Baby Circus

Anyone else in the baby circus mode of their life???

You know what I mean. The baby needs a little entertainment - so you put her on her activity mat while she happily bangs away at the dangling toys and babbles nonsense to the world around her.

For ten minutes.

Then she fusses like a nagging wife until you move her to another place of entertainment - the exersaucer. Unsteadily propped up with towels, she wobbles from one shiny plastic object to another and beebops to a twangy version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

For eight minutes.

Then the dancing quickly turns to tantrum tears and an "I-am-so-done-with-this" face. So you lift her up, cuddle her for a few minutes, and then put her in the Bumbo seat in a place where she can watch you do something exciting, like folding laundry or washing dishes. She stares at you with a half-interested look on her face and stays calm.

For about six minutes.

Then the sobbing and the attempts to twist herself right out of the chair begin. You soothe and comfort as best you can until another offspring shouts from the bathroom that he may or may not have plugged up the toilet again. You hurriedly tuck her into her swing, turn it up on high, shove the pacifier in her mouth, and try to tiptoe away to handle the bathroom fiasco. She fusses but falls asleep with her head turned at a strangely unnatural angle.

For about thirty minutes.

And then the three-ring circus starts all over again. Same acts, slightly-more-weary mother every time.

I should sell tickets to this kind of entertainment.

Bed Ninja

I don't pretend to be talented at many things. My skills as a housekeeper leave a lot to be desired. I have never been able to complete a cartwheel successfully. I'm terrible at video games - my three-year-old can beat me every time. I have no balance whatsoever, and it took me a long time to be comfortable as a driver. True story.

However, I do have one skill that I have mastered quite well. I began practicing this talent way back when our first offspring made her appearance into our lives. I can confidently say I am now a master at the art of bed ninja.

Being a bed ninja definitely takes practice, a lot of finesse, and hopefully a bed that doesn't squeak too much. It is helpful to do practice bed ninja runs during the day when the moves are not as critical. At nighttime, though, being a bed ninja is absolutely crucial to getting any sort of sleep whatsoever.

You must begin using your bed ninja skills immediately after you have fed the baby. Gently burp the baby if necessary and watch for eye movement. If her eyes even flutter in the slightest, hold her close, wrapped in a warm blanket, while you plot your path back to the crib or bassinette. Carefully ease yourself off the bed and walk heel-toe to the place of baby sleeping. No tiptoeing - it always ends up in tripping or awkward squeaking. The next move is difficult to explain, but I am sure many of you are talented pros at it. You must lower the baby into the crib while simultaneously wrap her in a warm blanket. When baby is lying comfortably asleep in the crib, strategically position the pacifier on the mattress close to her head and walk quietly back to bed.

Now comes the tricky part. You must get back into your own bed, settle yourself comfortably under the sheets, and do all of this without making a sound. I know this because the slightest bed squeak or rustle will immediately awaken my precious sleeping cherub. And once awake, she will howl loud enough to raise the dead. In fact, the other night the Nerd used his decibel reader on his phone (I told you he was a nerd!) while she was screaming, and our little vocalist clocked in at 102 decibels! But I digress - I only share this information to help you realize how vital bed ninja skills are in this house.

I would guess it takes me about five minutes to silently slip under the covers, adjust my pillow and blanket, and let out the breath I've been holding for that long. It takes another five minutes while I lie still as can be, waiting to be sure I did not disturb the Princess of the Night.

Sometimes being a bed ninja requires other, more advanced movements. These may be needed when I get up to put the baby in her bed and return to find the Nerd has filled the vaccuum left by myself. It is very tricky to move a large sleeping man without making any noise and without strangling him, as I am often tempted to do in my delirious, sleep-deprived state. I also have to employ the stop-snoring-right-now technique when the Nerd decides to let the entire world know that he (not his wife!) is getting plenty of rest that night.

The one bed ninja skill I have yet to learn is dealing with small, extremely noisy children that come bursting through the bedroom door demanding water or another blanket or some other such thing. Despite flying up out of bed in an admittedly awesome kung fu move to stop them, I have never been quite fast enough to keep them from waking the baby.

Okay, I'm done bragging now. I'm sure all of you mamas out there have some great bed ninja moves of your own, whether it be pirouetting past a stray Lego on the floor or muffling the sound of a flushing toilet.

P.S. I need to teach the Nerd my bed ninja skills. He possesses none of them. The end.

