Going Out

I went out today without any of the kids. I don’t ever go out alone and it felt strange to leave everyone home with Daddy. The car seemed extra quiet as I drove along. I almost felt guilty for being alone.

But I did enjoy myself. I stopped at a homeschool store that I have been meaning to explore, and I loved looking at everything they had to offer. Then I went to a second-hand store where I found darling dress shoes for Braden in perfect condition. He really needs new shoes for church so I eagerly snapped these ones up (though I did call home first to double-check our budget). I stopped at Walmart and bought bread and Cinnamon Chex. (Oh my, Cinnamon Chex are SO good!) And then I went backto the homeschool store to make a list of the things that I was considering and their individual prices.

I arrived home about 2.5 hours after I’d left, so eager to be surrounded by my family again. It was a nice little outing though. Rick says I should take time for myself more often and I suppose he’s right. I did have a good time. But it sure was nice to come home again!

I love this time of year!

We homeschool all year long and I often buy supplies, text books, manipulatives, and resources during the course of the year if a specific need arises. But every summer I evaluate our curriculum from the previous year, make plans for the coming school year, and begin looking for everything I need when school “starts” again in September.

When the new school year starts this September, Brenna with be a Second Grader and Joshua will be a First Grader and Madalyn will most likely be a Kindergartner (because of her late summer birthday, I am still debating her “official” grade in school), and Braden will be a preschooler. I have most of what I need for the 2009-2010 school year, but I am also planning lots of new stuff as well. I am so excited!

I LOVE the planning and the anticipation! I love looking through books and catalogs and websites, researching to discover the courses and curriculums and resources that will be the best for my children. It is so much fun to plan out the coming year. It’s also a great time to reflect on the previous year and how far the kids have come. I just love this time of year!

I am having a great time planning for the new school year. The kids are all progressing well and moving ahead in their studies. Our summer schedule only covers reading, writing, math, spelling, and grammar so I am really looking forward to adding science, history, geography, and Latin back into our daily studies. Plus, we’re adding several new subjects that I am really excited about!

Smooth Sailing

It’s been smooth sailing around here lately. My pregnancy is going so well. Sure, I’m often sick and tired, but I am keeping up with everything that needs to be done. I’m even exercising. This has been my best and easiest pregnancy so far and I am thankful for that! I am so glad that this sweet baby is doing well. I am so pleased and so thankful that we are having another son! He’s on my mind a lot.

The other children are all doing well. Everyone is healthy and happy. The older kids are more responsible than ever, and it’s amazing to watch them grow and mature. All the kids are in good, easy phases of life. Everyone is obedient, kind, and cheerful. Homeschool is going so well and the kids are loving their activites.

The house is clean, the laundry is caught up, the chores are done. I’m even getting projects finished. I have written off dish duty for the rest of my pregnancy, however, and Rick has graciously stepped up in my place.

We are enjoying our family time and the wonderful days of summer. We are making lots of great memories.

Of course, all this is note-worthy because things don’t always run so smoothly. Life comes in up and down cycles. Sometimes things don’t go well, sometimes kids are stuck in frustrating developmental stages, sometimes the laundry is piled overwhelmingly high. But, in truth, even those “down” times can be wonderful if we look at them the right way and keep a positive attitude. My life is not always perfect, and I hope I don’t portray it as such. But I strive to remain happy and grateful, even when things aren’t perfect and that makes all the difference!

Of course, I do enjoy the “up” times of life! I really love it when things go well. I love it when everything is perfect and in order. I love it when the kids are in easy and nice developmental stages instead of difficult ones. I love it life sails so smoothly along.

Who knows how long this will last? I hope it lasts for a nice, long while!

Allowance

We’ve developed a new system for chores and money this week. We used to pay nickles for jobs. This system worked well because we wanted the kids to learn to budget and balance money and we wanted them to know that working hard brings rewards. This system also had drawbacks, however, because we didn’t like idea of paying the kids for things that they needed to go simply because we’re a family. There were several other flaws as well- nickels weren’t great motivators as the kids grew, it became hard to pay every time a job was completed, there were many jobs that we didn’t want to pay for but still wanted done, and so on.

