her kids. She made a comment about that and got these responses:

If you think about it, they dont get to hang out w/ friends and have the social time most kids need and plus time away from home/parents which some kids "feed" off of.

depends on who you ask!! if I did it and was making the kids do it Colton would tell you it was punishment too. BUT all summer long's worth of "i'm bored" and " there's nothing to do" has made me feel better about school. Is schools in Bloomindale not an option or Alamo?

Sounds like parents who don't know anything about homeschooling or keeping their children engaged. Neither of those are homeschooling issues. They are parental issues. I hate to hear things like that simply because someone might actually believe it.

The one on the bottom probably shouldn't anyway. She needs a little practice in punctuation and grammar, lol.

A work in progress

Dragon War by Christopher

Dragons coming down fast
Getting ready to have a blast
Knights are getting ready to have a kill
Getting ready to check my shield.

A dragon sees me,
Tries to kill me.
I call for help,
No one hears me.

One knight sees me...


I'll update when he finishes :-D

Another lazy weekend

Our weekend is coming to a close. I can't say we did very much. That seems to be a trend with our weekends lately. We went to visit my mom yesterday. I helped her sort papers for her classes so she could enter grades. She is a teacher at an elementary school in Chicago. It really helps to remind me why homeschooling is so important when I see the papers her students write and hear about the kind of kids they are. The kids had fun, they love going to visit my mom. Apparently Chris' co-op is a family joke of some sort. They've convinced my grandmother that the kids should be in 'real' school. I hope it stops soon, I'd hate to stop visiting. I'm so glad my kids have learned to ignore those kinds of comments.

Aaron hasn't had any more food. It's funny, I was so excited and now it just seems like extra work. He doesn't want them anyway. I hope the avocados didn't scar him for life. He doesn't grab at foods with the gusto that he once did. I guess we can try again on Thursday. We'll be busy every day until then.

Chris is still excited about his co-op but not very happy about the homework that comes with it. He's been working on it all day since he put it off until the last minute. He asked yesterday why no one else has homework. No one else has a class. I'm not sure he was happy with my answer.

Our science books have been great to read so far. All the kids seem to enjoy them, which is saying a lot. Amanda and Frankie were so much fun to watch as they pushed the walls to see if their force could move it. Amanda says the wall's force can move her but she'd need a lot of help to get them to move. We're hoping to do a project on friction this week. I was short a few things we need so I'll have to get out to the store.

Totally unimpressed

I assure you, it was even more amusing in person.

What is this?!?

Whose idea was this?

If I hold my mouth open, it'll fall out, right?

Smells so good!

Bad picture but this is the soap shelf. I got up this morning to pry the two logs on the bottom out of my molds. Now I have to put them back together. I have quite a bit. This is my share and sell soap. We also have a HUGE basket of soap for the house. Those are the ones I made when I was learning how and before I had molds to keep the shape consistent. The thickness isn't perfectly even :( I need a soap cutter. I may have to have one made after all.

Aaron and Nicky's check up day

Today Aaron went for his 6 months check up and Nicky went for his 30 month check up. They are both doing wonderfully, which I knew, but I really love their pediatrician and I like to hear her say that, lol. Aaron is a big 20 pounds 13 ounces. Nick's weight was 30.8 pounds. I found out today that their doctor is pregnant. She has the cutest little belly. She's due in 2 months and is still so small. I just saw her a couple months ago and had no idea. Since she's going on maternity leave we don't have to go back until Aaron is a year. She says he looks wonderful and since we don't vax there are no worries of missing anything.

After we left the doctor we went to go visit Mrs. Scott. She used to be our next door neighbor. Christopher was best friends with her grandson when they were about 5. They still love each other. They gave each other a big hug and were inseparable for the whole 8 hours we spent over there. It was so nice to chat with her. She had her knee replaced in July and I had been worried. Just a month ago she couldn't bath herself and she's already walking without a cane! She's having a speedy recovery. She just isn't willing to sit down and rest. She needs to take care of her grand babies and keep her house clean, lol.

The kids were sound asleep the whole way home. Nicky got carried into the house and was so worn out from the day that he didn't even wake up. I took a bath and checked on the soap I made this morning. I've been so frustrated with that lately. My soaps have been sticking to the bottom of the molds. When that happens I have to dismantle the whole thing to remove the soap and keep it in tact. I may buy some new molds soon. I would love some silicone ones that require no lining and don't stick. I just hope they work well with hot process soaps.

I noticed on the way home that the days are getting shorter. The days are already feeling a little colder as well. I don't want summer to end. I always dread the cold weather and the cabin fever it brings with it. Summer just began! I remember wearing a coat in June. This isn't fair. We should get at least 4 months of nice days. I wish Mother Nature would get her act together.

Tomorrow is Aaron's 6 month day! My baby is growing up too fast :( He gets his first meal for breakfast in the morning. I bought him some avocado yesterday and am so excited to see what he thinks of it. I bet he will find that eating is overrated and not worth the effort, lol. Nicky was not impressed with his first few bites of food. I must admit that Aaron is a lot more determined to get his hands on some food than Nick was so maybe he will surprise me.

I'll finish here.

Various pictures from today.





I find putting pictures on this site very annoying so I cut the last entry short. It's easier to just finish on another post.

We are on a science kick. Last week we watched a documentary on the coral reef. We learned all sorts of fun stuff and talked about how we could stop the reefs from disappearing and about all the things we need that will be gone once the reefs are. We learned more on animals and plants that rely on each other to live. Chris has been very interested in this and has been looking for examples of it since learning about the relationship that sloths have with algae. We learned about a species of fish that helps crab. The crab builds a cave to protect the fish and the fish watches out for the crab since it's eye sight isn't all that great. Frankie and I read 'Manfish' a month or so ago and she was reminded of Jacque Cousteau and his efforts in ocean conservation. Today at the library, as I mentioned before, we got lots of science books. I really like the 'Let's Read It and Find Out' science books so I got a ton of them. I hope these keep us busy for a while. I can't wait to read them! Zach got a dinosaur book that is so huge he should stay busy for quite a while. I really feel like we're getting a good start this 'school year'. It's not like we really have a set year but this is the back to school season.

