How we fill our days...now that we have 4 kids

I have been BUSY...BUSY...BUSY. The boys keep me running and I love it. We have only been home about a week and a half and we are working hard at keeping a routine. I find that all kids thrive on routine. It helps so much for them to know what is expected for each part of the day.

So our day if full of lots of play time.

We will spend more time outside playing on the playset.

Then after we used up all of our energy we have
lunch and clean up before nap time.

Oh...how we love our nap time.Yes...I rock him to sleep for both nap time and bed time (and I LOVE IT).
And after rest time we start all over again.


But most of the day...these pleading eyes look up at me and reach up for momma. And then...I spend my day holding my Little Man.

9:09 9-9-09

We stopped our schooling and did a little fun at 9:09, 9-9-09.

9 jumping jacks
9 toe touches
go find 9 purple things and bring them to me
go get 9 sips of water and eat 9 crackers
pet the bunny 9 times
swing 9 swings on the swing and go down the slide 9 times
take 9 more sips of water and sit down for 9 deep breaths.

Summer Season 7 - list

It seems like there has been a lag in these kind of lists that go around people's blogs. Thought I would make one up myself to get the creative juices flowing. Let's start off the new summer season with a glimpse into my vulnerable self. I will try and make these items summer related, as I love a theme to something.



1. I am a terrible swimmer. Can't go under without plugging my nose. I can tread water with the best of you, but actual strokes - um - can't do them. My kids put me to shame in the pool.


2. I love fireworks - but not crazy about fire crackers. I enjoy going to see fireworks - the professional kind, but the kind that you buy in Wal-mart parking lot and set off yourself in the driveway at home (you know the kind that scare children and animals alike)...I can go without those.


3. I serve a LOT of salad for meals in the summer. Taco salad, Asian chicken salad, fruit salad, tossed green salad, pasta salad, layered salad. We have had salad for the last 2 nights for dinner.


4. I am really cheap when it comes to running the air conditioning. I would rather have fresh air breezing through the windows. I set the air as high as I can tolerate it and I am the first one to turn it off as soon as the weather is nice.


5. I make my kids do school in the summer. Yep...that is me, mean mommy. We do math all summer long. Not every day, but at least 3 or 4 days a week. We do however also do LOTS of art in the summer too.


6. I haven't bought a new swim suit in several years. I HATE shopping for a new suit. It is one of my least favorite things to shop for. UGH. I find the whole thing depressing.


7. I LOVE summer camp. Going to camp was a huge part of my childhood years. It was such a tool that God used to reach me and draw me close to Him. My camp was Timber-Lee in Wisconsin. It is still a special place for me. I went every summer from 3rd grade through college (when I worked there). I even loaded my kids up on a plane 2 summers ago to experience it themselves.



So, there you have it. My summer season 7 list. I would love to hear your SUMMER SEASON 7 list. Do share. Either post it on your blog or leave a little list in the comment area.

mule after mule after mule

Not long ago we went to a nearby town to watch a parade. This wasn't your typical parade, no marching bands, no clowns, no tossing candy to the crowds, no fancy floats. Nope. This parade was all about MULES.

We lined the streets will lots of local type folks and watched as mule after mule after mule walked by. Some pulling old mule wagons.

Most working as a mule team.

A few pony mules pulling mule carts.

To mix it up a bit...a sheep herding dog herding sheep down the middle of the street.

Then, back to more mules.

I had never seen so many mules before. It was easy to spot the mules from the horses. Those big ears gave it away every time. Now I have been educated on mules. Not horses. Not donkeys. But mules.

When life gives you lemons...

...make lemonade. I recently got a blog award from 2 blogging friends Cindy and Annie. Both leaving me a little sweet note about how I try to make the best of difficult situations and have a positive blog. I have to say, Annie's words brought me to tears this morning. Knowing that I have been an bit of encouragement to her as she too is going through times without her spouse by her side. I was truly blessed by her post.