So this week we made a change. The jobs themselves are still basically the same. The kids have chores that must be completed before breakfast and before bedtime (say prayers, brush teeth, put away laundry, tidy the house, etc) and daily chores that rotate on a weekly basis (scour bathrooms, gather garbage, dust, etc). These chores remain the same, though I am requring them to tidy more often throughout the day and finding that it’s really paying off to do so.

But now, instead of getting nickles, the kids are simply getting a weekly allowance. Brenna and Joshua each get a dollar a week, and Rick and I are still debating how much to give Maddie (either 25 cents or 50 cents a week). As always, they pay 10% tithing and 40% savings and keep 50% for spending money. As usual, we pay a nickel for each dollar of spending money that they save for a larger purchase and we still pay half on purchases that they save for.

Each child has a 3×5 card with their name on it taped to the fridge. During the week, responsibility and good behavior is rewarded by adding plus marks to the individual cards. We don’t give plus marks for behavior that is expected, it must be something really “above and beyond” to earn a plus. Behavior that needs to be corrected is given a single warning, then a minus mark is added to the card. At the end of the week, when allowance is paid out, plus marks add an additional 10 cents and minus marks subtract 10 cents. So the kids can earn a lot more or a lot less than their weekly allowance, based on behavior, responsibility, and obedience during the week. 

We’ve only been doing this for a few days so we haven’t even given out the first week’s allowance yet. However, we are already seeing great effects from this new system. It turns out that a simple warning for a minus mark is much more effective than a warning for a time out or some other punishment. So far, no one has even gotten a minus mark because a warning has stopped the behavior immediately.

And, what’s even better, is that our children, who are normally very well-behaved anyway, are now working harder than ever to obey, be responsible, and behave. They want plus marks! They are using extra nice voices, obeying immediately, doing dishes without being asked, helping one another, cleaning up without whining, and so on. Our house is spotless, our kids are cheerful, the plus marks are keeping everyone motivated.

The kids are still getting the opportunity to earn money, and because of that they are also learning to budget their money. This is something that we feel is really important. But the money that they earn is connected more to overall behavior and level of responsibility (rather than individual chores as it was before). I want them to understand that privilege and responsibility are directly related. The kids are working hard, and being very responsible and obedient, and strengthening all the good behaviors that we want to reinforce. And our house is very, very clean. So far, we are loving this new system.

Remembering…

I have two darling new nieces. Hailee Ann is the third child of my sister-in-law Elaine, and Taylor Alexis is the second child of my sister-in-law Michelle. (Of course, my brother and brother-in-law were both involved in the process of getting these babies here, but it’s motherhood specifically that I am contemplating tonight.) Seeing these two beautiful girls quickly takes me back to when I was a mommy of two or three babies myself.

Brenna was just 11 months old when Joshua was born. She was a bright, bubbly little thing, with short curly hair and big blue eyes. She was still just a baby herself when she became a big sister and an “Irish twin” to our Joshua. I still cannot believe how blessed we were to get pregnant again when Brenna was just a few months old, and to have another precious child when our first baby was still under the age of one. It was such a joy to have two darling babies! Having two babies under one was easy (though busy, of course) and fun and such a sweet time for me. I loved it!

When our third baby arrived, Brenna had just turned two and Joshua had just turned one. It was a busy, delightful time with three babies so close in age, with all three born in just two years time. Brenna was inquisitive and cheerful, Joshua was curious and busy, newborn Madalyn was so sweet and cuddly. It was blissful to have those sweet three little ones surrounding me all day long! I loved it! 

As I remember all this and contemplate my role as a mother, here is what amazes me the most- those teeny, tiny babies, round and diapered and wispy-haired… have somehow grown up!! Brenna, Joshua, and Madalyn, my first three little babies, are all children now, having left babyhood behind long ago. And, even more incredible, those three babies of mine have grown to almost six children in our home now! I will soon have SIX children!! I can still hardly believe my good fortune! We are indescribably blessed!

