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!

Purse Obsession

Is it to much for a girl to ask for something completely functional for stuffing every corner of my life into it without the purse becoming the size of a duffel bag, that still remains feminine and stylish? Well I am on the search to find the perfect handbag. And of course the ultimate purse accessory, the perfect wallet. So help me out! What has worked and not worked for you ladies?

Breathing...

...at least for the next three weeks. Finals are over! We will lead a temporary existence of normalcy. (What ever that is?) Thank heavens for winter break. It couldn't have come any sooner. Well who am I kidding? It could have come anytime and I would have been ecstatic! ;) But in the nick of time is more like it seeing as my husband's vehicle didn't start this morning on the way to his last exam. It just isn't Christmas break without a little car doctoring to do. But I am glad that he will be home more to help me with the rugrats. My right leg is now an off color of flesh tone and purple with my left leg running a short second behind. It is kind of my little joke now. When I make it to church everyone asks if I have broken my ankle. If only they knew.

The Last Straw

Are finals over yet??? Between all the late nights that turn into early mornings helping Hubby study for his finals for the last two weeks, being a single mom of three small children from 7am-11pm every day, and being mucho pregnant, I am about to lose it. I can do it right?

Just two more days, just two more days.......

Christmas Baking

I can't wait to fill my home with the wondrous smells of Christmas time! To me a nice heaping plate of goodies, specially wrapped in pretty colored plastic, left anonymously at my neighbors doorstep is pure Christmas joy. Baking these special goodies that only my family has these particular recipes to connects me to the past, the present, and the future. While getting all floury and sugar encrusted with my children realizing at the same time they might do this years down the road with thier own and that my great-grandma, grandma, and mother have thought the same and done the same with theirs is pretty cool. Plus it sure is a tasty way to do some service.

Progression

Being stagnant really isn't neutral. The whole point of existence is to make progress. Without progression we merely exist pushing ourselves farther from our goal which is basically regression. There is no holding still in life, either one is moving forward or life whizzes by leaving them far behind. I love the idea of being a better person than I was yesterday. I truly think that will be my only goal this coming year. It is all encompassing with the aspects of my life. Everyday I can ask myself what I did well and what needs improvement, following through the next day.