Power lines down

Last night a power line was down in our back yard. It was two houses down. We were without power for close to 3 hours. It was terribly hot and uncomfortable. Brought light to our eyes, the lines in our back yard could fall down. It's not the ideal place for our children to play. We've been discussing moving, buying a house. I hope for it to work out sooner than later. My thoughts though, it will probably be later. More to come. Baby Girl is not a happy camper.

Procrastination on Beach Preparation

N took the group to the beach today. I could not believe how much protest there was. It all started when Eight began to act funny about going. Getting information out of him was hard, but after many excuses and questions, it was determined that last time he wore his life jacket, he did not like how it rubbed under his arms. This was to be the reason he would not go, but he led us to believe it was because Baby Girl wasn't going. In the end, he just didn't want to go in the boat. After a wasted 30 minutes, leaving the boat behind was a better plan. They all wanted to make it back for VBS tonight. Without the boat, they will have enough time at the beach and spray park. It's in the 90's today. Call me ridiculous, but I'm just not ready to take Baby Girl in the sun. I even ordered her a baby tent to keep her in the shade at the beach, but couldn't do it today. She didn't sleep well last night. I didn't sleep well last night. I just got rid of my two day headache and don't think sitting in the sun for hours will help. Alas, Baby Girl and I are home for the afternoon and they are at the beach.

Wednesday evening update

Happy to say we had a wonderful night. I did stay at VBS for awhile. Baby Girl and I walked to the movie store and then went back to the kids. They had a great time. Everyone went to bed a little late. Tomorrow we go to Daisy's to watch her group while she goes to the store. No plans for the afternoon, we'll see where the day takes us. Kudos to a great night!

Short Fuse

After toting them around all day, after being home and having a nap, I feel I have short fuse. This seems terrible considering they aren't behaving that bad. Why am I so irritated so easily? We went to lessons. I sat on the pool deck all morning. It was hot. I didn't take a shower in the am because we were going swimming. This was my first mistake. It left me feeling gross the entire time we were at the pool. I didn't get in the water until after 1. We'd been there since 11. Baby Girl did well, but did not have a good nap like she had on Monday. Was this also due to no bath for her? I am not sure. N decided to go into work tonight, over time. While I do appreciate this, it can be so frustrating at the same time. We had planned on him being home. Once again, I am putting them to bed alone. Bedtime hasn't been the easiest time at our house this summer. Again, not too bad, but enough to irritate me when they don't listen. I guess my life would be easier if they listened better. I am already tired of arguing between Four and Six. They seem to be the ones who argue the most. They remind me of my brother and sister when we were little. I took a nap when we came home and woke up irritated. Why? A nap should refresh me and help the evening go along nicely. Perhaps it is facing the evening alone? We have our second night of VBS tonight. I just don't know what to do with myself when they are at church and I just have Baby Girl. I am sure I will come up with something. Last night N and I ran to get our groceries. We have yet this summer to take everyone to the store for a big grocery run. We are picking up a friend on the way. As soon as we get home, it will be bedtime. Maybe I will go get myself a new movie to watch. I've been disappointed with the last two-three new releases I've rented lately. What does that say about me? I'm usually on top of picking out a good movie, but lately not so much. Zinnia's sister is in town. They are doing activities together for the next two weeks. Slightly jealous. I'd love to be spending two weeks with Orchid and Baby Orchid. It's Baby Orchid's birthday soon. We need to make her a card. We gave her a gift last time she was here. Maybe I should go look for something to mail her. The kids really wanted to send her an Angry Birds shirt if we can find one her size. Four wants one too. I could go look for that, but am not sure about using the gas to drive to town alone. Target can always make you feel good, right? We'll see where the night takes me. We'll see how Baby Girl behaves. Ok, in the end I feel guilty for complaining so much. The kids really are good. I shouldn't complain. This is where I need strength. Maybe I'll join the first part of VBS activities. Fr. B will pray with the kids in the sanctuary and then the fun begins. Perhaps that is what I need, a little or a lot of prayer. It was really nice dropping them off last night. They had a wonderful greeting from Fr. B and the other volunteers running the program. It's a great program, I am proud and thrilled we were a part of it. Ok, time is up. We better get moving. Complaints are done.

