Getting My Groove Back

Goodness gracious, it has been a long time! Life has swept me up and carried my away this past couple of months. So many good things to report, so little time.

For starters, we found out in November, Mister has been excepted into the accelerated BSN program for nursing starting in January! I am thrilled beyond means to share this. With year and half waits creeping up all around us, he was able to still make it in and schooling will continue as planned. Plus, as an added bonus there is an end to our journey, finally! By May of '09 he will be graduated with his bachelors in nursing and we will be moving on with our life. I will survive somehow with him being gone everyday, all day for the next 16 months...I hope! You will all have to encourage me and support me through our grueling last stepping stone here. But, WAHOOO!!!! He made it, he made it, he made it!!!!!!

(I do have to admit, something about a man in uniform...well you know the saying. Growr!)

Milestones a plenty with Jellybeans are next. I know younger siblings typically do things earlier than older ones, but 7 month old already cruising is just blowing my mind and any amount of chores getting done! Which honestly, I don't mind. Play with the baby or fold clothes....hmmmm? Easy one to decided I think. Who doesn't love a good round of chasing the baby down the hall? All the while she is giggling with such infection that she gives herself the hiccups. Gotta love that toothless grin.

Ah, Christmas was wonderful this year! I love the time we get to spend together as a family with only normal, everyday responsibilities to take care of! We swang our selves silly at the park more times than I can count, made a great gingerbread house, plate upon platefuls of cookies that we delivered, caroling with a trombone octuplet, family walks in our oh-so-nice winter weather, visiting the temple lights, Christmas Eve F.H.E.(it is my favorite one!), and snuggling under our comforters in front of a good movie during the cold evening hours with a nice hot cup of chocolate! Mmmmmmmm. Monkey learned almost every Christmas song and sang them every where with her priceless three year old voice. When ever a song came on she remembered she would shout out, "This my fabe-rit!", and sing her version of it. The First Noel is pretty funny when she sings it. Some times it is hard to let go of this season, but alas, it is to be expected. Not to say that this coming year won't be fantastic as well!

As for the older kids, we plug along with our schooling enjoying our new found love of lapbooks! An excellent educational craft that can be tailored to anything being learned with the added bonus of being all age friendly so even the little ones, minus the baby, can paste and cut with the best of them. Granted the tidy level of our schoolroom is some what questionable on those days. :)

Darling Boy now joins us in our reading endeavors so we are consuming every book in our house and the library at an alarming rate! Ah, what I wouldn't do for a unlimited gift card to any bookstore! (Just putting that out in the universe. You never know, right?) Speaking of reading, I have noticed a slight side effect of teaching Girly cursive...she now can read my to-do notes and lists of things. A few surprises have been let out of the bag from me not realizing she could read those. Ooops! Things like dental appointments, which weren't received with enthusiasm, wonder why? Hmmm. Anywho, Christmas was tricky keeping those receipts and shopping lists, hidden from her, and not from myself. I do that often, put something in "a safe place" only to lose it to eternity.

Well enough rambling! I just thought I would let all of you know, I am resurfacing like a submarine getting away from a torpedo! ;) Thanks for hanging in there.

Did I Say Treading???? (See title description)

Only by sheer cunning and refusal to give up, I have fashioned a snorkel out of paper towel tubes, painters tape, an insurmountable amount of laminate and glitter...cause, well, I like things pretty. ;) Life is crazy right now! For all my dear friends, I think and pray for you often! I read your blogs but don't necessarily have two hands to type a witty comment, let alone manage to assimilate a cognitive thought! I miss you all and hope you know that I am still here and not to give up on me.....eventually my head will resurface.

Go Figure

"I for one know that I need to get into a better routine of exercising at least 5 times a week.

I'm glad I'm not alone, it's always nice to have support, someone to encourage and motivate you to keep you going.

That's why we decided to start a new feature called Go Figure!

Every Friday we are going to share tips on exercise, weight loss and health.

We'd love for you to join us and let us know what works for you."

Here are my exercise tips for the week:


When falling off the wagon, don't wait for Monday to jump back on. Make your very next choice a good one.

Suck in your tummy. I have problems with having a flat stomach and did a great deal of research on postpartum diastasis recti, in other words a vertically split abdomen. The best exercises are the ones that affect the transverse muscle which are called the "girdle" of the stomach. So, suck it in, suck it in, suck it in!

Go Figure

Starting this Friday I am joining women across blogdom to put a few (*coughs*) pounds behind us, over at Mulit-tasking Moms with Amber's help:

"Leslie Sansone's In Home Walking has agreed to sponsor us! That's right, they are helping us kick off "Go Figure" by donating Leslie Sansone's Walk Slim System!!!



How great is that! Are you excited?! I know I am!"

