87 Miles in March

That's my total on the elliptical. N made it to 100, but I did not. He didn't think it was that great of an accomplishment, but I do. It's a goal he set and made. I wasn't sure about doing it in a month, but now that I know how close I came, maybe it will become a routine. April will be really hard with spring break and our trip to MN. We will see how it goes.

I am really enjoying my time on the elliptical. I started doing 7 miles a day. Not every day is a 7 mile day, but it's great when it becomes that. I am feeling better than I have in a long time. I have been thinking of all those who I've either worked out with in the past, or just inspired me over the years. I wanted to list all their names. N is my biggest supporter, through everything. He has been great from day one.

I have to some credit of my mileage to Pink. I just discovered her. Although I usually do not seek out music with swear words, somehow it doesn't seem to bother me with Pink. She's got a rebellious attitude with a nice beat. It works and keeps me going. I also enjoy the Black Eyed Peas. Never would have purchased their music, but when it was brought to me, I found it to be helpful.

Workout memories with Allison at UND. Niels in the UND pool and Heinrich coming up to us, asking Niels who I was, but in German. Little did he know I understood him! Linda came with me to the Olympic center in Munich. We jumped off the 10 meter diving board! Scary. I remember thinking, when will I hit the water? Took much longer than it normally would on a regular board. I walked all over Europe with Linda, Ewen, Nicoleta and Stefanie. I had a bike tour in a skirt with Eric in Munich. I did a walking tour of Barcelona with some guy who I can't remember his name. Matt and my neighbor Becks, there for me when I fainted in church from the silly grapefruit juice and bacon diet. To this day, that is the only diet I ever tried. Miss Cara, I always enjoyed our walks too. I can't remember who I walked with back in the woods at UND. Talia? Allison? So many great girls to spend time with. Winks and Kristie, all I can think of is the afternoon of scarves. Miss Megan was such an influence when we first returned to TRF from college. Alicia and Kate too. We used to roller blade and walk all over town. Jenni, Emilie and Malissa roller-bladed on most streets in TRF with me. Liz, our bike rides to Franklin pool were memorable. Walks in TX around Crystal Springs with my friends Tabitha, Jessica, and April. Every once in awhile, another mom or lady from the complex would join us. Oh and I can't forget my spin class times with Scott and Mae. I really enjoyed that, even though it was short lived. Walks around Cibolo with Miss Ruby, Denise, Kim, Paulette, and Miss Patti on her roller skates! I know I am going to forget someone somewhere. We have lived in too many locations. Miss Dee, you always gave me so much support along with the entire neighborhood. I sure do miss those Friday nights in Texas. Farmington, attending Lifetime and meeting Mary and Jenn there. Miss Kristi always hit her treadmill faithfully every day. Such an inspiration. I loved going to Lifetime with my little sis too. Sure wish we could have attended a class or two together. I have great memories of walks with friends and kids too. So hard to keep a good pace and accommodate children at the same time. At least we were outdoors and moving. Finally, Michigan, where we currently reside. I've had great walks with Miss Deanna. Adventured outside of my neighborhood with my neighbor Amy. I've gotten some motivation too from Mr. Rob and Mr. Dan with their fitness results. Positive influences!

So, if I forgot a workout memory with you, sorry. Remind me of the story. Looking forward to many more this summer!

PTO Inspiration

I assisted with the PTO program called science on a cart. It was really fun. Each time I am in the classroom, it is an inspiring experience. I am eager to participate more with the PTO next year. There are many PTO activities through out the school year. I hope to attend more meetings. With religious education being the same night, there was no way I could attend. That might all change next year with RE being held on Sunday mornings.

On another note, our church is having a 21 and over dance! I am really excited for this activity. I bought our tickets tonight. I hope N can switch his schedule. It should be a great time. I want to find any and all friends in the area to come.

We had RE tonight. Even though it is hard to get the kids to focus, I really enjoy teaching RE. The challenge is that they have been sitting in class all day, then to come to church and sit some more is difficult. If we move to Sunday, that will all change. I think it will improve just discussing mass, then attending together with the things we talked about fresh in their minds. I look forward to the new experience with Six as he will be in First Communion preparations next year.

Can't believe it is this late and that I am still awake. Better sign off for now. More to come.

Friendliness

Hard to believe it will be two years since we have moved to this small Michigan town. My birthday and the anniversary of our moving to MI have got me thinking. So much has changed since this time last year.

Three and I pick the boys up almost every day. I know I mentioned that in my After School Routine entry. Five has grown up quite a bit by attending school. His behavior has changed so much. Each child is blossoming, growing up and making me wonder about the baby subject again.
Today I packed up almost all of the baby items left in our house to bring to Julie. We are so excited to pass them along to her. I am still unsure if we are ready to close that chapter of our lives, but am leaning more and more towards yes. We will see where that takes me.