Swim Lesson Success

Today was our first day of swim lessons. This was the first time Six and Four participated in lessons. Believe it or not, I used to teach lessons for many years. Why it took me so long to get my kids into lessons, I'll never know. They had a great time. Four is with two other girls around her age. Six and Eight only have five kids in their class, including them. They were thrilled when finished. Eight could be in the next level, but it isn't available this session. The teacher said she will work with him on the next level activities. Everyone was beaming when they were finished with the lesson. We stayed for open swim with Daisy and crew. After swimming for more than 2 hours, we were off to our next activity. Normally, I don't plan so much in our days. Not since the arrival of Baby Girl have we ventured off for nearly the entire day alone. We went to town to find the last part of a birthday gift for a soon to be eight year old friend. Just my luck, we're in Target in the book section and what do I hear, but a near explosion in the car seat. My worst fear, over spill and then a huge mess. I get all four kids over to the bathroom, start getting my purse and diaper bag out of the cart. It then occurs to me, we will have to leave the car seat outside of the restroom. Just as I am trying to get it together, a woman races by me with her stroller. Then I see triplets heading our direction. I decide we can make do in the van rather than face whatever exposure could be in that bathroom. I had the smallest child, least smell for a bad diaper. I get her all cleaned up and on we go. We find ourselves sitting at a table, waiting for friends. We read two books we didn't get a chance to read. One is about the tooth fairy, cute as can be. The other, a friend of Four had picked out last time we were at the library. It turns out this book is about slavery. It's not a topic that has come up yet with our group. I found myself skipping over some of the lines in the book. Wasn't a topic I was prepared to discuss. Four has had lots of questions lately about what words mean, if things are real. She's also had concerns over things to do with kids such as people taking them. I'm not sure where she got these ideas, but shes' a little mom when in the store, keeping the boys in line. We read the slavery book and then our friends arrived. We were proud to show our friends where the kids section was and explain the reading program. It was a fun afternoon. More reading success. We came home, I was completely exhausted. Thankfully, N had made supper for us. We had a very relaxing night at home. Baby Girl laid on the floor content for quite some time with everyone around her. We read some of our books and the children giggled at the silly stories they had chosen. Turns out the library has been quite a positive influence on our summer.

Sleepless Sunday

Last night we enjoyed a great BBQ at Azalea's. It was fun to get together. The kids had a great time. Sweet Pea is so grown! I got some great pictures and she loved posing. We had fun, but stayed too late. Baby Girl was up every hour after 1am. Kids slept in, boys til 7, girl til after 8. Somehow, we still made it to church. I was kaputt after. Six made lunch and everyone chipped in to pick up the house and get some chores done. We got our jammies back on and it's a day at home. N will be home soon. Kids are fed and clean. Laundry is begun to make its rounds. Baby Girl is napping ans so will I.