Speaking of the library, I have my first complaint. I have two actually. I seem to have really annoyed the librarian this morning. I asked her if she could point me to the 'Let's Read It and Find Out' books and she asked what topic I was in search of. I told her I didn't care. She looked at me as if I were insane and told me that it doesn't work like that. I must have a topic or author. I asked her if she wouldn't mind looking the books up to find out who the author is and I got a big, long, drawn out sigh. She finds out and there are apparently many authors. She looked at me, smugly at this point, and told me I MUST have a topic. I told her to forget it and asked her to point me in the direction of the science section. She told me, "No! That is three whole aisles, what is the topic?" She was obviously not the sharpest crayon in the box. I told her I still didn't have a topic, just like I didn't have one the first 3 times she asked. She began to rub her temples as if I were giving her a headache so I told her I wanted something on plants. Again, she looked a pit annoyed because I didn't have a sincere topic and said she'd just click one and show it to me. I was happy to be done with her. Was it really THAT hard? Oddly enough, the topic she chose wasn't even the one I asked for. She could have picked 3 or 4 titles and showed them to me if she'd really wanted to be helpful. I think people like her need not be employed in the children's section. I know who to avoid now. There is an older man there who is great! I'll try to schedule my trips around his hours.

Complaint two! I called the library to ask if I could hold a meeting there. I was told I could. Once I got there I asked to speak with the woman in charge. She came out and completely blew off my introduction by rolling her eyes and waving her hand at me. It wasn't long or drawn out. All I said was, "Hi my name is Pauline and I called you yesterday." She went on to tell me that the library does not allow children's groups to meet. Not even when your group meets at a time when no one ever books a room. What sense does that make?

Nature hiking

We had a really great day today. While we're still sad to have missed homeschool group we had a lot of fun. We started our day at the library. We got lots of science books. We also got tree, wild flower and bird field guides. We made a nature 'kit' with some sketch paper, crayons, pencils, paper bags and the field guides and set off to Red Oaks. Once there we found a few really cool wild flowers. Chris and Amanda took turns identifying them. Here are a few of them. Keep in mind I've never identified anything before, lol. If you see an error, please let me know :-)



Asiatic Dayflower

Blue Phlox

Goldenrod. I can't tell which kind, there are so many!

Small Wood Sunflower

We took a nice long hike and identified some trees(okay maybe just one, which was a black walnut tree, and took pictures). We found as many leaves as we could. We spent time in the discovery room where we read books, made leaf prints, drew spiders and butterflies and checked out the bugs and pollen. We found all the items in our scavenger hunt from the hints I made. We didn't see any birds but we sure did hear a lot! It was a fun trip.

Now it's time to make dinner.

Bonus blog!

Because I rock! I am having a really good day. I was able to look past my tardiness to the co-op which is big for me. I usually harp on it all day. We got home, I took care of some past due business, called the library to find out about their meeting rooms, talked to the people at 4H, made dinner AND dessert on time. I finished a book I'd been reading. I had a nice time talking to new moms and an old friend. I wrote 2 blog entries and my house is clean. It doesn't get better than this. I plan to nap after dinner, get up, put the kids to bed, make soap and hang out with my husband. It's amazing what getting things accomplished does for me. I might even be up to the hour long car ride to Joilet for homeschool group tomorrow.

Chris's first day of co-op and other things

Chris had a really nice week! Since it's a one day a week thing, his week is done. I love it. I haven't been around such school-y people in a while. Most were more go with the flow type people but they were all closer to structure than I'm used to. One was very structured but did so because her daughter was used to school and seemed to want her mom to mimic school at home. I don't know if I could do that, lol. We ended up being a half an hour late. I am the queen of getting lost. I got lost literally 2 blocks from my destination, that is talent. Not only did I get lost but I ended up two cities away from where I should have been. I need a GPS like last year. Chris has homework, how weird, though it's not the torture that is school homework. He has a week to finish it so he doesn't have to sit in a desk for 6 hours then come home and sit at a table for another hour or two. I think this will be good for him. He likes it, I like it and he's getting older and has new interests. Aaron was the perfect baby. He smiles right on cue and always manages to get ohhhs and awes. We were there for 5 hours and the only fussing he did was when I had him in the sun too long. I was chatting outside for about an hour and he'd just had enough of the heat.

I am thinking of starting a 4H club. I have always wanted the kids in one but I would rather them be in a homeschool club. Not because I have something against public school kids but because I don't like to be out late and I really don't like activities on the weekend. Plus, meeting places are so hard to find during evening and weekend hours. I need at least 2 more kids over age 8 before we can start. You need 5 to start a club. I will have to do some reading as 4H seems to be much more inclusive, as far as projects and topics, than I thought. It's not all live stock and plants after all!

I have thought up a fun way to teach letter blends to the girls and am excited to start it! I think they will like it and it will keep them interested. They are terrible learners when you sit them down and teach them. They learn so much better though movement, art and song.

Now, maybe a trip to the library. I have no ink and stuff to print. I also need some new books for the kids.

