tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72846940456758576342024-02-06T22:39:33.058-05:00The Crowded Kitchen of Love and NoiseThere's always someone underfoot in the crowded kitchen! Jedis, Nubby, Baby E, and the pitifully foolish Mutt keep life entertaining. Herein lies the chronicle of our life, at least what I can hastily thumb-type on my iPod while someone empties the toilet onto the floor. It's crunchy here, but mostly about having fun and being okay with not being perfect. God loves me anyway!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-78878152461782790422013-06-11T18:56:00.000-04:002013-06-11T18:56:16.259-04:00Privacy, Please?My husband is intensely private, and while I tend to let quite a bit hang out, I'm seeing the wisdom of his perspective. He and I were raised in a church culture that was fairly anti-privacy, where people felt free to ask nosy questions in the name of spiritual accountability, and we felt obligated to share the details. While I've enjoyed the relative anonymity of moving to a new community,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-21012278837375088892013-04-16T22:26:00.001-04:002013-04-16T22:26:21.104-04:00Spring FeverAs the semester winds down, the weather is warming up. It's days like this that make or break our resolve to finish the school year well. My husband is grading around the clock, prepping exams, meeting with students who are panicked about final grades, and excavating our back yard by hand in order to create a nice patio surface out of a hilly clay mess. I am trying to get 20 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-75981273201804003682013-02-19T21:46:00.000-05:002013-02-19T21:46:16.314-05:00Home Organization WeekMy post two weeks ago was about the organization urge I was experiencing with the upcoming arrival of spring when I will want to be outdoors with my kids. Last week's absent post was a casualty of my frenzy to implement my plans. Two weeks later, I am sitting in a clean and organized home. I know, right? So what did we do in about one week that we couldn't do in nearly 3 years? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-26276832592992368142013-02-04T07:03:00.002-05:002013-02-05T20:58:52.683-05:00Clutter clutter everywhere!Heading into the season of Lent next week, I am once again faced with an overwhelming desire to remove the clutter from my life. This urge to do some spring cleaning always hits me early, especially when the store ads post beautiful storage and exercise items, tempting me with an image of health and organization. We have had so much change in this last year, and we are struggling to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-10297418841798677332013-01-29T15:57:00.000-05:002013-01-29T16:08:16.611-05:00To the Mother of One Small ChildWhen I am out and about with my brood of four, I'm typically just trying to remain calm and keep everyone in line. I know that to the mother of one little bitty child, my very active and very loud 9 and 7 year old boys look like an threatening juggernaut of masculine energy. They feel that way to me sometimes too, especially when they're engaging in exciting play with my 3 and 1 year Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-32896513011955435432012-12-22T21:53:00.000-05:002012-12-23T16:35:49.952-05:00Long post about why I've fallen off the face of the earth :)So the homeschooling bug didn't just bite. It took my leg off! In September Ian started to have frequent tantrums and to utter threats when he felt cornered. Thanks to an environment of zero tolerance, I started to get almost daily calls, and the anxiety for him and for me was really detrimental to our family life. Things were escalating to the point that I felt that he might beUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-79955189223575911302012-09-11T21:20:00.001-04:002012-09-13T20:35:28.213-04:00Taking the Long ViewMy husband and I differ dramatically in our outlook about life and family in one particular way. He assumes that it's okay that things are kind of miserable sometimes. When things aren't going smoothly, I am convinced that they can be vastly improved with a new strategy or organizational overhaul. That...and sheer force of will. We WILL be happy, everybody!!!! Can you tell I'm a firstborn?
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-66413045892126511322012-08-07T15:42:00.001-04:002012-08-07T15:42:33.791-04:00perfect schmerfectOne of the best things about having all four kids home all day during the summer is that I can NOT afford to be a perfectionist. Not on any front, whether it be housekeeping, behavior, or activities. Things will go awry, but it's always an opportunity for one or more of us to learn patience and flexibility. Often that person is me, and summer is the perfect time for me to learn these lessons. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-55196561828269846472012-08-05T20:30:00.000-04:002012-08-06T15:32:54.685-04:00not grey at allI've been ignoring this cultural phenomenon for months now, but now that I am using a kindle, I find that I have to see Fifty Shades of Grey every time I look at the Kindle ebook options on Amazon. In.the.first.three.slots. gross.
If a man said on Facebook "whooo! I just got some pornography in!" we would not think twice about blocking him.
If a man said "I am so excited about this pile of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-31437743755786323042012-08-02T16:24:00.001-04:002012-08-02T16:32:23.820-04:00No-tellaWe had a great surprise last night-- a quick visit from my dad! Papa Benjamin was in the house, and the kids got to have breakfast and play with him this morning. I had a head's-up a few days prior, but the kids had no idea. He's en route to New York and Massachusetts on business and to pick up two of my younger sibs who were helping my brother Nate and his wife settle in there.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-34144036737160022932012-08-01T20:09:00.002-04:002012-08-01T20:10:08.611-04:00104 DaysOkay, so it's been forever, and my recent posts haven't been a personal since they've been the drafts for the local parenting magazine blog. I need to write down what's going on so that I remember it!
The kids are all doing fantastic! Great summer, very busy, lots of fun with friends and family. Mara and Aidan are squabbling more than I'd prefer, but otherwise things are prettyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-84390973346708978502012-06-12T13:07:00.000-04:002012-06-12T13:09:28.279-04:00Treacherous waters of raising daughters- thoughts on beauty and intelligenceI'll admit it. The thought of raising girls stresses me out! The pitfalls are all too numerous, and their effects are often lasting.