Fix it and forget it

My family seems to be surviving on crock pot meals these days. We've been eating chicken from the crock pot for weeks now. Twice we've had sloppy joe and even spaghetti meat sauce. I just can't seem to get enough time to stand at the stove for too long. Oh well, it could be worse. We could be eating fast food and pizza. I love chicken in the crock pot. It shreds easily and the kids love chicken tacos. They love them because everyone can have them the way they like. Six likes cheese, spinach, taco sauce and ranch. Four like cheese. Eight likes chicken and cheese with jalapeno hot sauce. My kids will eat almost anything put on a tortilla. Today I made chicken, but into a soup. I used two cream of chicken soups and some chicken spices from Frankenmuth. For the last 30 minutes, I added refrigerator biscuits. I cut them into pieces and they served as dumplings. It turned out pretty good. Not sure what the kids will think. They had other things since it wasn't done on time. It will be lunch for tomorrow. We will be going to a BBQ tomorrow. The kids spent the afternoon making beaded necklaces and bracelets for each kid who will be at the party. They personalized each one to their friends. It was sweet to hear their conversation and reason for making the bracelet or necklace. Now we have a small bag full of gifts for our friends and they were entertained quietly all afternoon. Thank you to G and G for introducing them to beads and providing the proper storage container. We purchased some more today to have more colors. We're still working on our movie certificates. We headed to the movie store tonight for another set of new releases. Today they chose Lego Star Wars. It is quite comical for Star Wars fans. I loved listening to Eight giggle. "Their driving a school bus through a seperatice battle!" The ships fall apart when hit. The people fall apart when hit and the pants continue to walk around. Yoda can put anything and anyone back together. Darth Vader pops up in random scenes when he isn't supposed to. It's a great parody of Star Wars. The Lego factor makes what would normally be violence, tame. You hear "some assembly required" frequently. It was short and entertaining before bed. Happy to say we're still on the reading kick. More books were read today and more boxes crossed off on their sheets. Gotta keep this reading momentum going. Eight came down the stairs and announced he pulled his tooth out. That's what happens after losing 8 of them, you just pull out number 9 and on. He was so pleased with himself. Six has his tooth coming in already. It's just a matter of time and all his will begin to fall out. We're almost done with our birthday presents for our two friends. I am thrilled with the things we put together. They are fun and useful at the same time. I'll post pictures after we give them away. Overall, a relaxing Friday at home. Baby Girl had a hard time settling down for her nap in the afternoon. She doesn't really like the pacifier. I had to trick her into it. It worked and she finally slept for more than 15 minutes. She woke up a happy girl. We whisked her off to the movie store in an effort to keep the rest of the crew on schedule. I'm trying to stick to the 8 o'clock bedtime as best we can. There are nights we don't make it and that's ok, but as many as we can get in the better. Four especially needs more sleep. She went to bed late last night and slept until almost 9am this morning. The boys continue to get up around 6 or 6:30. Hard habit to break. I try to get them in bed at 8, but they read and chat for awhile. They are asleep by 9. I hope they look back on these nights together with fondness. They have that down time alone in their room to discuss whatever is on their mind. Sometimes they have a strategic plan for the next day. Four is hilarious when talking to Baby Girl. She has this baby voice she uses. It's not completely baby, but sweet. She tells Baby Girl how big she is and keeps both of them entertained. Four always picks out her clothing for the day. She really wants to hold Baby Girl like I do with her head up on her shoulder. She's eager for the day Baby Girl moves into her room too. N did not catch any fish on his journey this morning. Well, let me rephrase that, he caught fish, but none he could keep. His friend went with him in the boat. I didn't notice until after they had left, there was a nice new truck in our driveway. The kids were curious. I am glad he was able to spend some time with a friend and do an activity he enjoys. Just wish it was a little more profitable in the end. Last week, we enjoyed our walleye meal. Times up. Four wants to move Baby Girl and hold her. Lego Star Wars is done and so am I. Bedtime!