The zoo and my weekend

On Friday we spent the day at the zoo with Dawn and her two boys, Nathaniel and Peyton. We had a great time! The kids got to play and I got to have mom talk, which is always a plus for me. We got to see the dinosaur exhibit at Brookfield zoo and it was great! I always knew how big dinosaurs were but I didn't really KNOW. Man, they are big! Seeing the t-rex really helped me understand just how worthless those little arms were and how scary that thing must have been. Nicky was not impressed with those big, loud creatures. He doesn't like loud noises. He kept his head securely buried in Mack's back the whole time. He was actually really good at the zoo until the end. By then he'd missed his nap time and was starting to act just a little naughty. It really was a good day. After that we stopped at my mom's and had pizza for dinner.

Yesterday was a total waste of a day. Today was pretty wasteful too. I sat on my behind playing on facebook and watching Caillou on netflix with Zach and Nicky. How's that for an exciting weekend. I promised myself I'd get the addresses of friends I've promised soap to, didn't happen. I had two 4 pound batches of soap planned, didn't happen. Chris starts his classes tomorrow and I still haven't gotten his supplies. I'm mom of the year today. I guess down time is good. I've been really stressing lately. I've been spending my days tense and upset and even though I didn't do anything these last 2 days I can say I'm a lot more relaxed, calm and happy. Maybe I accomplished something after all :-)

Now on the next week! I have so much to do and I'm so excited. Really, this week isn't much different than any other week but I'm really looking forward to it. Aaron has his 6 month check up and Nicky had his 2.5 year check up. I can't wait to see how big my little chunky Aaron is. He also get to eat this week. He's been staring my food down for weeks so I hope he's not too disappointed. I can't believe this baby is 6 months old. It doesn't see like it's been that long. This year is flying by.

I better run. I'm in the mood for a nature hunt tomorrow and I think we'll have a scavenger hunt while we're at it.

No more crowds

Hurray for the return of the school year. All summer the parks, museums and zoos are crowded with children. I really hate crowds so the start of the school year is always welcome. We had a nice day at MRU today, as usual. The kids did a really fun craft and the parents decided on what the plans for the upcoming fall season. We have many classes and groups in the works and I'm very excited about it. Nicky got to switch riding toys with Nathaniel at group. Nicky loves this little tricycle. Once the trade off is over I may have to buy him one.

Have I mentioned how awesome Aaron is lately? He is! he is the happiest child ever. He is such a joy. He's sitting up, smiling and going backwards with the look of much confusion, lol. One day he's figure out that forward thing. He starts solids in a week! I'm so excited. I should be over this after 1000 kids but nope. I'm just as excited about Aaron as i was with Chris. This baby thing never gets old.

Nicky is...a trying toddler, lol. He has no gray area. I'm either laughing so hard I could cry or feeling like i just want to cry in general. I'll be glad when this time is over. I bet he'll be a great kid. he has such a winning personality.

And me! I have a soap room! This means I have indeed gone so crazy over this soap thing that I've devoted a full room to it. I've also learned to make body butter so that'll be in there too if I ever buy jars to put it in. One step at a time.

Chris is always asking to do academic classes. I always think he should do something sporty. I give up. He'll be taking learning vine classes this fall. He's taking grammar, history and writing. It's only a day a week on Monday. I hope he likes it as much as he thinks he will.

Tomorrow is La Leche League meeting. I can't wait to go since it's been a while. I'm not even sure why I'm so excited, maybe the idea of getting out of the house with 5 less kids than I normally leave with, lol. After that WILL. We're having a pot luck lunch tomorrow, fun!

BIrthdays and summer

Since my last post my oldest daughter turned 9! She had a great day. I took her to a 'mom and me' dinner and then Mack took them all to the movies. We had a celebration for her, as well as Frankie, at my mom's house on Sunday. We've had such a fun summer and it seems as if it is just starting! I can't help but feel sad for the public school children near me. They are going back next week and the week after and the warm weather has really just set in. I'm just starting and they are all done. We've really been enjoying our time with our group until an incident that happened yesterday with my daughter and a little boy at our group. It really makes me feel sad that the racial issues that should be long dead are still going on. The little boy is 8, I can't help but wonder where he learned the horrible things he said yesterday.

On to a subject that always makes me feel great, my little Aaron. He's getting so big! He's doing so much already. He started sitting up just before he turned 5 month and has 3 more weeks before he can start solids. He seems to be very excited about food but I suspect it has more to do with shiny spoons and colorful plates than actually eating anything. My family, or some of them, seem to think he NEEDS to be eating My baby is 5 months old and not old enough just yet. Even if he thinks he should eat, I know it is best for his health if he doesn't. Three weeks won't hurt him and I know he isn't starving, he really couldn't get much fatter, lol.

The next two weeks will be spent finishing our passport since the program is nearly over and we haven't visited many places yet. I must admit, I prefer to go when public school is in session. Things are much less crowded. The reading program is also nearly over and only Chris has gotten all of his paws. The rest are on the last level and need a few more.

That is all for now.

Slacking again!

I will keep up with this blog!!

Today was such a wonderful day! We were at the Batavia Quarry swimming from 11:30am to nearly 5pm. We sponsered our group there this week and everyone had a wonderful time! That makes me feel good :-)

I got tons of pitcures. We may go back soon though I'm a little hesitant. Aaron hates it! BBetween the sun and the cold water, the poor kid would rather be at home. Maybe I'll let Mack take the big kids again like he did on Frankie's birthday.

After a day of swimming the kids hung out while we got dinner on the table. They had 15 minutes to eat and they were out the door again. I was just too tired to go so Mack took them to the Curious Critter presentation at the library. I stayed home with the little boys. I got no rest. Nicky was in a mood, I wish I'd just gone. The kids said they had fun and got to see all sorts of neat critters.

I love days like this. Now it's my night and how do I spend my free time? Soaping. It's an addiction, I swear! I made 6 pounds tonight. I'm trying hot process in the oven in the mold. I know there is an easier way to say that but I can't think of it. I am not loving cold process, the soap won't look the way I'd planned but it's done and we'll see how it all works out. I better get to bed.