Anyway, back to after school: I am amazed at how friendly people are. My experience in MI was not the most positive in the beginning. At first, I had only seen "city" people, areas closer to Detroit. Not much friendliness in that area. We are further north now and the kindness in the small town is great. It surprised me to notice how many people there are to say hi to when picking up the boys. I have gotten to know many people in the community. It is nice to have friends again.
I have tried to be friendly to the "Rock stars" next door. They seem to be friendly in return, but not enough to really know for sure what they are thinking. She brought over a case of apples from Subway last week. What a treat. Three and Five ate almost all of them throughout the week. When I thanked her yesterday, she said she will be bringing more. It was an entire two minute conversation, but very pleasant. Looking forward to summer and more time outdoors. The kids are outside with N as I write this. We have other new neighbors I would like to get to know. Summer seems to be a good time to do that. It brings everyone out.

We started crossing things off of our list for the great spring break departure. It will be here before we know it. Good thing we do this so often, we've gotten pretty good at it.

Kids are so excited and are counting down the week!

The after school routine

Three and I pick up the boys almost every day. The bus ride can take up an extra half hour of our evening. Today on my walk with Lupcke, I learned he is heading east for spring break. Half the class then announced they were heading to Florida. I think we are going the wrong direction.

When we got home, N was home and everyone was ready for our evening to begin. Six wanted N to help him build an airplane. Three climbing on N while they worked. Five and I were working on his homework. After we were finished, Six came up to share that Three was bugging them. Five says "Three can bug me, I don't care." What a brother. Later, as I start to write this, he approaches me with an injury to his thumb. He needs a band aid to fix it. I think he just needs some lotion and say so. We try the lotion. It does not help. He does not care for the apple sent and starts to yell. "I can't hold it anymore.' It's his thumb, where is it going? Is it going to fall off? I don't think so.
He is such a trooper, loud, but a trooper. I only have small, round band aids left in the house. With his approval, that will work; it's only the corner of his thumb that is injured. Happy to please you Five. Away they go, to the next thing.

Another Monday

Well, here it is, Monday upon us again. I am almost afraid to set up a play date. None have worked out yet. Five wants us to come to lunch. N ate lunch with Six last week when I was sick. Five felt left out. Three and I will eat lunch with him today. After that, our entire afternoon is free. N comes home early, he switched shifts with someone. With him leaving for the early shift, and waking up during the night, I feel so tired this morning. Maybe we should go get a coffee to start the day off right.

Two out of Three

What kind of odds do you think they are? Sometimes, two out of three can be positive. Not when it comes to illness. After how terrible I felt the last few days, I really prayed no one would get it. Last night, two out of three kids were awake with stomach pain. Three had a slight temp. Fear from my experience kept me up, right by their side anytime they thought they were ready to toss their cookies. No one did. Made for a rough night still due to much interrupted sleep. Three is still asleep as I type. She was not up as much as Six. I believe we will stay home this morning. They do not seem to have what I had, but still, with a week of school ahead, we will lay low today.

Illness can be such a guessing game for moms. We learn what certain cues mean and how to treat accordingly. I try to avoid the Dr. as much as we can. We have done really well this past year, only going in once for illness. It seems in the infant and toddler years we were at the Dr. frequently. So thankful for growing, healthy kids.

When you're sick, you're sick

I honestly think it was something I ate, but cannot put my finger on it. Horrible! I had to bail on my subbing job for today. I was up all night. It was terrible. I am just now feeling better. Wasted day. N took good care of Three and me. She went to lunch with him and Six.

I was so sad about not subbing. They requested me and I was available. There will be other times I guess. N goes to get the boys now. Five wanted to make homemade stuffed crust pizza. I failed to take out any dough due to illness. We will see if I can make up for it on another day.

Notes of Praise

Had my conference with Lupcke today. Left the school feeling so proud of Five. He has come a long way in a short time. With only a half year of preschool under his belt, Five started kindergarten out, possibly with a slight disadvantage to the other children. Lupcke said it showed in Five by not volunteering to answer questions, etc. His reading and writing are great, he participates much, much more. Found a direction for first grade and ready to finish off the year. I shared with him how proud I am of Six and his reading capabilities. We also discussed how great Six's teacher is. He has been a good influence on Six. I am impressed with his teaching, one can see he enjoys his job. I shared these thoughts with Lupcke. He said he was happy to hear such good things about Mr. T.

On another note, I had a wonderful lunch out today without kids. It was to celebrate my birthday. We went to a nice place that I had never been to before. It was fun. Got some errands done. Found the final baby shower game. Auntie J is excited about this game. It's the Price is Right! Should be a good time. I am near the end of my baby shower planning. Just a few more things to finish up.

I am pleased to report I have a subbing job tomorrow. I was requested by the teacher too! Very exciting. I will bring the boys to school and might get to eat lunch with one or both of them. N has the day off since he worked the night shift and will spend it with Three. I hope my house can stay clean for company on Saturday. We got new recycle bins today. Three and I had that task accomplished before 10am. She did not have preschool today due to bad weather from yesterday. The roads were terrible in the AM. I drove all the way there to find out it had been canceled. With N sleeping in the morning, I didn't check my email before we set out for school. Saved a friend in town from making the mistake. She would do the same for me, except she always arrives at preschool after me.

Hopefully tonight is a great night at home. Need to get some rest in preparation for tomorrow!

In the Kitchen

I love multitasking in the kitchen. Even though I did not come up with my plan until late in the game, cooking today was very productive. Maybe it was the snow day that gave me my motivation? Or perhaps the new cook book I mentioned earlier. I searched for new recipes today and realized I had no plan for our evening meal. It wasn't until I had been searching awhile that I realized I didn't even know what I had to work with. My first thought came to the cabbage that has been in the fridge for a week. I meant to make Cole slaw, but failed to execute this task.