Friday's plans

Yesterday was low key at our house. After the kids big adventure to the lake the day before, they needed a relaxing day at home. Baby Girl was pretty fussy after her shots. We had plans to go up north to the lake with friends, but thunder storm warnings kept us at home. We did make a trip to the fabric store as a family. That was enough adventure in itself. We picked up slurpies on our way home and stopped at the movie store. We still have 6 movie coupons for free movies before the end of the month. We can only use two per day. The boys received them for good grades on their report cards. I didn't know they would get so many. Each boy got 12. Today, N set out with his boat early. We'll see if he's lucky like last week. This has become part of the summer routine, he going fishing on Friday morning. I may take the troops to a different library. They also have a summer reading program. Eight is almost done with his reading goals, guess I should have had him set them a little higher. They are doing great with their reading and I am thrilled. Four is eager to read. Baby Girl was able to sign up and participate too. This was very helpful. They all want to read to her, thus making reading a even more popular activity. No big plans for the weekend. We are invited to a BBQ at Azalea's on Saturday afternoon. I plan to make a pasta salad. Maybe I can get a baking treat done today too. Next week will be a busy one. Swimming lessons start on Monday as does vacation bible school. Six gets his warts removed on Tuesday. I still need to coordinate something with that. I don't want to take everyone to that appointment. I want Six to be the focus and have all my attention. We'll see who I can leave the rest of the group with. We're trying to work out a playdate for Wednesday. It will be a busy day with lessons and VBS, I hesitate to add more. They may join us at the pool, it's all still up in the air. The following week, N will have 10 days off! We're excited for some family time, though we don't have much planned. Lessons will continue that week. Six will have his first sleep over party. The 4th of July will be that week. This will be the first time in a VERY LONG time N is off. No parties scheduled this year. His family is having a BBQ the following weekend. We plan to attend. Looking forward to seeing many relatives and introducing Baby Girl to them. Only N's parents and one sibling have met her. Perhaps we'll head up to our favorite spot on Lake Huron during N's vacation. I love going up there. It's such a nice town. I hesitate with Baby Girl. I don't want the temp to be too hot for her. We'll just take it one day at a time. She's showing more personality each day. All smiles in the morning. She loves spending time with her siblings. We're enjoying her and all the new things she learns. I love her reaction to our smiles. She's adorable and we love her so very much.

Our Growing Girl

Baby Girl had her two month well child visit today. So thrilled to report she's gained a pound and grown an inch. Yeah for a healthy girl! Gives you a great feeling to know you're doing a good job and she is thriving. Amazing how a mothers body continues to give to the baby, providing milk that keeps the baby healthy and strong. Breast feeding has been much easier this time around. We haven't had any issues, knock on wood. She's really good at nursing and has been since day one. Two months old already, boy has that gone by fast. She was all smiles for the doc and nurses. Her little personality is developing more each day. Her smile is as bright as the sun. We are enjoying all the new things she does and are looking forward to the changes to come.

Wednesday: HOT HOT HOT

I'm enjoying a quiet moment right now. A content baby and silence throughout the house. I may have spoke too soon. N took the big kids to the lake. It's hot today, in the 90's. I took Baby Girl to the grocery store. She cried through the check out process. Home and we were delayed putting away the groceries, no big deal. She has a doc apt this afternoon. First set of shots since birth, I hope our night is ok after all that. Time will tell. I'm ready with the Tylenol!

All you need is love

It's fathers day. I feel sad, we didn't give N the proper send off to work this morning. My head was pounding. The boys were awake and said a nice goodbye. After church, we picked up chicken from the grocery store. I sent N a text to see if we could bring some to him, but he had already ate. I know he took some old leftovers with this morning. Poor guy. Lousy lunch and no great breakfast. We did get donuts yesterday for him to take this morning, but the kids really wanted to make Eggs Benedict. I just didn't have the energy or ingredients. Our solution to redeem ourselves: we are making a chocolate cake. Chocolate isn't necessarily his favorite, but it's the only box I have. We have frosting. I'm not up for much more. The kids made little signs to put on the cake with messages to N. They of course had many great ideas for cake decorations. Ideas that would take hours of planning, decorating and coordinating. This was our simple solution. He will like it, everyone will be pleased. Our very own Cake Boss had quite the ideas as well. Someday I'll get that girl some fondant.