Therapy dogs and SOAP!

Today started with girls going to the library for the "Read with Rover" program. They had fun though they weren't gone as long as I hoped they would be. I had all sorts of soap making plans. I decided to make a cold process soap today. What a disaster. I'll stick to my hot process thank-you-very-much. The one I made yesterday was great. So nice, it had the whole house smelling of apple pie! Today I made a decision. I really like making soap. I think it's so much fun! The farmer's market is going on. I'm giving myself until September(or maybe mid August) to get really good with soaping then I'm getting a space at the farmer's market to sell. I'm soooo nervous. I just hope I have fun and that I enjoy it, maybe I'll even make a few bucks :-)

The kids had a day of fun today. We haven't done much. They've been playing outside. Fun stuff. I've been thinking soapy thoughts. That seems to be the case lately. Now I will think about scents. Hmmmm.

.::Yawn::.

I guess Aaron hasn't outgrown his breathing spasms. I was up a nice chunk of the night watching him breath and listening to my husband snore. I'm so very tired. I hope I can take a nap today, it is much needed. I had fun at game night last night but after seeing how upset Aaron was that I wasn't home to put him to bed, it may be a while before I go out again. I think it was a bit much for him, this was the second night this week. He's okay now but still, I can't help but worry.

I'm brave...well, Dee was for me.

Today I took soap to group. I gave a couple bars to Dee but was not brave enough to give them to anyone else. Dee did it for me and I was so grateful. There was no way I'd have done it myself. Now that I see no one said, "Ew, these smell weird and I'm not using your dumb soap" I have a lot more courage for the next time. Two days until I have supplies! I can't wait. Next time I give soap it will be pretty and smell pretty too!

Aside from that, we had a great day the park. The day started out weird, I woke up at 9:50!! I was out until 11 having dinner with friends and then watched some TV and boy, was I tired. I got up and Mack made a mad dash to get Zachary to the library on time for pre-school pandas. The topic was the ocean and he had a great time. I packed what parts on lunch we had, Mack dropped us off at the park and went to get the rest of lunch. At least they ate, lol. I had planned to take Chris to the show to see Harry Potter with a couple of his friends but by the time I tried to buy tickets, they were sold out. Maybe next time. We took a walk around the neighborhood and then had some pizza for dinner.

I'm off to bed soon, Aaron is not happy with me and I need to do some extra fun stuff with the kids tomorrow to make up for taking to Mom nights this week. We have game night tomorrow! I can't wait.

History

We've slacked on history. Not that the kids aren't learning any, I'm just not being a very good facilitator lately. It seems as though when we start talking history it turns into an all day event. We put a few things on our time line today, if it weren't for the need for the house to stay tidy until 4pm there would have been books all over the floor as usual. We talked about nomads and they wanted to keep going into the topic of the first farmers. I hate appointments when we get in a learning groove like that. Maybe we can get back to the happy place this evening. I already put dinner in the crock pot so that frees up an extra couple hours of prep, cooking and clean up time.

Totally random

I need to add this so I'll have a record. On June 18, Aaron had his 4 month check up. I forgot to blog about it so here it is! Everything went great. He weighed 17 pounds 7 ounces and was 25 1/4 inches. Ped says he's perfect and he's growing great on the boob juice. Nothing else to report.

Books, birds and c-section awareness

Today was a really nice day. I woke up early to sneak in a batch of soap. I made two pounds and was a little disappointed. I had no blue dye to make the purple I wanted. I underestimated the mold I used. It could hold three pounds but I only made two. The kitchen was a horrible mess so it took way longer than I wanted. I won't be making anymore soap until I get my dyes and fragrance in the mail. That won't stop me from obsessing about the perfect recipe though! I spent a ton of time writing in my soap journal and messing around on soapcalc today.

We spent a nice portion reading and doing learning related things today as well. The girls are on a worksheet kick so I spent a nice chunk of my morning 'doing' math with them. We've been reading like crazy this summer! The summer reading program seems to have kicked it off but we have all taken off. We recently finished Sign of the Beaver. We're now working on Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox. The kids heard some of this book while I was reading this series now we're reading it to them. Chris is reading Elephant....something about an Elephant, lol. It's for a library book discussion and it's late so my brain is broken until I get some sleep. The girls are starting to read one of the Magic Tree House books for their next discussion. Zach is really enjoying his Miss Spider books. One thing I love about Zachary is his complete disregard for boy stuff vs. girl stuff. He is rough and tumble, loves bugs and sister bugging and can play barbies and dress up with the best of them. A kid after my own heart. We had a book exchange at MRU next week and I need to go through all those books. We got quite a few and while the kids have been reading them, they are all over. I need to make space for them. I have 5 book shelves in my living room and we'll be looking at a 6th soon.

Back to today! We all headed out to the library this evening. The children had a Birds of Prey presentation. The big kids had a blast. I wasn't there but I got to see some nice pictures of the birds. What beautiful owls. One looked exactly like a big piece of tree bark, wonderful camouflage. While the kids learned about birds, I went to my c-section awareness meeting(ICAN). I'm so glad Mack mentioned that I should go. I'd totally forgotten and had once again convinced myself that we meet on Tuesdays instead of Mondays. I really need to remember to put meetings on my calendar. It was a nice meeting, as usual. I really need to learn to come out of my shell with this group. There are two ladies there I really like but this stupid shyness, ugh! I did get up the courage to invite one to my homeschool group. I really hope she comes. I ended up with super toddler for some of my meeting. He was running around too much so Mack brought him down to me. He was good for a while. Then he got bored. Nicky should never get bored, it's not pretty. He started pushing the stroller into the wall. So, my little star baby got passed around a bit while I nursed Nicky and he went to sleep! I was so happy for that. He can be pretty bad at the library. This is one of those times I thank God my toddler is still nursing strong. It could have gotten ugly.