I often think of myself as young mommy. I feel young. I look young, or so everyone tells me. I’m 28, which isn’t too old either. But mostly, I feel like a young mommy because I still think of ALL my babies as BABIES. I often find myself thinking that my babies are all toddlers and preschoolers, when I actually have elementary schoolers now, in addition to my other children that are preschoolers, toddlers, infants, and still growing inside me. I have children that are losing teeth now, children that are growing tall, children who can pump themselves on the swings, read their own chapter books at bedtime, and ride two-wheelers. 

And I don’t just have one or two or three little ones at my knees. I have five children gathered around me now, with my sixth baby on the way. Six children still seems like a small number to me, but I know that most people don’t feel that same way. Six kids is an enormous crowd as far as most people.

It’s strange to see my two sister-in-laws with their two and three children each. It’s strange because I still feel like I am there myself, there with just a few tiny babies… instead of nearly six kids who range from baby up to elementary schooler. It’s strange because it’s happened so fast; my babies have grown up so quickly that it takes my breathe away.

I can feel my world changing. Not long ago, I had just two or three babies. Not long ago, our days revolved around naptime and trips to the park. Not long ago, the entire world seemed to be contained within the walls of our home. And now everything is changing as my babies grow. I think there will always be a part of me that misses those early days of motherhood. They were so sweet, so simple, so blissful.

But I also love where I am at. It is incredible to watch children grow. They truthfully just get more and more fun as time goes on. I am having such a blast with my big kids, and my little kids, and my babies! Life is good!

I look forward to many great years ahead. I am excited to watch my children continue to grow and develop. I am excited to add more and more tiny babies to our growing family. Like I said, I will always miss those sweet and simple early years of motherhood. But I find great joy in where we are now, and great joy in the future as well.

Sleeping Arrangements

Our boys’ room is already crowded. There is a set of bunk beds, a crib, three dressers, a rocking chair, and all the toys and clothes of our three little boys… not to mention the three little boys themselves. Like I said, it’s a bit crowded.

But with this new little baby being a boy, our other sons are already asking that he join them in the boys’ room as well. Joshua is especially persistent. He keeps begging for his baby brother to sleep in the boys’ room. When I explain that it’s a little crowded already, Joshy is full of suggestions for where his new brother’s furniture can go… a crib in the middle of the room, a dresser behind the door. Joshua’s full of creative decorating ideas.

I love to see this bond already between my sweet boys. I love that Joshua and Braden are both so excited about their newest baby brother that they want him to share their room. I love how sweetly persistent Joshua is about it.

I suppose that we’ll still put this little guy into the girls’ room. There are only two girls sharing it right now so there is ample room for a crib and a dresser, and there’s plenty of space in the closet as well.

But when I mentioned this idea to the girls, they were a little taken aback. They both want to reserve the extra space in their room for the baby sister that they are certain will join us next year. I assured them that whenever a baby sister does join our family, she will definitely sleep in their room with them. Now they are open to the idea of sharing with this baby brother, as long as baby Alli still has a guaranteed spot in their room whenever she arrives. 

Now the problem will be convincing Joshua that there really isn’t room for another boy in the boys’ room. He has his sweet heart set on having all four brothers together in one room.

Parade Fun

 

 

 

We attended the annual parade today. Rick had to work and couldn’t go with us, so we braved the crowds and the threatening rain clouds without him. We missed him a lot, but we still had a blast! The kids were so excited to be there!

The overcast sky made the evening comfortably cool. Remembering the sweltering heat we experienced last year, I was so grateful for the coolness!

Poor Braden kept trying to race for the candy that was thrown during the parade, but the bigger kids all around us made it impossible for him to grab any candy. My own children were quite sweet and generous with Braden and gave him a lot of their own candy, but he was still disappointed every time a big 10-year-old knocked him out of the way to grab candy off the pavement. Poor little guy.

There were two floats with dinosaurs and Braden loved those. He also loved the marching bands. Maddie loved the princesses, the cheerleaders, and the “real live” cowgirls. Brenna and Joshua didn’t have any particular favorites, but enjoyed the entire parade. Little Asher alternated between squealing with delight, dancing to the beat of the drums, and trying to wiggle free from my grasp so that he could explore.