According to Annie's post, The Lemonade Award is for people who have positive attitudes, are upbeat, show gratitude and when life gives them lemons, make lemonade.The rules for this award are that you post the graphic, write about the giver and link back to her, and pass it on to up to 10 others. Leave a comment for the receiver(s) so that they know what's going on.

So I want to pass on this award to Susan (HERE), her blog about missionary life is an encouragement to see the world through someone else's point of view. She has graciously handled difficult circumstances living the life of a missionary giving up all familiar and comfortable life to further the gospel in an unreached area of our world. Not only is her blog a place for other missionaries to go and relate to her vulnerable feelings, it is also helpful to see life from a different perspective.

I also want to pass on the award to Karen (HERE). I follow her blog and find that she shares her life from a positive point of view. Her words are not full of complaining but enduring life as a Godly woman. I love how she is challenging others to hide God's word in our hearts.

So pass on the encouragement to keep your chin up and stay positive. This little award was just the encouragement I needed today. =)

JELLY TELLY

I have to promote this new idea. JELLY TELLY is christian based online TV channel designed as alternative to Nick and the cartoon network. No more worries about what questionable things the networks are gently exposing your kids to. From what I can tell, you pay a monthly fee ($2.99 - um, cheaper than a video) and your kids can enjoy. I think you can even register for a free month to try it. This is from Phil Vischer, the maker of Veggie Tales, you can click HERE to see a short video of Phil's vision for this new project. And, as a interesting note, Monday is KIDMO day on JELLY TELLY (if you don't remember...Chuck works at KIDMO now). Check it out. HERE

...and the answer is...

Like I said...I would have NEVER guessed this from the drawing. I am not sure what I am more amazed at ~ the fact that Tristen guessed this (shows how great her guessing skills are) or the idea that these girls are on the same wave link.

I am not sure if I ever really noticed the arrows on the S and Y. But the girls obviously have. When we play pictionary, we often use the box with the sign on top to represent a store. And notice she didn't use letters but the squiggles were for the SUBWAY letter on the top of the sign.


I would have been just wasting my time drawing some kind of an underground train. Thanks for playing along. I would have been very surprised if anyone guessed it. I thought this was a fun idea for a post.

What do you think this is?

Lately we have been playing pictionary as a family. I always loved this game (back in the 80') and we still have the early edition of it.In fact, I love games in general (we have a pretty good sized game closet). I am not the best at drawing or at guessing but I have always loved laughing when we play. I was playing with the girls the other night and right away Tissy guessed this (P for person, place or thing/animal). I was shocked that she guess this right with in just about 10 seconds. Tally drew it. I was totally lost.

Sorry the picture isn't great, I tried scanning it but it didn't work being a pencil drawing. You can click on the picture to enlarge it. So, what do you think it is? I will let you know after a days worth of guesses.

Take a closer look

I've always thought that I was pretty good at being observant. I was reminded just this week, to stop and take a closer look at life. Tristen spotted something that I must have walked past a hundred times and missed it. So just for fun I thought I would post some pictures to see how observant you are. I have always loved those puzzles in kids magazines that challenged you to spot the differences. So DON'T scroll down to see the second set of pictures. No cheating here.

Here is an odd assortment of our life in pictures this past week.
Like I said...an ODD assortment of pictures. So here are the ones that I want to point something out in. Take a closer look.

Tally got new glasses. Her prescription almost doubled in the last year. Can we say "growth spurt".
This is what I have been walking past. Tissy spotted a tortoise living in our garden bed. And I noticed his little toad friend. They use their camouflage really well. You wouldn't normally spot them.


Last but not least...I am lementing the loss of a stone tray. It cracked yesterday. If you are a pampered chef fan, you will understand. I was just enjoying the seasoned look of my tray and thinking it was just getting to the point where I like it. And...I spotted the crack. Let me take a moment for greiving the loss of the stone. OK, that is all for my odd little post here. Just a hodge podge of pictures. Some of them do require a closer look.