After realizing I had cabbage to work with, I found a cabbage roll recipe. Easy and I had everything to make it. My only problem was my late start. I was not sure the kids would like them anyway, so I fed them leftovers from lunch and rice. I love our rice cooker. It takes so much less effort to make rice. Just put it in and go. I don't have to worry about it not turning out. Six loves rice. Five does too, but not as much as Six. Three does not like rice at all. We all have our opinions.

In preparing the cabbage rolls, I had too much meat and too much rice. I decided to bake some meatballs while getting the rolls ready. Easy enough, just divided my meat into a bowl and pan. All I added for meatballs was a package of stove top stuffing mix, an egg and the meat. My meat mixture was already ground beef and pork sausage. I like to make the meat balls small. They are easier for kids. I cooked the cabbage leaves and shredded the rest for my Cole slaw. Chopped onions, half went for the rolls, half into the Cole slaw. In the end, I have meatballs and Cole slaw for tomorrow and cabbage rolls for tonight.

We had baths last night, making tonight a breeze. We managed to keep things quiet for N to take an almost three hour nap. I started with them in the basement playing. When that wasn't working out, we did a movie. I was able to do my workout at this time and logged 6 miles. It was near the end of his nap, I needed a good distraction. Making use of some supplies donated to me from a friend, we painted with stamps. They were so thrilled. We made some cards which, you as a reader, may receive one day. That lasted until the end of N's nap and everyone was pleased. With all the work earlier in the day, I guess I would have had a hard time getting the meal prepared as they painted. It was a good time for all of us. The creative juices were flowing. Five blows me away with art. He made a card with a campfire on it. Not just any campfire, but a rainbow campfire. I think his was my favorite. Three used a lot of pink and purple. Six made castles and basketballs. The stamps were a great start and then led them to create on their own.

Another snow day in MI. All day I could not help but think of our neighbors enjoying the gulf shores today. N and I spent quite a decent amount of time there before children. I really miss it. Wish we could just go someday. Sooner than later would be great, but for now we will continue on as we are. Prepare for the day to follow, I have a conference with Lupcke tomorrow. Looking forward to that.

Recipes

Got a new recipe book for myself. Now I need to fill it. Send me your favorite recipe! I'll post them all once I get 10. : )

Clean house, but no playdate

We were all ready for our new play date, but yet again, illness delays us. Too bad. No matter how hard I try, scheduling a play date for Mondays just hasn't worked out.
She helped me clean the house. Feel sort of pointless since I will have to do it all over again on Friday for weekend company. Oh well. At least I have good tunes to listen to while working. On my feet for 3 hours straight, to I get to skip my workout then?

People

Really can't figure people out. Try not to let it get to me, but I find myself thinking about it many times throughout the day. I pray to think of it less, or for something to change. It does not and now my kids are asking questions. Hard to answer. Just an uncomfortable topic, nothing life or death. Just irritating enough to be even more irritated when the kids keep bringing it up. UGH.

Snack Time

Tonight, I am thankful for fun snacks for my kids. It's amazing how much we take for granted. Last year, I did not buy fun things for snack. We stuck to the basics and no frills. Hard to believe I consider Trix yogurt as a frill. It is a luxury when we can get yogurt in a tub at a better price. These thoughts have come to mind because of the book I am reading. It tells the story of a family in Brooklyn. They are thrilled because the daughter has just started to earn $20 a week. This is the most money the family has made yet. Granted, this takes place in 1916, but it still makes me think of how truly blessed we are. They discuss not having money for coal to heat their flat. In extreme hard times, they would pretend they are at the north pole, waiting for rescue and more food to come. Some days, rescue did not come for three days. Oatmeal, coffee, a can of sweeten condensed milk, and one banana between three of them. Hard to imagine those times. It was hard to picture things at first since this was such a different time. The main character discusses a man across the street coming home in a taxi. At first, I had an old yellow cab pictured in my mind. Only to have that thought dramatically changed when the taxi turns out to be a horse carriage. So far, it is a fantastic book. The author is just two years off from the main characters age. Early New York, what a different world it was. Streets were divided based on your nationality. The main character discusses how of her school class, she and her brother were the only kids born to American parents. Everyone else, the parents were born elsewhere and came to the US. No one else had parents born in Brooklyn.

Really enjoying it so far. Would recommended it to anyone. It's called A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.

The Carnival

3 licorice ropes

6 candy bars

3 faces painted

2 bottles of pop

2 hot dogs

1 slice of pizza

3 suckers

1 cotton candy (were supposed to be 3, but they ran out)

1 popcorn (again, they ran out)

1 bag of Cheetos (some borrowed from generous friends)

1 fancy new pen

1 deck of princess cards

1 camo fishing hat

1 set of mini skate boards

1 random McDonald's toy

1 skeleton ring

Am I forgetting anything? Maybe my sanity? What a crazy morning. Not sure if I will go back next year. It was a little overwhelming when N left. The kids had a blast. I was spent and did not realize until we were on our way home, I had made a pot of coffee, but never drank any. Could have used it to get through the morning. There were so many kids at the school. We bought $5 in raffle tickets, but apparently did not win.