I have to agree with Amber on this one. So in my efforts to join in and take one for the team I am going to share by two bits for this entry,

1. Make exercise fun. What ever it takes, if that means buying a cute work-outfit or putting on your favorite tunes...do it!
   
2. My second "trick" is to drink water first when I get cravings. It is hot here next to the earths core (AZ) and I am sure there is no humanly possible way to drink all the water that I should be getting. This way it is the first off the list before diving into my temptation.
   

Happy Birthday Girly and Darling Boy

It was to much fun making the fun "ice cream cupcakes" although slightly imperfect (not bad for a first try however). And who wouldn't at least feel happy looking at the smiley face cake? We spent the day playing with cousins and friends at a park until we were all so hungry we wanted to pass out. We came back to my house and made delicious homemade pizza pies and bread sticks. With an evening of presents, good company, and cake, I can't think of a happier time for a kid.

"Older and wiser too, Happy Birthday, to you!"

Busy Last Couple of Weeks

I haven't had to much time to write these past couple of days. I have guilt. ;) But to highlight I had my ninth year anniversary. Crazy, I know. I have almost been married a decade. Now that just makes me sound old. heheh I realized that in all that time I haven't had professional family photos taken....ever. What can I say, the time whizzed by faster than expected. That is my goal this year. Plus the immortalizing process of a photo is incentive to finish losing baby weight from four kids, right? ( That or I will always be the one in the back. )

But if an anniversary isn't enough this last few weeks, my oldest is turning 7 and my second is turning 5! Yikes. They are so excited. I wake up to, "Is it my birthday today?" I finally printed out a calender and let them count down. Now I hear from my semi-reclined slumber* in the morning, "Wow! Only___ days left till MY BIRTHDAY!" My third oldest, though is having a tough time with it. Being only 2 is rough news, with her birthday far off. She keeps asking for things like this...."Can have ----- for my birfday cake?" It doesn't matter what it is. It ranges from jelly beans to getting dressed in the morning. Silly kid.

Well off I go to decorate cakes, wrap presents, make party plans, pull something else doing pilates, bake bread, change diapers, referee, play pat-a-cake..........


*I will never take sleeping horizontal for granted again. Baby has a little reflux and needs to sleep most of the time with a more vertical position. Hence, me, baby, and the recliner.

Stress Relief 101

What does one do when chocolate has been taken off the menu???

• Running on my elliptical trainer like a crazy women for 20 minutes in the morning.
• Training as a contortionist with pilates and yoga during a brief moment called nap-time.
• Deciding pig tails look like fun, and wearing them in public.
• Singing silly songs and making funny faces over family dinner with the kids.
• Making cookies with the children realizing, it is naturally comical when the flour comes poofing out of the Heavy Duty KitchenAide mixer at 55 mph.
• Sneaking off to the supermarket, before midnight......alone.
• Getting a foot massage from a professional.

Of course, this is all after two weeks of pure torture whilst I detoxed. ;)

Good Things

The Toothfairy making a trip to our house~Catching..........

This on camera!

And getting to write one's name in the stars with Mister's family.

(the little kids are mine)

Here She is ........Miss Baby

I couldn't pass up this cute picture to share. She isn't so jaundice any more so I will update further on this week. But here she is!! Isn't she the cutest thing alive? (Not that I am biased or anything. ;)

My Bundle of Joy

Donned with tons of dark hair, my beautiful daughter was born May 16, at 2:28am. She weighed 9 pounds 13 ounces, and was just over 21" long.

Since then, things have been a roller coaster ride. Adjustments for the whole family and then complications with me, which in all honesty I seem to be making a tradition of visiting the E.R. within two weeks of having a baby. Oh well, things are good now and I am at home with my little ones enjoying being a mother of 4. Strange sounding, isn't it? Mother of four.

But mostly, we are enjoying the time we have to soak up all the memories we can with her and our other kids. She is already three weeks new! Time flies when you aren't getting any sleep, I guess. ;)

Good News???

Had an ultrasound today. By the projections at a little less than 37 weeks she is already 8 lbs 11 oz and has the head of a full term baby. I don't think I have 23 days left. By her head circumference, I am 39 1/2 weeks along. Even if she is in for two more weeks she will weigh almost 11 pounds!!!! Yikes! Any one up for some power walking???? I don't have babies, I have toddlers. ;)

All joking aside, I feel ready and very excited by this news. It is like getting Christmas a little early. I know there could be a potential emergency c-section if her head proves to be to much for me, but I am willing to give a try.....especially since I will have an epidural this time. It is funny that my last will be my first. I have done all my other kids au naturale. My third weighed 9lbs, 3 oz, so she was big too.

But 11 pounds! Oy, 11 pounds.

Tag your it!

Four Jobs I Have Had

• Secretary at Engineering Company
  
• Materials Handler at Flow (water jet technology)
  
• Domestic Diva
  
• Ruler of the World (hand that rocks the cradle.....)
  