And totally off the subject...Chuck and I saw Fireproof yesterday (thanks to Debi for watching the girls). It was really quite good. I am offering anyone to watch there kids so any local friends want to go as a couple. Thanks again Debi, let me return the favor. =)

Not sure why...

...but my girls have been wearing these hats for a few days. Just having fun.



I just found out why...they are pretending to be spies. Bet you didn't recognize them. =)

sucked in by facebook

Oh, my, word!!! I have been sucked into facebook and it has eaten up my morning. BTW, feeling old among these hip young kids that are all about that site. But it is a "rabbit trailing dream", clicking from friend to friend. I passed it on to Chuck and with in a few hours he has oodles of friends. Man is he one popular guy. It took me awhile to learn how to add my maiden name (like I said, feeling old). But it was a blast to connect to old high school friends. LOVE it!

this place always make me smile

Today I will be driving past this little post office on the way to visit a dear friend. Ever since I first saw it, it has made me smile. I think it is just about the tiniest little post office ever. So small town. So cute. I think if this were my post office, I might enjoy running that errand. It can't be any bigger than 200 s.f.
I love the big old tree outside. Again, it just makes me smile. I have such a thing for cute and quaint...

Don't you love retro toys?

Like I mentioned in my last post my kids have been playing with the Little People toys for a few days. I find it so interesting how many cycles the toys go through. They will be into Barbies then My Little Pony, then American Girl dolls, then coloring, then Lincoln Logs...you get the idea. Right now it is Little People. I always loved playing with Little People. In fact it is one of the only things I kept from my childhood. My Mom has kept them at her place as something for the kids to play with when we were there playing. I started wondering if they were in the garage and viola, they were.






Once I got them out the girls were so thrilled. They thought they were sooooo cool. I was showing them how I used to place all the pieces and how it all works. They kept saying, "Your toys are so cool Mom!!!" I kind of think they are pretty cool too. I had the town, the school house (still in a box in the garage), the hospital, and I have lost the yacht.

I think the girls plan on keeping their LP toys so their kids can enjoy them too. I know I am not the only one out there who used to have these and spent many an hour enjoying them.


It is fun to see how these toys have changed over the years. Still, I think they are a classic.

6 word meme

Here goes another tag. My friend tagged me and it has taken me a few days to come up with what I wanted to share. Here is the info from her blog about the "rules" about what you are to do...

This meme originated over an idea that was prompted by the book written by Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure. It’s a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were, “For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.”

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it to your blog including a visual illustration if you would like.
3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blog sphere.
4. Tag 5 more blogs with links.
5. Don’t forget to leave a comment in the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

So, here we go....my six word memoir:

********************************************************

Look at me, don't notice ME.

Let me explain a little. I desire that when ever anyone see me, they don't see ME, but that they see Christ. I do however want others to look at me. I want people to see how I behave, interact with my family, include others...what ever I do, I want others to be pointed to Christ.

So as it is with any of these tags, I want to hear from a LOT of you. This time I am going to tag:

Ginny

Rachel

Annie

Tiffany

Greta

This is who I am (I have been tagged)