We played outside when we got home until I felt frozen and couldn't stay out there anymore. Now they are enjoying the skateboards. Hope we have a nice, quiet Saturday. No whining aloud.

Just keep swimming

The week started out great with birthday celebrations. Carefree and enjoying life were wonderful feelings. We were up! But, like all good things, they must end and now I am left feeling down. I just am not sure what has gotten into my kids these past two days. They seem fine, but are tired. I think the change in the weather has a lot to do with it. I am met with total disgust when it is time to come inside. Any transition is difficult. From play, to a task such as eating or brushing teeth becomes unbearable. I get easily discouraged with the attitudes. Tomorrow is the school carnival. It will cost us $50 to go. This is a lot of money for a carnival. I figure, we have spent $50 on worse things on a Saturday. We have not done many extra things that cost this much money. Anyway, my point is that we decided this was OK. The money goes back to the PTO. The PTO does many wonderful things that our kids enjoy all year long. It is a good contribution.
After the attitudes, I regret signing up to go. They are not too bad, maybe I should not complain. They are good kids. They do good things. It is just hard when I have to listen to the whining in-between. We all know how hard change is for Five. I think we all are experiencing some of that with the time change and the weather. After being at school all day, they were pretty good until we got home. Three had a melt down when I picked her up from Zinnias. Five gave me a bad time about coming inside after riding his bike. He is so proud of his two wheels.
Alas, all the whining led me to punishment. Not severe, but enough to get me some piece and quiet. We only had an hour and a half before bedtime. I made them sit in their beds and read to themselves. Six came down stairs. I said that was OK, but he had to read to himself on the couch. Three followed 10 minutes later. She still had a hard time. Five came down, complaining why he was upstairs the longest. I didn't mind. He was the one with the worst attitude when we came inside.

I have to admit, I was frustrated because of other things of my own. These three things, I don't really feel I can go into too much detail. One, I hate coming home to a mess. Two, I can't figure some people out. Three, on the verge of illness. I've taken Airborne three times this week.

So, our week continues. Praying for guidance and direction. I realize we can't be Up all of the time. We had a good run. I hope with the warm weather, we can settle into a new spring routine. We've only got a few weeks and we leave for spring break.

I tried to remedy my night with Killian's, but that only gave me a headache. Disappointing. I do not drink hardly at all anymore. It just tasted so good on my birthday, I thought it might today. Guess not. It didn't, maybe because I wasn't up? Maybe because I didn't buy it for the right reasons. Nevertheless, I put the kids to bed and got myself a bowl of Moose-tracks. This too I have avoided lately. I have been on a role with my workouts, only missing once or twice a week. Well, no workout today makes three in a row missed. They called me to sub today. First grade, first time with that group. Once again, I had a wonderful time and love being at the school. After hearing some stories, I really am shocked at the school district. I can not believe how well behaved the children are. The standard is high and it shows. There were no "troublesome" kids in this class. Sure, some were chatty, but I did not have a difficult time with any of them. It was a great day. Maybe because they are good all day, the transition after school at home becomes difficult. I know my boys have a long day. They are so good at school.

Oh writing this all down makes me feel guilty for complaining about them. They do so well and are good at home. I guess it's rough because I tried to explain the response I wanted when it was time to go in the house. Everyone agreed before, but I was greeted with the same tired old response as always when it was time to come in. Sometimes, Five makes me feel like I am the worst mother in the world. He is so dramatic. It's hard to give him the benefit of the doubt.

All I can do is pray. I have not been doing as much of that lately. Maybe there lies my problem and solution, all wrapped in one. I need to refocus and get my priorities straight.
What happens to those who do not pray? What happens to those who never share a thought, emotion, idea about or with God? Maybe that is for an entirely different post.

Guess I will watch my movie or read my book. Another Friday night in Michigan.

Pie Day

So, up until now, I have shared my birthday with Albert Einstein. I do not remember hearing that it was called Pie day until recently. I also share it with the MN Twins baseball player Kirby Puckett, and my brothers good friend Grahn. While Kirby Puckett is gone now, I only got to meet him once as a child. Grahn did wish me a happy birthday yesterday. My husband drools over his fishing pictures posted on Facebook.

We had a great day. Started out with waffles and strawberries. I think they tasted better because it was my birthday. Boys off to school and we took our time getting out the door. Had a great phone call with a sister-in-law. Plans have been made for them to visit. Bonus, N informed me he had that Saturday off!
Lobster Fest was really great. We couldn't decide what to eat. The poor waitress came and asked us three + times. Finally figured it out. Three was with us and wanted nothing to do with fish or anything that had a shell. She was happy with cucumbers and biscuits.
We headed to the outlet mall and got some deals on shoes. Found the Stride Rite store and got deals for Three and N. I got some at Famous Footwear.

We were home in time to get the boys. They opened all my cards and a gift that had come in the mail. Great Auntie Bernice is sneaky. She sent what I thought was a box of chocolates. It had been home to chocolates, but instead contained some candles painted by the nuns at Mt. St. Benedict. There were even matching note cards included! She is so sweet. Looking forward to calling her when she gets back from a trip to AZ.