Taste the rainbow friends

Today was a busy day. We went swimming and then made it to the fabric store with all four kids solo! We did alright. Had to leave our purchases at the check out to take one potty, but it was all good. We also hit the movie store and the grocery store! Once we were home, I was exhausted. No worries. Lunch was in the crockpot. Sloppy Joes to the rescue. After eating I was even more exhausted. I decided to make them work for me. They had tons of energy, I took advantage. Thanks to Mum, I had a box of Skittles in the cabinet. I got them to work for one Skittle at a time. Six just ate it up. He loves to have a goal. He wanted to collect one of each color. Five colors in the box. They emptied the dishwasher, took all the wet towels and suits to the laundry room, cleared the table, picked up books, etc. the list goes on. They picked up the entire main floor and cleaned up the kitchen. So happy to have that job done. Baby Girl was a trooper through the entire day. She's fussing now, time is up.

Just another hot Friday

Eight days a week has led to Beatles in the van on a regular basis. The songs put everyone in a good mood. We are all signed up for swimming lessons this month and hit the pool last night. We got a membership for the rest of the summer. Now we can go swimming any day we want. I can take the kids when N is at work. We won't have to worry about sun and the temperature for Baby Girl. Only thing, I have to get used to sitting on the side. I've never been one to sit on the side of the pool and watch. I believe the pool temp is too cool for Baby Girl. The kids love going there and are excited to spend the summer at the pool. Today we went to the library. I am not a fan of libraries, but today was a success. We signed the kids up for a reading program. The kids got to see our friend get his prize for reading last week. They were really excited. I hope to keep the enthusiasm going. They were eager to read their books on the car ride home. We came home for lunch with New Moon at our house. Chicken tacos are my latest meal. We even had them for supper, but in nacho form. Everyone loves them because they can have the taco/nacho their own way. We stopped at the movie store. The boys have six movie coupons for free movies until the middle of July. We took their report cards and they got the coupons for good grades. With movie/nacho night, everyone was pleased. Time's up. She's up.

Eight days a week

Six was concerned when "Eight days a week" was sung last night at the concert at the park. He knew better, there are only seven days in a week. Boy did we have a great time at the park. Our township holds free concerts on Wednesday nights during the summer. We've never gone before. Last night was a tribute to the Beatles band. I am sure they will be the best all summer long. Thanks to Uncle Dv, we knew most of the songs! He left us a Beatles CD for our van. We've been listening to it all week. The band was really great. I was surprised. They even had costumes and dressed like the Beatles. The kids danced and sang along. N popped us some popcorn to take with. Our big bowl was gone by the end of the night. We brought our blankets and chairs. Baby Girls was great. She napped through the first part, then was awake for the rest. She liked looking up at the trees and the sky. After we were home, it was late and people were hungry. While eating, they were discussing the Beatles. There was much confusion over who those guys were tonight and who the real Beatles are. They struggled with the fact that only two real Beatles are still alive. They were convinced we only saw two real Beatles. Eight got it, Six did eventually, Four didn't really care about those facts. Great family night! Wonderful start to our summer!

Catch up

Today we spent the morning at the park. The kids played and the moms visited. It was nice. Nearly each friend invited another friend. It was nice to get to know more new people in our community. When we came home, my children disappeared into the basement for awhile. I was able to make a few phone calls and catch up with some friends from TX. While waiting for my friends to answer, I wondered how things change. Time and space leave communication the key to keeping your relationship up to date. How do you go from talking to someone every day, to every week, to once a month, to every few months, etc. I was once so close with these girls, but now I don't even know what their kids look like. Those who live near my family are easier to keep in touch with and see during our visits home. Others, distance across the country makes it more difficult. I still can't believe it's been nearly 5 years since we were in Tx. I treasure each of these girls I was so close with at the various locations we've been. I hope to be in touch with them more in the future.

