I See Grass!

We’ve had warmer weather lately and lots of sunshine and I can actually see some GRASS in our backyard. Part of our back porch is also now visable! Of course, there are still enormous drifts and snow piles everywhere, most of which are taller than my kids, and we are still expected to get more snow in the near future. But for now I am just glad to see a small sign that spring might actually come again!

Chocolate Monster!

Here’s our happy little “chocolate monster” completely enjoying his gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free brownies.

Sacrament Meeting

We made it to Sacrament Meeting today and I was thrilled. I didn’t feel well during the meeting, but I never had to leave so that was good. It was so nice to sit together as a family and enjoy the meeting and I was grateful for the chance to partake of the Sacrament as well.

Braden was so darling. He folded his arms for every prayer and would whisper “men” (amen) at the end, and sometimes even during the middle of a prayer when he felt it had gone long enough. During every hymn he would sing along, matching the melody and notes better than I’d expect from a 21-month-old. This boy has always had an immense love for music. Brenna did well reading and singing each song from the hymn book.

We came home after Sacrament Meeting. Brenna got emotional because she wanted to go to Primary so badly, but Rick had to get back to work. He’s been taking the van to work each day because his car needs a new battery. Even though our house is walking distance from the church I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk home with four kids. I was already feeling queasy, and weak and shaky from not being able to eat today. So Rick dropped us off at home and then took the van back to work.

Now Braden is napping, the older kids are having quiet time, and I am curled up in bed still feeling glad that we attended Sacrament Meeting today.

Sick, Happy Days

I am sitting here in bed, having a much yuckier morning than usual and hoping I can still make it to church. But I am happy because across the hall I can hear my kids laughing and playing together in the girls’ room, the sound of them enjoying each other is always the most beautiful sound in the world. And I’m happy because my little guy is especially active this morning and I can feel him kicking and wiggling, which I love. I’m happy because we’ve had several sunny days in a row and the large mounds of snow are starting to melt a little and maybe, just maybe, spring is around the corner.

I hope I can go to church today. I don’t go much since I’ve been so sick, but I used to go every week. It was the most uplifting and wonderful three hours and I really miss being there. For six months (while Rick was working in another state and then when his work schedule conflicted with church hours) I took our four children to church each week. Rick has to work Sundays still (he’s trying to move to the shift at the other end of the week though), but he’s now able to take a long lunch each Sunday so that he can take the kids to Sacrament Meeting. If I’m too sick to go, I stay home with Maddie and Braden (Sacrament starts at 12:30 so I usually put Braden down for a nap and put a movie on for Maddie). If I am feeling well enough, we all go together and that’s what I am hoping for today… even if I spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

Hee, hee, my little boy is still flipping around in there, making me smile each and every time. I can’t believe what a miracle this baby is!

Managing Money

Yesterday Rick and I helped the kids count the money they’ve earned this week. As usual we sorted the money into their three-part banks, with 10% going to tithing, 40% to savings, and 50% to spending money. We want our kids to develop a testimony of tithing and we also want them to learn to save a portion of everything they earn. Once the money was sorted, we pulled out our “store.” We keep a collection of small, inexpensive items that the kids can purchase with their spending money if they’d like. The store opens once a week and includes things like mini flash lights, small activity books, race cars, bracelets, and other things the kids have previously picked out. There are also coupons for movie nights, ice cream treats, extra computer time, etc. This keeps them motivated to earn money each week.

This week Maddie bought a small toy and a coupon for an ice cream cone, and spent nearly all of the money in her spending bank (she does not earn as fast as the older two kids do). Brenna bought an activity book and new pencil, but decided to save the rest of her money for a larger purchase in the future. Joshua didn’t buy a single thing from the store because he is working to earn money for a new V-Smile game. He is up to $7 in his spending money (which is a lot considering that he’s four and that half of everything he earns goes to tithing and savings).

We have a policy that for larger purchases, which require a child to dilligently save their money over a longer period, we will pay for half of the item they are saving for. So Joshy must only earn half the price of a V-Smile game and with $7 he is getting close. We want to encourage the kids to set goals, exercise patience, and save for larger purchases so we also pay “interest” whenever a child doesn’t spend anything at our weekly store. So Joshua earned an additional nickel for every dollar in his spending bank.

Then Rick took the three older kids to the bank so they could make deposits into their money market accounts. Our kids each have a money market account that we opened when they were born (we started with savings accounts, but switched to money markets instead). Rick and I make a monthly deposit into each of their accounts, and the kids deposit 40% of their earnings. The kids also each have a CD that opens every six months so every six months we transfer everything in their money market accounts into their CD’s so we can take advantage of the higher interest rates. 

Our bank has some good programs for kids. They earn a punch in their punch cards every time they are present to make a deposit and when the card is full they are given free movie passes. The kids also each have a bank book to record their deposits in. If they keep accurate records and fill the small book, they get $15 each.