Tomorrow should be MRU. We're meeting at a park and I really don't want to go. It's just so far away! I wish I lived somewhere exactly between the two groups so I had easier access to MRU. If we don't go to group tomorrow we'll head over to one of these nature places in the area to get a passport stamp.

Well, I'm off to bed! I need to be well rested. I must get these children out of the house for some fun tomorrow. I'm also going out tomorrow night! I'm so excited. I love meeting with good friends.

Excuse any mistakes, I'm too tired to proof read. I barely remembered to spell check.

Rainy days

Rainy days are best shared with friends. I was so close to staying home with the kids since it was so gray and wet but we ventured out to the park to be with our Wild Indigo homeschool friends. They played in the park until everyone was cold, wet and hungry and were off to Panera. I generally don't care for groups at Panera but I must admit it was fun and I love the food! Frankie followed her new crush around for at least an hour. It was kind of cute. Nicky had a great time sharing a cookie with Rylee. Aaron got to share his smile and impress everyone with his sweet, chatter box nature. I'm very happy to have gotten out of the house.

I will blog!

Again, I have neglected my blogging responsibilities. I will improve! The summer is rushing by so fast it's hard to keep up! We've been so into our books. We've read several this summer, 4 or 5 chapter books and several smaller books. The library reading program started 2 weeks ago and we're almost done! We've made a trip to Red Oaks nature center and have many more trips planned for this summer. I love field trips! The situation with the rats has improved. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be okay with rats running across my bed or computer table. I hate that these wonderful little creatures have such a short life span. I will miss them dearly when they aren't here. I have taught myself to make soap and it is my newest obsession. Though I'm only three batches in, Chris is to be my new apprentice. I'm working on perfecting my recipe and have all sorts of wonderful ideas in my head. I can see myself making all sorts of neat creations. The baby is getting bigger and bigger! He's up around 18 pounds of pure love :-) We had a wonderful Fourth of July. We BBQ'd and had a nice day at home followed by a night of fire works. Nicky, Aaron and I stayed home as Nick is just a little frightened if the 'boom boom' in the sky. Maybe next year. I'm secretly happy I got to stay home. We caught a partial show the night before and I felt like a mosquito buffet! That is all for now. I will be updating as often as I can.

Loving the outside and dreading it too.

We've really been loving all the outdoor time. We missed homeschool group this week but we're planning to go to the zoo with a friend from group to make up for it. Amanda is slimming down already. Neither girl misses school. I got the notes from Frankie's IEP meeting and had to giggle. Frankie still can't read much. On the notes they listed that she'd had inadequate reading and math instruction before school and also that she'd made no real improvement at school so she must have a learning disability. It's funny that when I taught her I was doing something wrong but when they taught her she had something wrong. Amazing. I would have come to the conclusion that she simply isn't ready yet and she's not. She isn't LD she is simply not ready yet and that is okay :-)

The kids love park days! I missed them so much. We didn't go to HS group this week because there wasn't a park day due to rain. I don't think I mentioned that Chris got his CPR card at MRU last week. It was a really fun class. The kids learned a lot and had fun.

Now for the dread. Nicholas almost got hit by a car. It was no one's fault really. A man opened the door at the office we were in and he jetted out. The car swerved and missed him as I pulled him out of the way right before sliding into the pavement. It missed me by about a foot. As much as I'm against it, this little one will be using a leash from now on. I can't get the image of the car coming toward him out of my head. I can't stop thinking that he could not be here with me right now. That he could be hooked up to machines never to wake up and be the Nicky I know. I'm fairly certain I'll have nightmares about this if the road rash doesn't keep me up. This stuff is painful. Getting it wet is like being burned over and over. Fun stuff.

Nicky the nursling

Nicky is still very much in love with the boobs. I was on the phone today with my aunt and I told him to get off of me so I could type. My aunt and I have had it out before about nursing so she chooses her words very carefully. She asked, "Does he drink whole milk?" I told her he doesn't so she asked about soy. I told her yes, he likes it. She said, "Oh, maybe he'll take it out of a bottle." I told her he was too old for a bottle and drinks from a cup just fine. I could hear her getting ready to say something else but she stopped herself, LOL. I know she has seen him drink stuff so I'm not sure what her deal was with the bottle thing. I guess she thinks I don't like nursing him or he shouldn't be. Neither is true. I'm quite happy to nurse him and so is he. I want him to still be nursing until he's ready to be done. Another thing they find weird about me, I guess.

The terror, er....toddler

Nicky is a very spirited toddler. He's got very little impulse control and shows almost no fear unless you put a Great Dane in front of him(THAT was funny!). He is horrible at the library and we've all but given up. We didn't take him enough when he was small. Between my lack of enthusiasm for our old library and my pregnancy, we just didn't go very often. I've decided to teach him library etiquette because I NEED to go! I'm taking him in a stroller and I plan to move quickly. He doesn't go running like he used to because I proved I would leave his little butt behind! Okay, I actually told him good-bye and hid behind a bush but it worked! Now that I've fixed that issue the library should be easy, right? Let's hope!

Update: I think we'll leave library trips for when Mack's home. Nicky can stay with him. It went Oh, so well! Not only did he yell the whole time but he also pushed his stroller with half the books in it down the stairs. Not even Aaron cut me a break. He pooped out of his diaper, through his tee shirt, outfit AND my baby carrier. We were there all of 15 minutes and it'll take quite a bit of bravery to show my face again. At least we all got books and I got book 4, 5, and 6 of the Artemis Fowl series.

Back to being me!