Summer is here

After a weekend of doing nothing, I'm convinced we need to plan some activities weekly for the summer. Weekends are going to be terribly lonely. Same old story. Today is dentist day. We have appointments for the kids at 1. N was offered an early shift and might be home in time to go. The kids are excited to go to the dentist. I am so thankful for Miss Vanessa. She is who they look forward to seeing. Tomorrow I've planned a picnic at the park with their friends. I'm not sure who is coming besides Daisy, but I told people to spread the word. I figure if a variety of their friends come, the kids will be set. Blue Star will probably come too, alone with New Moon and possibly Zinnia. We only have one park in town. This fact disappointed me when we first moved here. Our last location, we could walk to five parks from our house. FIVE! I know the kids will probably get bored with the township park all summer long. There is a park we've never been to in a town near by. I am sure we can check it out this summer. Friday we may try the library. You know how I feel about libraries. It might be different now that I have older kids. The library in Midland is rather nice. Wednesday and Thursday N will be home. Who knows what those days will lead us to do. It will be the weekend again before I know it. Hopefully I can set something up for then as well. I hope to try blueberry picking when the time is right. We missed out last year. I have to get Baby Girl used to the Maya wrap. We'll be good to go then. A mom had hers on in church yesterday. I never thought of wearing it at church. Her baby was probably around 6 months, thus heavier than our peanut. I am sure the wrap helped her back. Well, time is up.

In all fairness...

I locked my kids out of the house. It's not as bad as it seems. I locked the back door. They can come around to the front, it is open. If I leave the back door open, they will be in and out a million times. If they have to go to the front, it takes longer, thus more work and they will have to really need to come inside to put forth that type of effort. They knock on the door and sometimes I do come. Their needs are silly little things I do not care about. "Eight took my flip flops!" etc. Not my concern. They are big kids and should be able to figure out those quarrels on their own. I provide snacks and beverages along with the equipment for entertainment. They enjoy their time outside. I just don't want to listen to any bickering. Seems fair to me. Am I wrong? I found my dream house today. It's on the other side of town, the only down side. It's two doors down from Daisy. It has everything I would want. It does not have a third garage, something N wants. Too bad it's out of our price range. It's just too high. We can't have a payment that high each month. We probably could, but that's all we'd have. Maybe it will be on the market for awhile and the sellers would take less. Anything is possible, but I doubt that is how it will turn out. 4 bedroom houses are all that price range. A house sold on that road in 6 hours within the last year. We don't have all our ducks in a row yet for negotiations and purchase. When we do, we'll see whats on the market and then decide. After getting everyone to church this morning, I am left with a headache. Poor sleep and the stress of getting out the door was too much. Why does church have to be so stressful? I am worried about how Six and Four will behave. Zinnia stated she wasn't going to sit in our usual spot anymore. Too many toddlers around. Today was my proof. Every isle had a toddler but one. It's too distracting to my group who are old enough to pay attention. Alas, change is hard and we will spend the summer trying to find where we like best. Well, time is up. I have a Skype date with Baby Orchid. She's bound to make my head feel better!