There's More Than One Way to...

Sometimes you don't have paintbrushes lying around your house. Or, more accurately in my house, you know they are there somewhere but don't want to venture into the scary abyss otherwise known as "the garage" to find them. Or, also true in my house, you don't want the kidlets touching your precious paintbrushes because you know they are going to smash them into the paper and bend the bristles ridiculously.
Still, you can allow your kids to paint with a variety of other methods. There is of course the fingerpainting, which really is a misnomer as most kids use their entire hand, elbow, feet, and other assorted body parts to "paint." Check in your bathroom cabinets for painting materials (not make-up brushes!) such as q-tips and cotton balls. These are particularly fabulous for decorating newspaper advertisements and articles (and also helps cut down on paper waste - that stuff ain't cheap!)
We visited the kitchen and the play room for our painting materials. First we experimented with drinking straws.


Basically you put a few small puddles of slightly-watered-down paint on your paper and blow on it with your straw. Different straw angles produce different results. For those with limited lung capacity, such as our Spud, cut the straw down to a smaller and much more manageable size. Amazingly, when we tried this, no child of mine attempted to drink the paint up the straw. When you are satisfied with your swirly puddle of color, take another sheet of white paper and carefully place it on top of your paint puddle. Press it down without sliding it around. Carefully lift it back up, and presto!


You will have a beautiful marble effect on both sheets of paper that mirror each other, much like an ink blot test. Lay these out to dry. Once completely dry, they can be cut into a variety of shapes - we made butterflies with ours.


We raided the playroom for some Hot Wheels for our next painting project. Again, just put some small puddles of different colored paint on your paper, and then drive your cars through the paint in circles, figure eights, hearts, swirls, whatever your heart desires. Don't let the kids get too carried away or you'll be left with a brownish swirly design - not pretty.


Don't worry about the cars; when you finish, you can just rinse the wheels with hot water and the paint will come right off.


And that's it! Perfect for a rainy/snowy/the-silly-weather-can't-make-up-its-mind day.

What's that? You don't have paint either? Well, here's just a few recipes for making your own:
Egg Paint - Mix one egg yolk with a little water to get a paint consistency. Add a few pinches of Kool-Aid and stir until you get the color you want.
Jello Paint - Mix one TBS Jell-O powder and 3 TBS boiling water and let cool for about thirty minutes. Use before the gelatin sets.
Ketchup and Mustard - Just use as is!
Milk Paint - Mix 1 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk and 1/2 cup water. Add food coloring to the desired shade. If too thin, add more dry milk; if too thick, add more water.

Happy Mess-Making!

T is for Truck Drivers and Tutus

I was unsuccessfully trying to pull a dress over a squirmy baby's head Sunday morning when a very chipper Drama Queen twirled into my room, still in her pajamas but with a red tutu rakishly perched on top. She chattered away on random subjects, the kind the you half-listen to while attending to a million tasks . I finished packing the diaper bag just in time to hear her say "Hey, mom, even if I were a truck driver, I would still wear a tutu!"

Ha ha, kiddo. Yes you would. I'm not sure the world is ready yet for your amazing and colorful sense of style. I am a little concerned about your future career goals, but hey, we've got plenty of time for you to change your mind a billion times over.

Until then, wear your tutu, sweet baby girl.

Not a Barbie

I have always wanted to have Barbie hair. You know, long blonde piecey layers that look effortless even though you know it took hours to get it that way? And because of this desire, I have attempted time and again to grow out my hair and style it a la Barbie. A few years back though, I realized that it just wasn't for me. Short hair looked better on me and was a LOT easier to maintain. Plus, the Nerd actually preferred me with short hair so it seemed a no-brainer.

But then, during this last pregnancy, my hair grew super fast and was so shiny and healthy that I fooled myself into thinking I could try the Barbie hair once again. All during the pregnancy I wore it long and rejoiced in its shiny bounciness. Then Little Sprout arrived, and amidst the trenches of caring for a newborn plus three other littles, I started sporting a new look: the ponytail. After a few weeks of nothing but ponytails, the Nerd very kindly mentioned that it might be time to get my hair cut. No, my inner plastic fashion doll protested. It took me a while to grow this out - I'll just show him that it is completely manageable. Ha! That didn't work - every time I picked up the straightening iron, the baby started screeching or the kidlets took advantage of the unguarded kitchen.