Four Movies I could Watch Over and Over

• Sabrina (old or new)
• While You Were Sleeping
• Pride and Prejudice (old or new)
• Anne of Green Gables series
  

Four Places I Have Lived (oh why not list them all?)

• Moses Lake, Washington
• Provo, Utah (twice)
  
• Mesa, Arizona
  
• Apache Junction, AZ (twice)
  
• Lancaster, Pennsylvania
• Las Vegas, NV
• Los Alamida, CA (twice)
• Puyallup, WA
• Fife, WA
• Tacoma, WA
  
• Federal Way, WA
  

Four TV Shows I Watch

• Good Eats w/Alton Brown (Food Network)
  
• House Hunters (HGTV)
  
• Planet Earth (mini series suggested by Scully)
  
• Scrubs (when I am conscious enough to watch that late)
  

Four Places I Have Gone On Vacation

• Disneyland
• Knott's Berry Farm
  
• camping in various locations
  
• family get-togethers
  

Four Websites I Visit Daily (as of lately. This will probably be completely different by next week)

• www.thriftyfun.com
  
• www.budget101.com
  
• www.blogger.com
  
• www.google.com, (to research anything and everything to my hearts content)
  

Four of My Favorite Foods

• Seafood Fetticini Alfredo
  
• Brownie al a mode, with caramel sauce
  
• almost every kind of soup but minestrone, with a grilled cheese sandwich
  
• Guacamole (I love the stuff especially on nachos or soft tacos)
  

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now

• At a warm beach making sand castles with my kids in the surf during the day, and sunset walks with hubby at night (think Hawaii)
  
• Sitting in the ASU auditorium watching my husband walk for graduation.
  
• Painting in Southern France or Italy
  
• In my own home that we owned with a huge garden and art/crafts studio for me. hehe
  

Four People I Tag

• Anyone who would like to seeing as I think I am the last of the link that has participated.
  

Nothing like Nesting

I think I have begun nesting. You know the need to put everything in pristine, complete order before the baby arrives, yeah I am pretty much full boar. This happens every time, usually at the four weeks left mark. I think she is coming a week early, if I don't count all the crazy planning and prepping I did last week. *smiles sheepishly* Thank heavens my mom arrives in about two. Then it won't matter to much if Baby 4 makes an early appearance. Then I will finally be able to rest easy and quite having "water-breaking" dreams every night. (It has the same sensation as dreaming about being in a crowded room completely n.a.k.e.d. but then starting labor and being soaking wet. )

I have been loading the freezer with dinners, all kinds of breads, pancakes, cookie dough, and jams, making bulk instant oatmeal for those morning when that is all that can happen, and cooked beans (easier than canned). Then there is the actual baby items being accounted for, cleaned, and put in its proper place. I finally got her car seat ordered and it should be here next week. Believe it or not I will have four restraining devices in my van now. Two booster seats and two car seats.

And as a bonus, I was able to get almost all of our monthly grocery needs, besides food storage items, for under $200. Next post I will do my tag, about the four things list.

Easter Fun and Sunflowers

Since I am trying not to think about how long/little I have left (6 weeks, maybe) until I burst, I thought a little sharing of our springtime fun would be in order.

Easter was kept extremely simple this year due to early contractions that are more than I want right now. It was fun to surprise the kids after church with baskets full of goodies and fun things to do. I think we caught about 15 good "cheesies" per kid in about 1 minute on film. I actually think their favorite things were the pennies and quarter that filled a couple of the eggs. I couldn't justify tons of candy even for holidays. It causes more tantrum and meltdowns than imaginable and that isn't fun for either party! Plus the kids were just so darn cute! That makes every holiday grand.

We also planted some sunflower seeds. If you want quick results from gardening efforts give these babies a try. Every morning that the kids and I go out to "check" on them/ play before school, those flowers have added an inch or two and a few more leaves are donned. I realized to day that when we have full mammoth sunflowers blossoming out there I will have a newborn. THANK HEAVENS!!!! Now while I am sitting nursing I can lookout my window and gaze at the flowers we grew and my kids playing in them. I must capture some good pictures with them and make portraits this year. Kids and sunflowers are awful darling.

Lately I have been consumed with frugality, thrifty living, and in general living on less. So far I have been scouring the internet for things to read. I found some good info at www.budget101.com, and www.thriftyfun.com. Plus if you can get it at your library, Amy Dacyczyn's, Tightwad Gazette I, II, and III really get the cogs moving for ideas that one could apply to their own life. It is a little ironic and some what funny, that when I first read her books, I tabbed a couple items from each thinking that a lot of this stuff would never work. But as recently my book looks like a florescent green tab monster. heheh I think I am far more serious this time about changing the direction of our financial state than I was a couple of years ago. Plus it would be nice to have my husband home more often instead of working for things that we don't really need or that can be substituted for other thrifty ideas.