The things I am learning

Four kids is great. We're thrilled with Baby Girl in our family. The kids are so smitten with her, even seven weeks later. They don't mind when she cries. They wait and understand when I have to tend to her first. We're great on that front. Scheduling is another issue. I am so thankful soccer is done. Not that I minded running to the fields and going to the games, but I was wrong and lost too many times with the schedule. Today we got Four and Six to the fields on time. In true Six fashion, he played the best at the last game. This is a pattern we've seen before. Four did great as well. There were hot dogs and snacks for the last day. Once we were home, I began trying to get things together. It was hot. The ac wasn't on. When I walked by the calendar, I realized we were 10 minutes late for Eight's game. My allergies were bothering me and the meds weren't working the best. My eyes were puffy from rubbing them. They itched so bad. I think it threw me off. I couldn't believe I almost had him miss his game. I took him to the fields in a hurry. He was in tears. He was upset we were late. I didn't realize. Oh how I hate to fail that boy. He does everything I ask. He does it all so well. How did I miss this? I walked him over and he was better. I apologized to the coach. Eight thought it would take me awhile to come back. We were so fast in our return. The other two ran to the van and I put the baby in the car seat. Away we went. We didn't even say goodbye to N. We made it, Eight played hard and did great. Four decided to throw a fit at the end of the game. Before we knew it, it was time to go home. The house was 86 degrees and my eyes were driving me crazy. I closed up the house and turned on the air. I was rather tired and wound up taking an hour nap. The kids played inside with the promise of outdoor activity after I get Baby Girl to sleep. Later in the day, the sun wasn't as intense and they were able to be in some shade. They had a nice afternoon outside in the pool. Eating outside is the new thing. We will eat all the meals we can outside. I can't believe how much easier it is on me. Eight finished the book he's been reading. I'm so proud of him and his reading interest. We may try the library on a regular basis this summer. I hesitate to commit. Libraries and my group have not had good experiences in the past. New Moon may join us, we'll see. Not sure I'm ready to head that direction solo. There's a reading program that might keep the interest going for the boys. N is out with a friend after work tonight. I am thankful. My friends are important in my life, I wish the same for him. Bedtime was better. I hope we get into a new routine and the summer will be nice. Now I just need to work on a pool pass! Funding is in the works, hopefully.

First day off

I giggle looking at my last blog entry title. We did some summer organization today. The kids came home with all their supplies, posters and papers yesterday. We had to restructure a few things. Of course no one slept in this morning, including Baby Girl. She's on a role getting up before the school bus would come. I've told her school is done for the summer, but she's happy with an early morning. She had a nice bath to start her day right. I can't believe how smiley she can be. She really is a sweet baby. The boys played well with their sister. A friend called needing me to watch her kids for an hour in the morning. We weren't even really up or dressed yet. Turns out neither were they. They came in their jammies. Mine were still in their jammies too. We had a late breakfast, early lunch. The rest of the day consisted with the kids outside on the slipin slide and me trying to organize their chaos. N took them for a bike ride. Last night we celebrated the last day of school with some fire works. They were thrilled with this surprise. The last day of school went very well. At 2pm I went up there and brought the teacher gifts. The teachers were grateful and happy with their scrapbooks. The kids were proud of their work. I couldn't believe the difference between first and second grade. I had kids come in the hallway in pairs. I took their picture and they signed a little card. First graders wrote a sentence, drew a picture or just signed their name. Second graders wrote small paragraphs. The things they wrote were too cute. One said "You're my third favorite teacher." then she added " I meant, I've had a great teacher every year." Another drew a picture of her and the teacher. There were lots of "you're the greatest teacher ever." It was a great day. My time is up.

Summer Organization

I am struggling with how to find structure for Six this summer. The reading program he attended at school last year will not be offered this summer. I know other parents who are also disappointed. With a new baby in the house, we will not be as mobile as we once were. Camping I'm certain is out. It's too unpredictable with weather. No way to regulate the temperature doesn't work, along with a million other things. My thoughts are attending swimming lessons might help. Of course that and all other class options cost money. Lots of money. So, what do we do? What direction do I take them this summer? I wish we had a playground in the back yard. A nice area for the kids to be without me needing to watch them constantly would help. It's times like this when I sure do miss our house in TX. It also disappoints me to realize we won't have a house like that. We've been looking at houses online. Any similar to what we had is just too expensive up here. I really don't want to settle for something small and old, but I am afraid that will be the only option. For some reason, four bedroom houses are priced significantly higher than three bedroom. It's frustrating. Time's up.