I finally talked myself into getting my hair cut. I went to one of those websites where you upload a photo of yourself and then "try on" different hair styles and cuts. (by the way, I look wicked awesome in dreadlocks). A few days later, I popped in to my local salon, asked for an A-line cut, and got this:

I instantly loved it, and when I got home, the Nerd proclaimed that "this was it" and that I should never wear my hair any other way. The cut works well curly or straight and requires minimal time in the morning for styling. I love it!

I guess I'm just more of a Posh Spice than a Barbie. . . ;)

Better Than Twix Bars

I have been finally getting to some of the bazillion projects pinned to my "Making This" board in Pinterest. I chose my "Homemade Twix Bars" pin to make this past weekend for a family get-together. The recipe comes from King Arthur Flour under the title "Thousand Dollar Bars."

Don't lick the screen now, but I promise they taste as good as they look and in my opinion are even better than Twix bars! The recipe is made in three parts: the cookie, the caramel, and the chocolate. That worked out well for me because I had three eager little helpers, each of whom got to assist in a different part.

Here's the ingredient list: (for the cookie) 2 sticks of salted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups flour (for the caramel) 1 bag of Kraft caramels, 3 TBS whipping cream (for the chocolate) 2 bags of milk chocolate chips. {some of these vary slightly from the original recipe, but I chose them because either it's what I had already or what I thought would work better.}

First, you will make the cookie. Make sure the butter is at room temperature (a quick way to soften butter is to grate it or use the defrost function on your microwave.) Then beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until thoroughly mixed. Add the flour and continue to mix until it is all incorporated into a stiff dough.

Take this dough and press into a greased 9x13 pan. (I lined my pan with parchment paper so that it would be easy to get the cookie out later.) Make sure the dough is evenly pressed down.

Next, use a fork to poke holes in the shortbread cookie dough before baking. Then bake the cookie at 300 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

This is what your baked cookie will look like. Only don't look that close or you'll be tempted to eat it all up before you make the caramel and chocolate layers. Here's where patience comes in. You need your cookie layer to completely cool before you make the next layer. Don't rush it!

When your cookie layer is completely cooled, start on the caramel layer. Unwrap the caramels (this is where it is very handy to have an autistic boy who is obsessed with opening things!) and melt them in a saucepan with the cream over low heat.

Pour the hot caramelly goodness over the cookie crust and put it in the fridge for thirty minutes to harden. (Hey, I said no licking the screen!)

When the caramel layer has hardened, cut it into long thin bars with a hot knife. Put the bars back into the fridge to stay cool while you get the chocolate ready.

Melt your milk chocolate chips in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly. When the chocolate is melted and smooth, it is time to cover the bars. I decided to set my bars on wire racks and pour the chocolate over them. It worked but the bars looked messy and some chocolate was wasted, which was a terrible shame. Next time I will dip the bars into the chocolate. Anyway, put your chocolate-covered bars in the fridge and WAIT for the chocolate to completely firm up before attempting a taste. Also, if you are planning on taking these to a party or some other function, you should not taste these ahead of time. Once you try one, you will not be able to stop at just one.

I can't wait to try this recipe again but use semisweet chocolate chips instead. It is definitely a time-intensive recipe but completely worth it. :) Have fun indulging your sweet tooth!

I Love This Man

I feel pretty blessed to call this man my husband. Our children don't even know yet how fortunate they are to be able to call him Daddy. The Nerd rarely makes an appearance here on the blog; mostly because he is a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. And trust me, the movie of our life would be pretty pathetic if he weren't working so hard behind the scenes.

His work ethic is amazing. As I write this, he is still out, working a second job to put our family in a better financial position. He is dedicated to his job and is recognized frequently for the passion he puts into it. My husband comes home from work and immediately adjusts himself to his favorite job of husband and father.

And let me tell you - what a fantastic father he is! The man has the patience of a saint with our offspring and invests as much time as he can into each one of them. When our family is gallivanting about, I know he will easily step into his role of grabbing wayward kids, dragging kids to the bathroom, changing diapers if necessary, and being a very active parent in the process.

When he gets home tonight, I know that although he'll be dead tired, he'll still lie next to me in bed and listen to me unload the doings of the day. He is a wonderful communicator - I have a lot to learn from him! I get giddy at the thought of him coming home.

And again, I think, What did I do to deserve such a great guy? I am most certainly blessed!