The draw back I now have a desire to learn the art of canning. I think I have more hobbies than I can shake a stick at!

Grin and Bear It.

I feel the need for a gripe session so bear with me.

Overwhelmed is an understatement for how I feel lately. With everything hurting lately, and I mean EVERYTHING, just managing my daily tasks like keeping three other people alive while being a good example of patience, soft spoken words, and the like seems impossible.

I want to declare holiday everyday and do away with responsibilities and be the fun mom in my lovely 18 year old body. Don't get me wrong I am thankful for my body that can take a licking and keep on ticking. I just feel so old and worn out, like today. It doesn't help when my inadequates are excruciatingly apparent to me and all those around me. Why do I feel the need to put on my "happy face" and keep trudging along pretending that all is well? When wouldn't it be more honest to tell people when asked about my well being to say, "Look, I am trying to stay positive, so don't ask." I feel like a broken record of "Oh, hanging in there-s" and "doing as well as expected" . Expected????

I am pretty sure having my left leg turned into a pop-up version of a united states road map, with bruised veins in places of national recreation and lakes that is draining the life from me wasn't under the "expected" list of things I signed up for. For the first time I think I am angry that I have been handed the short end of the stick on healthy. No matter how hard I try, my body and soul are at war with one another. There is in insurmountable energy inside of me that wants to live, but can't in the broken shell that I exist in. So much happens each day that I feel I miss out on because I can't participate without pain. There is so much I want to accomplish but can't.

Some how I will find a way to wake up tomorrow, do my duties and put on a smile just don't ask me how tonight.

Go Figure

I finally understand my Mother.

When we were kids, getting new things was a very rare occurance, which is not a complaint but just a fact. Once upon a time my mom was expecting a brand new washer and dryer. I thought, of all the things to get new, this was not one of the exciting things. Little did my elementary brain comprehend.

Fast forward to now. Here I am sitting with anticipation like it is Christmas Eve, counting down the hours until my brand new washer and dryer arrive. After listening to my jet engine sounding dryer and typhoon mimicking washer I can not wait to hear the blissful whir of my machines doing there job!

I thought my Mom was crazy. She was! Crazy for things that create sanity with out driving you nuts~LOL.

Still Alive......

I will be able to post more later. Time is ticking on my bellybutton timer here and have to get ready for baby 4 while getting all other objectives accomplished. By the way, if any of you find my feet I would like them back. Seems I can't see them anymore no matter how much I "bend", if you want to call it that.

Homeschool Reform: Everyday a Learning Day

Being largely pregnant now, homeschooling has developed some unique challenges that I hadn't realized or suppressed the last time. Granted last time it was only preschool which takes up a lot less time. But this time, with a first grader, preschooler, and a toddler running around things are quite chaotic. Most days I feel like mommy cryptonite is weighing down my already filled pockets. So the most logical thing I could do was to sit down, put my feet up and dig into other homeschooling sites and figure it out. (Which only came after a good cry and rant session to my husband.)

My plan is to do what is right for my family. Which means taking a good look at the way things run around here, not me so much but the schedule and our flow :). I have been trying to get everything done that I need to for homeschool in the morning before anything else gets done, but I realized that unlike the public school model I am the one that has to prepare the meals, attend to squabbles and the like. That takes up time. It was frustrating to only get so far in the day when I had determined that we would be done my midday. But then I realized my extra pressure to finish, isn't helpful to the learning environment or to the development of my children. The solution, make all day an opportunity for expanse. If we need a break for what ever reason, I should take it, using everyday experiences to reinforce the concepts being taught. Think about it. What do you remember most from your education the textbooks or the hands on? For some the textbook is enough, but if one can get your hands dirty, metaphorically speaking some days, the exposure cements that new information.

My goal is to figure out how to make our chaotic family life right now fit into the model of learning all day, whether we be at home, out and about, and doing all those things that are required to keep life running. Learning should be an ongoing process not just one we do from 9am-noon. That is the beauty of schooling at home verses public education, I don't have to be restricted by time or place.

Prodigal Blogger

Surfacing from life for a moment to take a breath, finally. "Vacation" as always is as busy as ever, especially with the stomach flu, doctor appointments, family visits, holidays, and daily upkeep. I was able however, to organize and semi-decorate the kids rooms, my room in preparation for the baby, and the school room minus all our Christmas decor. It did require moving all the beds, piano, my work table, breaking down the computer desk, and heaving the coffee table into place. Oh, and how could I forget the recliner. This has all taught me that I should have lighter furniture or bigger muscles. lol

For special news I was able to squeeze the ultrasound in a couple of weeks ago and found out that I am having another girl!