Teacher gifts are fun to give

It didn't occur to me until last week at 5AM that I failed to organized the teacher gifts far enough in advance. Last year we collected money towards gift cards for the teachers. I asked parents if they wanted to contribute $5-10. It felt good to be able to give the cards to the teachers that work so hard for our children. Sadly, I did not make that happen this year. I just didn't have enough time to get it organized. Last year I made small scrapbooks for the teachers too. That I have begun and will finish this week for the last day of school. Four and I went to take pictures today of the kids. We took a class picture and then paired the children up for individuals. I will put the picture of the pair on their own page. I had squares of paper cut out and had the kids write a message to the teacher. What a difference between the grades! First graders wrote their names and drew a picture. Some wrote a sentence to the teacher, but most just wrote their names. Second graders wrote little paragraphs to the teacher. They were really sweet too. It shows a lot to see the kids write such thoughtful things about the teacher. I've been really happy with both teachers this year and hope Six will have the same teacher Eight had for second grade. It was sort of a challenge balancing a baby and taking pictures of 23+ kids in each grade. The kids were excited to be a part of making a scrapbook. I plan to bring it to the school on the last day, but in time for the kids to look at what we've created. Last year some parents were able to see the books I made, but they were the ones to help me plan it. This year, it was more kid involvement than anything else. After this morning, I wish I could have gotten the gift cards together. I can only do so much. Four has been a big help lately. We've enjoyed our last few days home alone together with Baby Girl. After this week the boys will be home with us and we'll have to start a routine. Earlier today: Four was holding Baby Girl for me. When Baby Girl started to fuss, I asked "Do you want me to take her?" "No, I'm Okay with a crying baby."

Friday's rain

After still having overwhelming days, I wonder how long this will last. I struggle to get it right day after day. Last night, it was Shutterfly and their ridiculous coupon program. It was my fault for waiting until the last minute. I waited, finally got the order straight with my people, but then misplaced the coupon. Fighting the clock, trying to get it all entered before midnight was even more of a challenge. I get it all together, the coupon code won't work. Live chat with the company, I read the fine print to discover the second coupon I have was supposed to be for a friend, thus my account won't work. My plan, hack into Zinnia's account, load my pictures as fast as I can to beat the midnight dead line. The live chat person tells me I can email customer service for an extension. I get it all straightened out by 12:17am. It goes through with the coupon. They must be on central time. What a night. Thankfully, Baby Girl was asleep for me to get that done. 5am and I am awake thinking over the mornings events. Six had his author share day at school. After a mad dash in the rain to get in the school on time, we found him and his reading supplies. Oh how I loved his author share. He wrote a hard cover book and dedicated it to Baby Girl. I love his writing. His imagination shines through his stories. I hope to post some of them one day. They give me insight as to how he views events in our lives. Some surprised me, all stories I loved. He was so proud. I love the school version of Six. He's happy and content, rarely gets frustrated. Home Six, can get easily frustrated, etc. Mornings have been rough. I'll leave it at that. Bedtime as well. Still trying to get it right. We didn't leave the house for the rest of the day, the rain kept me inside. The boys road the bus home, no sense in taking a baby out in the rain. With make your own sandwich like Subway the theme for our evening meal, people were happy, but slightly silly. It's the silliness that gets to me. Sometimes, at bedtime especially, it can be too much. A surprise visit from Daisy tonight completely kicked my attitude back in place. It's amazing what some time with a friend will do. I managed to make it to Zinnia's last night for the first time since Baby Girl was born. It was great to be there, but baby girl was fussy and cluster feeding the entire time. Basically I sat and watched Zinnia do our project. I know things will get better with time. I have set myself up for another project again. I hope to have help on Monday. I will go to the school, take a class picture for each boys class. Then my plan is to have the kids come out to the hallway in pairs for a picture. I will get their signature and ask them something about their teacher. It won't take too long to get it all in a book, especially since we've done this before. We'll see how it goes. Ivy may be able to assist me with this. We will plot our plan on the soccer fields Sunday. It's amazing how time and conversations with these girls help me to stay positive. NewMoon Flower was at school today. I shared with her how excited Six was to have eaten the exact same meal as her son at school this week. Tomorrow we have one soccer game, the rest of the day is open. We may try church then because mass times have changed and Sunday is a full soccer day. We'll see where the day takes us.