There is a duality of narcissism and inferiority that threatens our children's stability and happiness. If my daughter puts her confidence in being a pretty girl, will that stunt the development of her character? If she puts her confidence in her Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-1876231901136627432012-05-15T09:46:00.002-04:002012-05-15T10:07:33.485-04:00Turning "Greenish" and Saving Green: Lessons we have learned as a family of 6Over the last 10 years, my lifestyle has changed considerably. My husband has gone through grad school and gotten a job. I've quit working full time and started a family. And kept going. We have four kids, and one of our big concerns is the environmental impact of having a larger family. We want our kids to be good citizens who live mindfully, but that's not how our progression toward "Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-14313117737013989872012-05-15T09:46:00.001-04:002012-05-15T09:56:12.854-04:00Chaos with a side of baconI often find myself in this odd predicament of standing in the doctor's/dentist's office making appointments figuring "I'm a SAHM with a flexible schedule currently surrounded by boisterous small people who just want a lollipop and to get out of this office". This is true. However, there is a serious flaw in my system when my kids have run the battery down on my iPod battery down during the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-4266707558379347792012-04-18T09:30:00.009-04:002012-04-18T10:18:06.710-04:00My White Flag in the Mommy WarsI've been reading some reviews of Elizabeth Badinter's "The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women" and at the same time feeling so much in agreement with many of her points, yet feeling that we would never be able to have coffee together. I would agree with her that women can have it all, but as someone I read years ago put it, "just not all at once".
Like this French Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-20391833945021804182012-04-13T20:49:00.001-04:002012-04-13T20:53:11.367-04:00My Sanity ClauseToday has been one of those tremendously productive days, although you wouldn't necessarily know it to look at my home.
I chatted with my best friend, who is really one of the most magnificent people I know. I miss her all the time.
I folded and put away about 6 loads of laundry. I lost count.
I made pizza, and behold, it was very tasty.
I thoughtfully read some articles by Elizabeth Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-52087156714222052482012-04-12T11:10:00.002-04:002012-04-12T11:24:58.406-04:00Of Biohazards, yelling at strangers, and peeing in a cupM is ill with an icky gastro and respiratory virus. Her doc was worried that with the high fever, she might also have a UTI, so he had me go to the lab and get her urine tested. I forgot to put either stroller in the van. I had a baby carrier but left it in the car, thinking it was in the diaper bag. The carseat is very heavy, so I carried the baby in, planning to put her in the Boba carrier onceUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-67640479583047290012012-03-01T12:25:00.000-05:002012-03-01T12:25:32.472-05:00Writing is good for me, which is probably why I'm not doing it.I knew that this poor blog would be neglected following Baby E's birth, but I didn't know how much. I'm struggling to keep up with writing for the local parenting blog, an offshoot of the local parenting magazine. I'm struggling with laundry. I'm struggling with homework time. I'm struggling to make dinner. But I'm doing it all. Just very slowly and somewhat incompletely. I have to remind Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-47063922785837932632012-02-03T10:43:00.030-05:002012-02-03T13:18:35.151-05:00Picky eaters series for local parenting blog - triple post!Picky Eaters Series - Strategies for Peaceful Mealtimes
I have picky kids with food sensitivities and allergies, so planning meals that they can eat and will eat is a challenge. However, that doesn't mean that we're doomed to eating hot dogs and chicken nuggets every night!
Strategy #1. Hide the good stuff
This strategy gained national attention when Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica published a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-16144980100667299002012-01-06T11:58:00.002-05:002012-01-06T12:01:23.698-05:00Merry Christmas
I tried. ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-5000096939508757382012-01-06T11:00:00.002-05:002012-01-06T11:36:57.247-05:00Post for local parenting blogSo I'm back! After a good birth of my fourth child, an eventful adjustment to being a party of six, my husband's trip to California, an exhausting end of the semester, and a bout of serious postpartum depression just before Christmas, I'm glad to be back.
Eating hospital food for 2 days inspired today's post, and this inspiration was further bolstered by the holiday treat baccanalia that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-52247918987492159992011-12-04T18:48:00.001-05:002011-12-04T18:48:19.233-05:00Big sisterUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-65513347929799507632011-11-04T12:16:00.002-04:002011-11-04T16:45:31.517-04:00Very Much Overdue PostThankfully, I was not overdue! We got through the last month of pregnancy with few incidents, lots of sorta-labor, and lots of nesting. I kept picking up my iPod to blog only to see a speck of something and go on a cleaning/organizing rampage. Not a particularly fruitful exercise since it always gets undone! I just had so much nervous energy waiting for labor to kick in and trying to settle Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-55711938132808506032011-10-07T14:22:00.000-04:002011-10-07T14:22:39.018-04:00Working out the detailsThis week has been busy with Dan's work, baby prep, and keeping the house/kid stuff running smoothly. We successfully transferred ownership of the CR-V to my in-laws, although we had to make it technically a "sale" since we were missing a piece of paperwork that still hasn't arrived. The visit is short, but we'll see them again when the baby comes.
I will be 37 weeks on Sunday, which is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7284694045675857634.post-77589809481008059802011-10-07T13:06:00.000-04:002011-10-07T13:06:12.564-04:00Stub of a post I started writing days ago"This week is off to a rough start with me being 36 weeks pregnant, rainy weather, seasonal depression making its debut right on time (Oct and Feb for about 20 years now), M having potty regression before the baby comes, and the Jedis having 2 days off school. Today is an election day, and yesterday was an in-service day. Not sure why there is no school on election day since I'm certainly not Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0