Mack isn't around all the time anymore. He's been working on and off for the last couple years now. He really likes the security thing but it's really unstable in our area. He got a new position with MUCH more stable hours and comparable pay that isn't in the security field. I'm so glad he's not home all the time anymore, not to mention that we'll have extra money again. I can't be me when he's around. I get lazy and cranky. Since he's been away I have been early for all my appointments, the house stays clean and the kids don't fight or mess up around the house as much.

My girls are HOME! No more school, I couldn't take it anymore. I feel so much better, the stress was killing me! I missed them so much and I was really tired of feeling like the school owned my children. I found the work they did before they started school. Amanda has lost so much of the phonics she tried so hard to learn. Frankie hasn't improved but she hasn't lost any ground either. Now I know for sure I haven't done anything wrong aside from put her in school that is. I'll keep letting her go at her own pace. She's really interested in history and geography right now so I guess that is where the focus will be. We made a really cool time line the other night and she found a history of the world sticker book. She wants to put the things we read about in the sticker book on our time line. It should be a fun project. She is also into sight words. I ordered Picture Me Reading a couple years ago and the words are pictographs. She really likes those and she has a thing for flashcards. She put them some in the pockets of my pocket chart and is now 'teaching' the words to Zachary. They both seem to enjoy it. Amanda is all into writing stories. She spends most of her days asking me how to spell things. I put all the words she asks me to spell up on the wall so she can see them and doesn't have to interrupt her writing to ask me again. She wants to learn to write in cursive so I'll order her a Handwriting Without Tears book. Their approach is easy and not too stressful. I think it'll be fun for her. Chris isn't into anything right now. He still loves his rats but isn't reading much on them. He's just enjoying holding them and talking t them. Zach loves to have books read to him so I'm either reading to him or his Tag is. I really like the Tag system and so does he. I didn't think he would. He had it for 3 months before he decided he liked it. He's also hunting unicorns. It's really cute. I promised to build him a cave and buy him a bunch of toys and food for it if he finds one. No luck yet, but he hasn't given up! Yesterday we had a great day at Morton's Arboretum. I got teased about the girls being at group instead of school again but this time they WERE at school. Everyone welcomed them back officially. It was a great feeling!

Aaron had his 2 month check up today. I went because I had planned on getting the newborn screening redone and forgot the card so it's still not done. I will get around to it one of these days. He's getting so big! He's 24 inches long and 13 pounds 7 ounces. He's grown out of his 0-3 months clothes but he still wears them around the house. If he gets much taller he won't be able to, not to mention they are getting pretty snug.

I'm getting back into bulk cooking slowly. I made a HUGE pot of meat sauce yesterday before and after group. I browned the meat before we left and finished it when I got home. It tastes wonderful! I thought I burned it. Nicky took a spill while it was cooking and I forgot it was on. In the end Nicky was fine, though he did limp a little for the rest of the night, and so was my sauce.

Anger doesn't touch how I'm feeling!

I finally got tired of the school. I had planned to write a withdrawal letter for my girls and mail it today. They went in for half the day. When Frankie got there she was in tears because she didn't want to be there. By the time she got home she was saying how much she LOVES school and wants to go next year. What happened here? Way to manipulate my kid. I'm not pulling her if she doesn't want me to but now I don't think she knows what she wants. I wish I hadn't sent her at all. Now my letter includes one child. Amanda is %100 sure she doesn't want to go anymore and she won't be.

On a better note, it's 80 degrees today and we're heading out! I'm taking them to the part until my Friend is done gardening and we'll meet her after that. We will also try to stop by the county clerk to show them the baby and sign his birth certificate.

What did I do?!?

I seem to have eaten something that does not agree with Aaron. His newborn acne had finally cleared and I was admiring his nice moist soft skin only to wake yesterday and find him completely broken out. I have no clue what I could have eaten to cause that so now this pretty complexion is back to how it was except it's not just his face this time but his whole body! Joy. I did have a slice of provolone on a sub, I wonder if that did it? If so, that really makes me worried. His milk sensitivity would be much worse than Nicky's. When Nick was small I would just avoid milk and ice cream but I ate cheese is small amounts. It would cause him to cry but it didn't physically affect him the way it has with Aaron. I guess I will have to cut ALL dairy. His poop is also green again which is another sign of a food sensitivity. I think I'll keep a food diary and cut the dairy. Hopefully we'll see some improvement. My poor guy, I feel awful :(

Party! Super short post.

My aunt's birthday party was last night. The children had a wonderful time! It took me all day to get them ready only for not to take a single picture. Hopefully, some one will send me a few of the pictures that were taken.

Typical

I start a blog, write all the time for a few day and then just stop. I won't let this blog die. So, update time! On April 9 Aaron went back to the doctor's office. I need a referral for his newborn screening. The appointment was pointless. I didn't even need a referral, she just told me to take the card to the lab. I am glad I got to see what his weight is. It's sort of difficult to get a good weight on my fish scale since he's such a wiggler now. He was up to 11 pounds 13 ounces. He's getting so big! His thrush left but I don't think we treated it for long enough. He's still getting spots on his inner lips. She told me not to worry about his weird breathing that, it may have just been a fluke. I don't agree, he had it happen again a couple days ago. It worries me but it doesn't seem to hurt him so I'm not sure how I should handle it.

We went on our first outdoor outing of the year yesterday! We went to Cosley Zoo. It was so nice to be doing something I enjoy. I thought we'd leave quickly because it was a bit nippy and I was worried about Aaron but it started to warm up and we stayed for 3 hours. The kids had a great time and I got to hang out with the other moms and chat. Quite nice. My back was fine up until the end when Aaron's weight started bothering me. The ultimate baby wrap is pretty good if I could hold him for so long without feeling a thing. I don't like the way that it gives after about an hour. It's so stretchy that baby starts to move downward really slowly in it. It feels like it need to be tightened or something. I really want to get a Moby wrap. Now that I know how to nurse in a wrap I'm very excited to get another.