I am….....me- follower of Christ, wife, mother, friend
I want......to do what’s right
I have.......more than I need, I am blessed
I wish.......that God would bring us a contract on our house before Chuck leaves for his new job
I hate.......feeling overwhelmed
I miss.......my family and friends that we have moved away from
I fear..........someone stealing my wallet
I feel...........like God has big things in store for our family
I hear.........birds chirping and the cows mooing in the back field
I smell........humid air (if you lived in the “tropics” you would understand)
I crave..........good Mexican food (La Hacienda with yummy house dressing)
I search.......the scriptures for encouragement
I wonder......what God will do in our lives
I regret........ever hurting someone’s feelings
I love...........being a Mom
I ache...........when my children or husband hurt
I care........…about our world…needy families, hungry people, orphaned children, lost souls, persecuted pastors, sacrificing soldiers, wasting resources, filling land fills…(my list goes on and on)
I always.........am prepared (my car is the rolling pharmacy)
I am not….…as clean and organized as I appear to be (look inside the cupboards)
I believe.........in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord….
I dance...........with my kids when we rock out to 80’s music
I sing...............to songs even when I don’t know the words
I cry.................when I can’t take it anymore (I should let those tears out more often)
I don’t always..........put my shoes away when I take them off
I fight........the urge to be honest every time about everything....(bite my tongue sometimes)
I write.........comments on blogs when I visit (even if I don’t have the most creative thing to say) so the person know that someone is out there reading and connecting with them
I never.........hardly ever drive over the speed limit (I am a rule keeper)
I listen.........as closely as I can (but I hate when I get distracted in a conversation)
I need...........to work on getting up earlier
I am happy……by choice. I will focus on the positives in my life and be grateful for them.


I was tagged by my blogging friend. I thought this type of a list was interesting and fun. I want to hear from all of you and I will "tag" a few friends...Greta, Ginny, and Stacia.

Underestimated

I believe I have been underestimating my dishwasher. I am the type to wash the dishes pretty thoroughly before I load the dishwasher. I have learned in the past (with other dishwashers) that this was a necessary step. Today, however, I was in a hurry and needed to get it loaded and started before we left the house. You know when a house is on the market, it must be spotless all the time.

So...I quickly shoved everything in it and did NOT rinse from last nights snacky mess. Dried cheese and all. Alas, everything came out spotless. No mess left behind. No dried on food. Nothing. It was just as good as if I had spent the time pre-cleaning.

So, I think I have been underestimating my dishwasher. I might even owe it an apology for not believing in it. And look at all the time I can save by not pre-washing (if I can retrain myself, that is).

This caught my eye

On our little road trip a week ago, I came across this in a bubble gum machine in a bathroom. I have never seen anything like this. I didn't have quarters so I couldn't purchase one and give it a go. But I thought it seemed interesting.

I do love fresh clean teeth and can't stand any fuzz on them ( I call them sweater teeth). I even keep a toothbrush in the glove box in my car (along with other odd sundries). In fact I am a pretty prepared mother. Extra clothes in the trunk, sicky bag in the back seat and deodorant, toothbrush and Tylenol in the glove box. If you need it, I most likely have it. Fire ant bite, no problem I have benadryl. Spur of the moment picnic, I have a blanket. Mosquitoes, I have bug spray. Too sunny, I have sun screen. It is kind of like a pharmacy on wheels.

I should have run to the car for quarters to try the chewable toothbrush, I am sure I have some in there somewhere with all my things. =)

In the spirit of keeping it real

A few weeks ago I asked if you could go to bed with dishes in the sink. (HERE) I was checking my email this morning and I just got up to put on a pot of tea and saw this.

We so often want to put our best foot forward. I am quick to show you pictures of my house when it looks clean and tidy, but not anything like this. I can try to justify this for you...my dishwasher was full, I was tired, Tissy had a bad day with fainting, we were really busy yesterday. But the fact is, when I saw this mess last night as I was heading to bed, I chose to be lazy.

So, in the spirit of keeping it real (thanks Julie). This is what greeted me in the kitchen this morning.

Move over Bob the Builder

Like I said before...take advantage of the great things in the area. I am the queen of finding fun things to do that don't cost a lot of money. We have enjoyed the workshop for kids at Lowes.

The girls are getting pretty good and they love getting a new patch for their apron. Did I mention these workshops are free??? Considering how much we have spent at Lowes in the last few months, it is nice to get a little kick back.

I took these pictures a few weeks ago at the workshop. This week they made a Valentine's mailbox. Chuck was on a trip with the camera, so I wasn't able to take any pics.