We recognize that our kids are young to be learning so much about money, but feel tithing, savings, record-keeping, and budgeting will be things that serve them well their entire lives. I really enjoy watching my children as they learn to work with money. I like taking note of how each individual child saves and spends their 50%. Having their own money to spend also cuts down on whining and begging while we’re shopping and instills a sense of accomplishment in each of our kids.

My Nemesis

As a mother, my kids’ socks are my nemesis. I dislike matching them and they are always getting lost. I am constantly replacing missing socks, which gets pricey with four children to buy for. While I’ve been sick and Rick has been helping with laundry, the kids’ socks have beem disappearing much faster than usual. It’s almost as if the socks realize that security isn’t as tight as it used to be and the time for escape is perfect. My kids now have no more socks. Zero. I don’t know where they all have gone, but today I finally decided it was time to do something about it.

Tonight Rick dropped me in front of Target and circled the parking lot while I went in search of socks. I bought 10-12 pairs of socks for each child, plus dress tights for the girls and church socks for Joshy. I also bought sippy cups because those have been disappearing rapidly lately as well and I bought doggy treats for Sophie.

Then, because socks seem to disappear most quickly during the laundry process, I also bought each child a small, mesh bag. I plan to train my kids to place all their dirty socks in these bags. Then the socks can be washed and dried and returned to each child’s dresser in groups. I hope this will make matching and folding socks much easier (easy enough that I plan to have Brenna and Joshy each match and fold their own socks now). I also hope that this will cut down on the number of socks that manage to escape each week.

Right before family scripture study tonight, I sat down with the kids. I explained that socks now belonged either in their drawers or in their sock bags and nowhere else. I showed Brenna and Joshua how to fold their owns socks and was happy when they caught on quickly. The three older kids all sort and fold their own laundry, but this was the first time I’d ever asked Brenna and Josh to take care of their socks as well.

So fingers crossed that socks will no longer be such a problem around here.

Easter Clothes

We recently bought the girls’ Easter dresses at Costco. I’ve been wanting to find something for the boys as well, like we do every year. Today I finally felt that my energy level was adequate for a trip to the mall. I was able to find darling little outfits for both boys at The Children’s Place. They both have cute striped shirts- Joshua’s in blue, tan, and white, and Braden’s in blue, yellow, and white- and then we grabbed light-weight suit jackets in tan for Joshy and blue for Braden. Being such a tiny guy, Braden’s outfit was especially small (his suit jacket was 3-6 months) and he looked absolutely darling walking around in it when we tried it on him. We bought some dress pants for Braden as well, but I will need to sew the waist because it will be much to large for him. Now the girls’ dresses and the boys’ suits are all hanging together in the closet and I can hardly wait for the kids to wear them!

My SON!!

I keep thinking about my little baby boy, my third sweet son. I have always pictured our girl, boy, girl, boy pattern continuing with our fifth baby. That pattern combined with my severe morning sickness and I was definitely expecting to see “little girl parts” on our ultrasound. I could easily picture our family with another baby girl. But now that I know that we are having a boy, I can’t picture it being any other way!

I can’t stop thinking about my new son. I will have two beautiful girls and three beautiful boys! What a blessing! I can’t wait to meet this special little guy, I can’t wait to hold him, I can’t wait to introduce him to four older, very eager siblings, I can’t wait to watch him grow. I am so excited to have another son!

I keep remembering the dreams I’ve had during this pregnancy. Pregnancy generally provides me with a lot of very wacky dreams, and occasionally some scary ones as well. But during each pregnancy I also have been blessed with some of the sweetest, most tender dreams I’ve ever had. I clearly remember the precious dreams that I’ve had with each baby. They usually involve holding my tiny newborn and are always so vivid that I wake up feeling as if I actually held my baby.

I’ve had three “baby dreams” so far with this pregnancy. In each dream I delivered and held the tiniest, sweetest, most beautiful baby boy ever. In one dream I just gazed at his face while I held him. He was so gorgeous, so perfect, so mine and I couldn’t take my eyes of something so miraculous. I still so vividly remember his sweet, tiny face. I feel so incredibly, indescribably blessed- blessed with a loving Heavenly Father, blessed with a wonderful husband and four beautiful children… and blessed with another sweet son!

Big Dinner

Last night we went out to dinner at Winger’s with my brother, his wife, and their two children. I wanted a potato and couldn’t think of anything else that sounded good. Rick convinced me to order an entire meal rather than just a potato, but when my food came… all I ended up eating was the potato. I thought it was funny that we went out to a restaurant for the first time in a long time and all I ate was a potato. But at least I ate something.

Puppy Games

I noticed a few small red marks on Joshua’s hand and asked him what happened. “Well,” he said matter-of-factly, pointing at our new puppy. “I was playing a racing game with Sophie where I put my hand in her teeth and see if I can get it out be before she nibbles me.” Then he conceded, “I’m not very good at this game.”

I did want to add that I have watched this “game” being played. Sophie is not biting Josh and isn’t aggressive or mean. She does gently “play bite” when he puts his hand in her mouth though.