I converted the empty tiny bedroom we have into a food storage room. I'm not sure how long that will last as it seems like a waste of a room. I may switch the game closet with the storage room which sounds like a great idea now that I think about it! I could set up table and chairs in the little room for games and stuff.

The girls went to the dentist on Tuesday and the boys are going today. I think I'm staying home. They are just going for a cleaning but Zach may have a couple tiny cavities. If he does, I hope he cooperates with getting them filled. Amanda had to go because she had a really big abscess on her gum but there was no cavity in sight. I wonder if the one she got filled a few years back wasn't done properly.

Zach is really enjoying his new phonics program. I don't push him and it's super easy for him. He asks to do work all the time and now I have something for him to do that makes me feel good too. He does a page of math and a page of phonics. Usually that's enough 'work' for him but sometimes he'll sit there and practice his numbers and letters. He's quite motivated. The first time he did it it was funny. I don't think he knew I was serious and started talking about some movie, lol. He seems to get it now.

Have I mentioned I HATE, HATE that stupid school? My girls have another full MONTH and then some before summer. I thought school was out in May. Some idiot that works there loves to yell at them and call them names. If he does this one more time, I'm pulling them. The thought of that makes me mad enough to see red.

We got new pets! I finally got fish for my tank. We have three female mollies, a tetra and a platy. If these fish do well, we'll add a few more. I also plan on getting some aquarium plants soon. The hood seems to be broken so I'll have to replace that too. I tried buying a new bulb but it didn't work. Chris is now reading about pet rats. I got two from a pet store but it hasn't been 24 hours and I know they have a respiratory infection and that they aren't very nice. Lesson learned. These will go back, hopefully I'll get a refund if not it's a $8 loss. No big deal. I found a breeder in Chicago so we'll go pick up a pair of female rats from her.

Chris has been invited to another birthday party. So much for homeschooled kids not being social. This one is really cool. They meet and my friends house and then go to the downtown area of her city. They will have a scavenger hunt in the shops(his mom is going to be talking to the merchants to let them know to expect the kids). It's not adult supervised but I think they'll be fine between the 8 of them and the area isn't huge anyway. After that they head over for pizza. The party is about 5 hours total. He's so excited about this. Mostly the hanging out downtown without adults part, lol.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

How could I forget?!? My grandmother is turning 83 today!

Happy birthday Grandma!

Ramblings

Spring has not sprung. It's still cold here and we're missing our trip to Morton Arboretum. Boo. We did have fun at group yesterday though. I really like the church where we meet. The kids put on an impromptu play, the big kids had robotics class. I wish Chris would participate more(though I'm not sure why, it's his choice). He doesn't really like it much and usually cuts out. Yesterday he spend the whole time building a lego ship. We had chips, guacamole, fruit, and granola bars for lunch. I LOVE the guacamole from Whole Foods. It's more expensive than should be legal but it's so good. I'm going to try to match the recipe today. After all, the ingredients are listed.

Now to talk about my newborn. Rambling was indeed a great title. He's so sweet. I'm still staring at this perfect little creature. It amazes me that I grew him and am still growing him all by myself and he's healthy and thriving. Many thanks to my husband for the cell he donated to me for this little miracle ;-) This child has eyes for only me. He stares at me all the time, it's as if I'm the only person in existence in his eyes. My voice soothes him. I'm in awe of him. It's amazing to me that I still feel this way about my newborns after 6 kids. It never gets old with soft, sweet new babies.

Now, more rambling! I just bought a math set for the girls, since math is my hang up and I simply can't see me unschooling it My next step in pulling them from the jail they attend each day. They are having such fun this week! They will be so sad next when they have to return. This topic is becoming the topic of several mini arguments with my husband. He thinks they should be home now. While I agree in my heart I think that logically, it's still best they finish out the year. I'm not how this will end up just yet. We'll see.

Again about the baby. I have all items for the newborn screening. I started yesterday but he was crying so hard! My poor baby. The poke didn't phase him at all. It was the squeezing and holding his foot hostage that bothered him the most. He has this odd reaction after hard crying. The small amount of information I've found refers to what he does as a breathing spasm. I suspect this is just what the moms with this issue have started calling it. I haven't been able to find this listed anywhere as an actual medical term. He does this thing that I did as a child if I cried to hard. It's almost like a gasp but not. It's the quick inhale then exhale. I never knew it lasted more than a few minutes after a hard cry but with him it lasts a full day. When he nurses it causes him to have these but he seems to forget how to exhale. He will get a shocked look on his face while not really seeming to breath for 3-7 second and then he exhales a big breath. If it takes him a while he'll let out a startled cry if not, he just latches back on and keeps nursing. I have no clue what causes it or what stops it. I'm just careful not to let him get to that point if I can help it. The thing is that this all causes no real signs of respiratory distress. The doctor isn't worried and all the moms I've found on the Internet with this issue never find a diagnosis. I even found an adult who is still having this issue. I'm not sure what to do about this but worry. I have no clue what I should do as far as the newborn screening. My friend may come over to help me finish it today but we're both concerned about this breathing issue and not sure how to proceed. We'll see what happens.

Food! I'm writing a list. According to my weekly plan I should be shopping tomorrow. We might just go today if we get everything done. We'd really been looking forward to getting out of the house and due to....social issues in our group, in addition to the weather, it doesn't look like we'll be going to group. I'm hoping I can think of a nice variety of meals to make but, my head feels really empty at the moment. Hopefully Mack will help me think of some things.