When the parade was finished, a snow cone vendor with leftover cones gave one to each of my kids for free. They were thrilled and slurped them during the long walk back to the car. We made it to the van just before those threatening rain clouds began to drizzle, and we got home just as Daddy did.

I found myself strangely nostalgic before, during, and after the parade. I suppose that pregnancy hormones will do that sometimes! I was nostalgic because a year ago, at this same annual parade, I was 9 months pregnant with my sweet Asher. Now he’s rapidly approaching his first birthday! And now I am pregnant with ANOTHER precious little son! Thinking about both of these sweet boys and how fast this year has gone and how much has happened and changed during the past 12 months… it all just made me nostalgic and thankful and happy!

Can’t get full…

Wow. I’m a pig. I’ve been eating all day long. Some days I have no appetite and struggle to eat anything. But many days are like today, when I gobble down so much that I have to stop myself from eating the entire fridge. Figuring that I need the calories anyway to be pregnant and to nurse so much and to make up for the days when I feel yucky and don’t eat nearly enough, I let myself eat and eat and eat… until I am full. Tonight, unfortunately, I just can’t seem to get full. I am to the point where I don’t even know what else to eat. Hmmm…

My Boy!

I have been meaning to post ultrasound pictures all week long, and I am finally getting around to it. I just had to share my sweet baby boy… he’s teeny tiny, beautiful, and such a miracle! I think of him constantly. I love to feel him kick and wiggle and move. In my mind, he already even has a name… even though it won’t be official for another 4 months or so. I do worry about his small size and his growth being so far behind, but I feel peaceful at the same time. And I feel so blessed just to have him!!

The Second Try

Several months ago I moved Braden out of his crib and into a “big boy” bed. I was worried about him falling out and planned to buy rails for the bed. I was hesitant to move him before the rails were up, but I decided that I was worrying too much (as I have a tendency to do) and I let him sleep in the bed anyway because he wanted to so badly. That very first night, poor Braden fell out of bed and broke his tiny little collarbone! Ugh, I felt terrible!

 

Braden went back into his crib immediately. The bone healed. It is crooked now, but won’t cause any problems for him at all. Braden still wanted to sleep in his bed, but I insisted that we put up a rail first. I intended to buy one, but Rick really wanted to make one. I agreed, knowing that it would be cheaper and much nicer than anything I could buy.

But here we are, about six months later, and the bed rails were still not done. Braden, now three, was still in his crib! Finally, finally, Rick finished the rails. Braden helped him with the work. They sanded and stained the wood one day, and then last night they assembled the rail on Braden’s bed.

Braden adores his tools and he was delighted to help. He was especially thrilled because Daddy’s drill and his drill looked exactly the same. He kept saying, “And Daddy, you have a drill like me. And I have a drill like you. Right, Daddy?”

They put the rails up just before bedtime and Braden was so excited to sleep in his big boy bed again. He leaned against the new rail and then shouted happily, “Look, Mama! I can’t fall out of this bed anymore!”

Braden helped me move his blankets and pillows and stuffed animals and all of his tools (which he insists on sleeping with) from his crib to his new bed. He arranged everything just so and then snuggled down. I, of course, had to take pictures. And I honestly regretted that I hadn’t taken any pictures the night before of his last night in a crib. Oh well.

Braden wanted to sleep on top of the quilt and under his Diego blanket, just as he did in his crib. He did pretty well sleeping in his bed. He got up once for a drink and once to go potty and once to fix his bed with his drill. But other than that, he stayed in bed and he went to sleep easily. He loves his new bed! And he has whole-heartedly agreed to turn his old crib over to Asher, who is still sleeping in our room. Both boys are excited to have Asher sleeping in their room with them. It really will be “the boys room” then with three little boys sleeping in it! I, on the other hand, am a little hesitant to move Asher because I am just so used to having him two feet away from me at night…

On a side note, on Braden’s last night in a crib, he began calling for me around midnight. I went to him, wondering what could be wrong. He quickly explained that he needed me to fix the battery pack on his drill so that he could fix his crib. Yup. Fix his crib. At midnight. With a toy drill. Ah, I love that boy! He’s such a cutie!