We headed out to Zinnias and the kids had supper there. N and I went for a walk by the river and then to the local pub. They have the best over priced wings. I am not a wing fan, but it is a treat to have theirs. They could use some tips from Uncle D and his wing sauces. It was topped off with a nice, cold Killians.
Caramel cake with Zinnia when we picked the kids up, and N putting them all to bed when we got home completed my birthday night. It was great. The sun was shining all day. Couldn't ask for more!

They say it's my birthday

They are making me strawberry waffles and a smoothie. Everyone is so proud and excited. Five is thrilled because he has surprise bag on my birthday. N has until Friday off. What a surprise that was! Looking forward to a great day.

Maybe Arizona is right?

The time change was rough on me this year. We were almost late for church this morning. It was 9:55 and no one was dressed. We only make it through and on time because they had already eaten. Church went well. It is so great to go and be a part of something. I feel so much better after we have gone. Even with the distraction of three kids, I manage to get something out of mass.

The rest of our day went great. We picked up pork chops and N grilled them for lunch. Boy did the grill give me spring fever!

We had a few hours before our play date. They played and I got my workout in, clipped coupons, etc. Only at 3pm, I realized our clocks were still wrong and we were late for our play date! UGH

We made it to the play date and all had a great time. One trip to the movie store and we were home, ready for out night. The energy just disappeared from me. A supper of leftovers, quick showers and it's movie night. Good night.

Friday Night

We are half way done with the invites!
Grilled cheese and tomato soup with Zinnia and her group tonight. Nice Lenten meal. Mr. D took little J to a basketball game tonight. He was missed with the group at home, but had a fantastic night. He came home, beaming. Then his dad shared their night experience with us. Apparently there was a Super Bowl Winner player there. J got to shake his hand. This was a big deal and very exciting. Later, J asked his dad what the guy did. Mr. D said he won a big football game. J's response was "I won at musical chairs once." PRICELESS.

Errands, Errands, Errands

Everything is finished for the baby shower invitations! Now it's just to put them together. Should be easy enough. I am excited to see how they turn out.

My deal of the day, probably four books for ME from Goodwill for $1.38. Yeah! Always excited for new reading material.

Found new shoes for both boys. Six needed new tennis shoes and I found some nice shoes for summer. They cover more than your average sandle, yet have room to breath. Six has sweaty feet in the summer, the ventilation should help. Five has been begging for tie shoes. I found him a pair for $4.00. We will see if he likes them. I am not sure he is quite to a 12 yet, but we shall see. I also found a cool shirt that has a red 6 on it. Plan to save it for his birthday when he becomes Six. Wish I could have found pants for the current Six. It seems like all of the sudden, he needs new pants.

Three ruled the shopping cart at the store today. Her and N came with me to the first store. I rocked the coupons again. I got Mr. L some bargains for the classroom. We got free Febreeze! Two different kinds, I normally do not use it, but thought I would give it a try. It's always nice for the bathroom to smell good.
We brought muffins to the office of our landlord today. Just wanted them to know I appreciated the work they did yesterday. She was surprised and happy. Hope they all enjoyed them. Well, better go get the boys! Let the weekend begin!

Home Improvements and Taxes

What a day! We got some home improvements done and our taxes. Just need to get these baby invitations printed and out and my to do list will shorten.
We had lunch with the boys today. N went with Five, Three and I went with Six later. They seemed pleased we came. Poor Mr. L is out of many supplies. A note came home yesterday. I sent a bag of popcorn and pretzels today, but had no napkins or disinfectant wipes to send. I dropped off some napkins and marshmallows after lunch. They were very appreciated. He said they used tissues yesterday. He hadn't realized how low the supply was.

Tomorrow I get to run to town alone and get many errands done. I am excited to move at my own pace, not have to cater to anyone else or their needs. It can be a challenge running errands with kids. Someone always has to go potty or needs to eat. Then to keep track of them in the store and get your stuff accomplished, trying to figure out your coupons and how many items you need to purchase, or what the final price will be and decide if it is a good deal; it's all a challenge.

Looking forward to working on projects tonight.

A walk with Lupcke

I had a nice chat with Mr. L today as we walked along the row of buses in front of the school. Last time I was in the classroom, I noticed a bin with socks for erasers that looked really terrible. Today, I brought him new socks to use as erasers. I told him I felt a little guilty because the socks all had pairs, but were from N's deployment and have not been worn for a very long time. They still have the tags on them from the overseas laundry. He thanked me and said now he could throw the old ones out. These are nice, heavy socks.