Now for the last portion of my chaotic post: Politics. We had a bit of a political conversation at group yesterday and it made me see that I don't really identify with any one political group. For one, I've not educated myself well on what the groups truly stand for. I seem to identify with a few traits of a few parties. I guess this is common though. I have a live and let live view on life, this mostly stems from the worry that the government will one day tell me I can't homeschool/unschool, I must vaccinate and unassisted birth(or even plain homebirth) is illegal. These are choice I want to make for myself and I just don't want the government butting it. I'm also pro-life. I really feel abortion is wrong but at times I feel as if maybe it isn't always the wrong thing(this happens rarely) so I guess that could go either way. I know this view is more republican than anything else. I also feel as if the government should provide help to those on need. I don't think they should pull the weight of system moochers but the working poor should be able to get some help if they are truly trying and have a desire to do better. I don't think WIC should provide formula without prescription from a lactation consultant but I guess that's an entirely different post. What does all this make me? I simply don't know. I am starting to have a few issues with our president. While I'm quite happy the color barrier has been broken, I'm not sure he's making all the right choices. Some of his actions seem questionable to say the least. I guess I'll just wait and see how things go over the next year before I make any real decisions on how I feel about him.

I had more but I'm tired of writing and the children are calling me.

A bit of normalcy

Today feels so right. My girls are home and I'm feeling so at ease. They fight so much after school I wondered if things could be peaceful again with both of them home. Things are perfect. I had suspected that stress led them to fight each other and their brothers so much and it was. Don't get me wrong, they fought before they started school but the amount and intensity has about tripled since then. That's really saying a lot since they aren't here half as much yet the fighting is three times as much! And no, this isn't an exaggeration. I can't wait for them to be home for good. I really miss this.

I've also noticed that when writing I don't talk about our day to day stuff anymore. In older blogs, my entries were filled with the things we'd done during the day. It's not that way anymore. Things seem so empty without my daughters around. Today is so full already. I've done my normal stuff but the excitement I've been missing is back! Not that it's been a busy day. It isn't. It's been a really lazy day full with cleaning, clothes and planning. But even though that is all we've done we've seen lots of art done by my girls, Chris isn't stuck to his computer like he'd normally be, Zach and Nicky are off playing peacefully together(after they finished singing to me and dancing), the girls seem obedient and loving again. They don't have these nasty attitudes that they somehow grow at school. They are being them. It only took 2 days, they haven't been to school since Wednesday.

I'm really hoping we get to go on the trip with our group on Wednesday. My van is really acting up. We're pretty sure the issue is the fuel pump. Mack will probably take it in on Monday. It would probably be best if he went in today. I can't be stuck in the house this week. I really want to make this a week to remember since the girls are home and I've been stuck around the house first due to pregnancy exhaustion and then for the first weeks after baby was born. Speaking of my little Aaron- he's a month old! I can't believe it's been a month already. The memory of his birth is so clear to me. I hope it's always so clear. Nicky's has never faded. I can remember it as if it were yesterday. The hospital births and all the frustrations that came with them have never been so clear. Not sure if that is because of all the drugs or simply because part of me wants to forget certain parts. Not that much of most of those births weren't happy, they were, I just felt very violated and my wishes and concerns were so often ignore. I'm still trying to make peace, especially with my c-sections. I'm not sure I'll ever make peace with the nightmare that was Frankie's birth. Had any of the staff had any compassion, it may not have been so horrible.

Spring!

I'd grown quite tired of all the Panera meeting with homeschool group I LOVE my group but Panera and my toddler don't mix well. I just checked our meeting places and I'm so happy it's spring! We have lots of fun places to go this month.

April 1- 11:30a.m., Morton Arboretum, Lisle
Let’s meet in the Children’s area, using the visitor center as a warming area if needed. Dress for the weather.Cost: $7 Adults, $5 Youth, free children under 2 Morton Arboretum website: http://www.mortonarb.org/

April 8 - *1:00.*, Bowling, Fox Bowl, Wheaton
Join us for an afternoon of bowling. Outside food will be allowed but no messy foods such as popcorn or chips. Cost: $2.50 per game with free shoe rental. 1101 Butterfield Road, Wheaton.http://www.foxbowl.com/.

April 15 – 11:30a.m, Cosley Zoo, Wheaton http://www.wheatonparkdistrict.com/pgs/parks/cosley/default.htmlOlder Kids: Enjoy the zoo area together and then have some fun playing in Cosley’s open area where we can also have lunch.For the younger group, Dee has scheduled a program to start at 11:30. The class is for the little guys ages 4-2nd grade level. The cost is 4.50 per child, 3 chaperons are free but additional chaperons will have to pay 1.50. Please let Dee know if you plan to attend the program. The class description is below:
CRITTER CLASS INFO
This class is designed to introduce your students to the concept of sorting animals into groups.We will also discover adaptations that help mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians to survive in their environments.Students will view pictures, touch biofacts, and meet live animals to reinforce what they have learned.

April 22 – 11:30 Cantigny, Wheaton
We will be climbing on the tanks in the tank park and visiting the First Division Museum. Cantigny Website: http://www.cantigny.org/Cost: $5 a car

April 29 11:30 Blackwell Forest Preserve, Warrenville
The main entrance is on the north side of Butterfield Road, 1/4 mile west of Winfield Road and one mile east of Route 59.Dupage Forest Website: http://www.dupageforest.com/PRESERVES/blackwell.html*11:30 a.m. Bike ride, Meet just inside park entrance, lst parking lot on right.Bring your bikes and join us on a 6 mile bike ride to McKee Marsh and back. The entire length of the ride will be on a bike path.*12:30 p.m. Picnic & Lawn Sports, West ShelterBring lunch for your family and any of your favorite lawn games such as croquet, bocce, horseshoes, etc…