He brought up how he has come to realize the way Five is about getting dressed to go outside. His observations were that Five always asks to have the Velcro around his wrists put as tight as possible. He also needs to have every snap, snapped and the zipper all the way up to his chin. I said yes, those are all unique Five habits. I then told him about how two years ago, before we moved to MI, Five didn't wear clothes for the last two weeks in MN. Our first summer here he would rotate four pieces of clothing. I had asked the Dr if this was enabling Five, but he said yes, but I also have my sanity to consider. So, we just took it one day at a time and eventually Five started to add more items to his wardrobe. I really can't complain now. Besides the unique tight, complete habits, he does wear a variety of clothing and has gotten much better. It's all about how it feels. He even went through a time of wearing jeans! That was a major breakthrough. Although I still have a hard time with negotiations, he does accept my suggestions on occasion. We have parent teacher conferences in less than a month. I am anxious to hear what he has to say. In some ways, I am afraid I have failed Five in working more on his letters and reading. I have to admit, it's just been so hard to motivate him to sit down and do it. When we do, it is great. I feel so good about his progress. When we don't, I feel like a failure. I need to make it more of a priority for him. He is doing really well, but I am sure I can improve. After being in school all day, it is a struggle to get him involved with school work at home. I tried having a system with a reward at the end, but like most things, it did not last. They have bins in the kitchen with their name on them. Each bin contains learning activities specific to that childes level. If they do five things in the bin, they get to mark a slip with five x's and get a kit kat bar. Six really went to town and completed many slips. Five did maybe half. Three was just too little. I had to make things simple for her. She had to sing the days of the week song or do an alphabet puzzle, etc.

Guess I need something more meaningful for motivation. Think, think, think. If you come up with something, we take suggestions or recommendations. : )

Another Reformation?

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Things are so off at our house lately, I think we are in need of a behavioral reformation. For some reason, they seem to be acting up. Three thinks she is entitled to candy and cookies whenever she wants. I am not sure where this came from. Ever since the Valentines candy was brought into the house, she has acted like this. I guess my mistake was taking some in on the weekend for prizes for the bingo game. Now it's here and she knows it. It will disappear tomorrow.
I did not go teach RE tonight because I felt a headache coming on. What a mistake it was not to go. Instead, N went fishing. Zinnia came to get my books and Six, who would not go with her. He changed his mind shortly after she left. I put everyone in the car and brought him there. When he came home, she informs me that he cried. He did not participate for the first 20 minutes.

Do I spend too much time with my children? Do I attend too many things for them? Is that possible? So, my answer to our problems is Lent. I want to take these 40 days and focus on the important things. I want to skip movies and treats. No more trips to the movie store. No more bringing home new things. We live with what we have, and are thankful for just that. We focus on each other and trying to make our lives better. Tonight when my kids went to bed, I shared some of these thoughts with them. Didn't go over as well as I had hoped. Five cried at the thought of giving up movies at the movie store. Maybe that part is too much for his age? I remember it being a part of my growing up and not thinking much about it. Maybe it's just a Five thing.

I hope we can make a change and see what a difference it will make. What a celebration Easter will be!

Victory is Mine!

Over the weekend Five, Six and E were all playing board games in the living room. Six decided he wanted to play chess. E said "Oh I love chest. I play chest on the computer." Too cute. So they all sit down to play their game. I have no clue how to play chess. As I listen to their game, I am surprised at the confidence Six has when playing. I make a note to ask N if any of it is right. In the end, all I hear is Six giving advice to E about who to move where before he gets her pawns. Then when he does he says "Victory is mine!" and Five beams.

N played with Six tonight. He says he does know some things, but still has more to learn.

Montag, Montag

Monday is usually relaxing. It's a chance to get caught up from the weekend. Three I fear, needs more entertainment on Mondays. I guess we should get our chores done in the morning and I should try to coordinate a play date for her in the afternoon. She is bored at home with me. I struggle to entertain her. I'll have to channel my resources and figure out people in town to play with. Haven't focused on her in the past, more so the boys and their age group. There are a couple people I can think of that have kids her age, one with a boy. That might be interesting, but she is always with boys. We will see.

Boys were up late last night, but got up early this morning. I was surprised. Five had a fantastic morning, I hope it carried on throughout the day. When he stepped outside, he said "It's actually pretty nice out here." Such an optimist. Good start to his day. Six is anxious for a field trip on Wednesday. Tuesday we have RE. We are going to make rain sticks. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Might try to go to mass in the AM. Wish I would have remembered to bring our palms in on Sunday. Never know what to do with them otherwise.

Baby showers are on my brain. I started figuring out things for Auntie J. Looking forward to making an invitation soon. Have to get them in the mail. April is just around the corner. Can't believe it. I know the next two months will fly by.

Sunday is Sonntag

We made it through our slumber party weekend. I was concerned how it would be getting all six fed, clean and out the door in time for church. We had a flawless morning! Everyone got up early, but not too early. Little Miss A is so on schedule, she dressed right away and wanted some curls in her hair. That led to other wanting their hair done too. N served breakfast while I started laundry and cleaned up rooms. We washed all our guests clothing and sent them home clean. J helped me sweep the kitchen. We got the beds put away and my kids rooms looking normal again. Everyone enjoyed the cinnamon rolls.

Father Rick told us as we left "Thanks for coming out today. It's always great to see the kids." Don't know if we looked so out of place with 6 kids and two parents. We usually go with them, but maybe the missing mom was a sign. Anyway, I thought it was ironic that he said that to us. We could have very well stayed home with the extra work, but I really wanted to go. It makes our week so much better. The morning flew by. Since everyone was so good, N said we could stop at the movie store. Everyone picked out a movie. Sent the three home with their own movies for the week.

N picked up Chinese for us. What a treat that was. Moo Shu Pork. I told him whatever he got, it had to have lots of vegetables in it so others wouldn't want any. It was great until I spilled a coke all over the counter top. Didn't want to drink coke anyway on account of the sugar. Solved that problem unintentionally.
So, back to normal. Get ready for the week ahead. The boys have to read. They skipped Friday. I am sure they have homework too. We just ignored it due to all the excitement.

Exciting news coming our way on Monday! Auntie J and Uncle T find out what kind of a baby they are going to get. I may be just as excited as they are. You wouldn't believe how many times their baby has crossed my mind. Can't wait to meet him or her. Just wish we were across town like we used to be. Looking forward to our trip to MN in April. I started looking into baby shower games. My neighbor is giving two showers in the near future. She started my wheels turning with the game topic. I haven't hosted a shower since 2006. I want to make a diaper cake. They are fun and cute. If you have any ideas for me, let me know. So many great things to look forward to in the next two months. When you're up, you're up!

3 Boys, 5:30 AM

Yup. The boys were up early. I wasted a half hour trying to get them to go back to sleep. Finally at six I gave in and told them to go downstairs. When the house is completely quiet, it is amazing how much you can hear from the basement with an entire empty floor in between.

Girls slept until after 7. I started a new book. Wonder if I can finish it this weekend? We will see.
I made them pancakes and egg cheese sandwiches. Only to have little A tell me in her cutest voice "I don't very like pancakes and egg sandwiches." Oh dear. If I hadn't been up so early and stood in the kitchen for so long making this breakfast, maybe then I would give you something else. I made cinnamon rolls, but wanted to save them and the box of Trix cereal for tomorrow since we have church. I told her I've seen her eat pancakes before, this is what we were having. Was that wrong? I feel guilty now writing it down. She didn't seem to mind and ate the pancakes. This is the girl who is hungry all day. I told them to eat well because we weren't going to have a snack for awhile. Wouldn't you know as soon as we were upstairs getting dressed, beds made, etc. she said she was hungry. What a girl. She is so sweet. Anyway, they have already finished the Parent Trap from last night, colored and are now all in the basement. I am trying to decide if I have energy to work out, or should I just skip it for today. N wants to see who can get to 100 miles first. I am not one for contests, we will see where it takes us. I prefer to try to get a good workout 5 days a week. I've already missed two this week. Guess I answered my own question.
We will play outside today. There is a fresh blanket of snow. A hot game of Bingo is still in our future. No more baking though. I am spent with that. : )

We wound up having a great day. A did alright with meals, I did turn her down a few times for snacks. She had two after lunch, but before supper. We had a bingo tournament. It was great, but not as big of a hit with all as I had hoped. Hungry Hippos, Connect 4, Don't break the ice, Cootie, Dominoes, and Chess. We played games, then cleaned up and went outside. They were bored at first, but after I gave them a stack of buckets, they found entertainment. Little snow castles to sit on and squish. Hot cocoa followed with pretzels and iced animal crackers. Everyone played until it was time for supper. I made pizza rolls and my own version of them in a taco variety. Corn and spinach were the veggies of choice. Following supper, a variety of ice cream choices with sugar cones. Then it was PJ's and Ice Age Dinosaur movie. They were pretty tired. No restlessness tonight. J even went to bed on his own before everyone else.
N should be home soon. Another end to a great day. Church tomorrow. Getting out the door with all six will be interesting.

Weekend Pajama's

We are busy people

They arrived at 11am. I am out numbered, three to one.

These are the things we have accomplished and it's barely 2pm.

• Lunch
• Played a counting game
• Danced in the kitchen
• Baked cookies
• Put away two loads of laundry
• Played in the basement

Now we are on our way outside to clean the car! Free labor. : )

OK, no free labor, they just played in the snow. They were soaking wet when we came in, but clean. Just tossed it all in the dryer. The big kids came home full of energy. The noise level went up and everyone ran crazy for about 10 minutes. I am slowly losing steam though. Think we will scrap the make your own pizza and I will just do it. Lost motivation to include them after making cinnamon rolls and brownie cookies. They are all content playing together.

Maybe we will save Bingo for tomorrow.

Pizza was a success. School kids are supposed to keep track of reading minutes, E is the only one who read tonight. This will be the first night the boys miss. Maybe I can still motivate them.

In lite of their parents being at a hotel, this game is popular. Everyone made up their own bed. We used a dolphin blanket for the pool. I heard Five mention taking off their shirts. I said there will be no taking off of shirts. I heard him then say to his fellow boys "We will look like babies with shirts on and no muscles showing." Yeah. Because he is so buff. Now they are all downstairs playing hotel. Six was all over setting up food areas to serve free breakfast. LOL Less than an hour and we can get pj's on and a movie.

When you're up, you're up

Is it ironic life can be summed up in the old childhood song about the Grand Old Duke of York?

When you're up, you're up. When you're down, you're down. When you're only half way up, you're neither up nor down. Life can be a daily struggle. Some days are better than others. These ideas came to me after reading a friends blog. Being a stay at home mom comes with many challenges.

Today, I am happy to report we are Up! You never know what might bring you down. Or there are days where you are just in the middle somewhere, in limbo? Or is that too negative? Maybe content is a better word. One needs to just take it one day at a time. Stay on the straight path according to Hermie. There are many things we can learn from the childhood cartoons.

Tonight, we have our first over night guests who are not my parents. My friend and her husband go away every year with his co-workers. All her babysitters backed out on her and she was facing not being able to go. I volunteered for the job. This has been in the works for a month now. We have high hopes for a great time. Today, the kids celebrate reading at school. First grade was able to invite a special guest to come to school. This person gets to bring a snack, blanket to read on, stuffed animal and a bag of books. Our wonderful neighbor is going to go with Six. He was thrilled. Since I have Zinnia's kids today, I am not able to pick up the three kids at school. Her oldest will get a ride here from her special person. The boys will get to ride home with Miss D. They are most excited to get to ride in her car. I found this quite humorous. They discussed it all week. She has a PT Cruiser. They kept referring to it as "her little car."After school we will have a hot game of bingo. I have a cage, balls, cards, the whole works! We have treats for prizes and everyone will win. We will make our own pizzas tonight and then finish with a movie. The original Parent Trap is our movie of choice. We made beds for the girls in the "girl room." And a bed for J in "the boy room." They were dropped off this afternoon and barely acknowledged their parents departure. The ran upstairs with their blankets and moved right in. I am so thankful they are comfortable here. That is the reason I said yes. They are great kids and get along very well with ours. So...as the three younger ones are in the basement, pretending they are going to a hotel, I have time to write this. Cinnamon rolls and pizza crust are rising on the counter. Looking forward to a fun filled Friday evening at home.

So irritated

Irritated. That is the only word I can come up with to describe the current situation. Our property manager informed us the blinds need to be replaced in our house. Our current landlord does not replace blinds. They simply come and take them down if broken. Why should we have to replace blinds? It just irritates me. We couldn't get the fancy faux blinds when we lived there, why should we spring for them now? So someone else can trash them over time? Irritated. I wish we could get rid of that house sooner than later. Irritated.

Coupons for homework

I am trying hard to get the coupon thing going. It works, but you have to do your homework. Kroger is great for coupons. They double manufactures coupons up to $1. They also have digital coupons online. The digital coupons do not expire as soon as those found in the paper. My example of a steal is Charmin TP. It was on sale for $5.99. I had $3 off digital coupon and a paper coupon for $1. I had to buy two for the paper coupon. Both cost $11.98-5 for coupons! Well, maybe that wasn't the best steal, perhaps I should share my Welches OJ. Got that for free! $1 coupon doubled. The original price was $1.99. I also got a treat for the kids. Totinos Pizza Rolls, we only get them for special times. I got 3 boxes for 60 cents. Ok, that was the steal.

March is reading month. The kids have to keep track of how many minutes they read each day. I am so impressed with Five and his reading skills. He is doing great. Six is very good, but does not always enjoy it. Parents should set good examples for their children. I think they have seen me reading quite a bit in the past year. I hope they see how I enjoy it and can take an interest in reading for fun.

At the dinner table

We have to tell Five he can't eat his corn one kernel at a time. The day is discussed. After haircuts, I went to the school to teach both boys classes about Europe. Three and her daddy went to the Freeland Dairy for ice cream and pizza. This was upsetting to other parties. They have been to the FD with Dad as a special treat, but never for ice cream and pizza. Five stated "I can't even remember what it looks like in there." This is a summer location that we would sometimes visit. Spring is in the air!

Six lost his second tooth early this morning. May I place emphasis on early? N kept me up too late last night, Six got me up too early this morning. Grandpa says we can't roll with the turkeys if we want to soar with the eagles. Most days I don't want to soar with the eagles, but have no choice.

I can't believe how many kindergarteners pick their nose. After lunch, they come to the carpet for story time. This is usually when I come in and teach them about Germany. They sit and stare at you.

Today I shared things from Poland, Spain, Italy, and castles in Germany. It was fun and they really enjoyed what I brought. Mr. T said he liked it too and was intrigued by the Neuschwanstein castle. I was able to do a reading activity and spelling with the kindergarten, then an activity about adjectives and nouns with first grade. We got home early, just in time for the maintenance guys to come and finish fixing our tub. It looks so great, but makes me think I want new paint in this house. When he shared with me that might be possible, well that about made my day! I have to make a phone call, but maybe we can have nice clean walls again. The stairway is the worst. Well, the natives are quite restless downstairs. I think they need some time outside.

Venezia

Tomorrow I am going back into the classroom of both boys. The plan is to talk about castles. I am also going to share stories about Poland, Spain and Italy. Still have not found my collection of money, but I did find 1000 Lire. Guess I will go with what I've got. I wish I could find my masks from The carnival in Venice. I would love to show them with my pictures. Just have no idea. I hate to sound so disorganized, but we have moved so many times. We have things here, things at my parents and I believe just a couple things at my sisters. It can be so frustrating. I have gone through every box and tote in the basement and almost all in the garage. I am at a loss as to where the money and masks are. They must be in MN. I am sure I may have looked at them as not being a priority when the moving truck was nearing the end. I will take what I have and share what I can. They will enjoy it regardless. They do not know what I am lacking. I loved answering their questions last time. I have been thanked each time I see them at the school. It's a good time. I also have a castle maze for them to do. Maybe I'll get a few pictures too!