And every once in a while, I've got to brag on my man. :)

Train Fever

What is it about little boys and trains? Honestly, the Beast never really seemed to care about trains, but our Spud seems to have been born with a toy train in his hand. He is THAT obsessed. He does love him some Thomas and Friends, but he is perfectly willing to play with generic trains too. Spud will take quite a bit of time to set up his tracks in the morning and then spend hours driving his trains endlessly around the track. Whatever pull those trains have on the little guy, I want in on their secret. If he paid half as much attention to me as he did those trains, I would be Mother of the Year!

Anyway, when we found out a train show would be in Portland a few weeks ago, we (the Nerd) thought it would be a fun event for the kids. (That's because he read the ticket information that said kids were FREE!) Adults were ten dollars each, and they lured you in with promises that all kids would get to ride Thomas the Tank Engine.

Most of the rest of the show was run by guys who are a little too into their trains, if you know what I mean. They are the kind that search and search for the perfect tree replica to put in a special spot in their train set-up in their house. Still, my little man was bursting at the seams with excitement at all the trains!

Not only did several very kind vendors let him "operate" their trains, but he also spent some time in a play area playing with Thomas trains and lots and lots of plastic tracks. Pretty much the same thing he could have done at home, except at home we don't have a hot dog vendor standing nearby tempting kids with his $4 hot dogs and sodas.

There was a giant Lego city set up in the middle of the show. The Beast was especially enamored with the pirate ship and kept sneaking under the rope to "get a better look." The guys who had spent over fourteen hours building the city were having mini panic attacks at this threat to their handiwork. I did my best to keep my extremely over-stimulated Beast from doing any damage.

We were able to get in the line early to ride Thomas the Tank Engine. Spud's eyes were wide at the fact that we were getting to see the "real Thomas." The Beast was in awe of the steam that came out of Thomas' smoke stack. All of us were a little underwhelmed at the very short and uneventful ride the kids got.

I still don't get why trains have such a magnetic appeal for my son. Seeing his face light up at the show, though, was worth stopping at every. single. booth. to look at the trains. And then, when the Nerd decided to take them on a ride on a "real train" (i.e. the Metro downtown), the kids' reactions were priceless. Totally worth the ticket money and outrageous downtown parking fees!

Dear Fisher Price

Dear Fisher Price,

Apparently I am a difficult child to entertain these days. I have the cutest pink bouncy seat, but generally I am pretty fussy in it. Don't bother to turn on the vibrate option - that really gets on my nerves and I will let out several piercing screams to let everyone know just how much I don't like it. My parents got me a swing because swings were a "godsend" when their other children were babies. It's okay, I guess. If all my toys are lined up on the bar just right and the insanely annoying music is NOT turned on, I might enjoy my time in the swing for five or ten minutes. Then I get carsick and make sure Mom knows it's time to remove me from the swing.

My parents are not the brightest people on the planet. It takes them a while to figure out the right things for me. I don't know why because I try to let them now as loudly as possible what the wrong things are. They did finally figure out that I do like to be upright as much as possible, leading them to get me one of those Bumbo seats. It's fine and all, and I do like looking around and watching my siblings argue and throw Hot Wheel cars down the stairs. Only thing is, my neck can't support me for very long and I grow tired of the Bumbo seat quickly.

So Friday night Mom and Dad went to Toys R Us to scout out birthday present possibilities for my older brother. While there, they decided to go check out the baby section to see if possibly there was still some entertainment option left for me. Dad was talking animatedly about exersaucers. Hello?! Remember the whole my-neck-can't-support-my-head-for-very-long issue? Then they saw your Discover and Grow Kick and Play Piano Gym. I was immediately very interested in the bright colors of your product. Dad remembered some cute time in the bathtub when I was kicking my legs a lot and giggling so he thought I would like this piano gym. (I don't specifically remember this moment as I have a lot of cute moments.)

Anyway, my mom, cheapskate that she is, immediately looked at the price and said no way. (And really, Fisher Price? I mean I really wanted that piano but even I thought $55 was a bit steep.) Dad saw a sign that stated the piano gym was on sale for ten dollars off. Mom suddenly remembered that she might have a coupon for it and dug out her embarrassing coupon notebook to look. Now they were looking at a $40 piano gym. Wouldn't you know it, my parents stood there for twenty minutes debating whether or not to buy that piano gym?? If they had just taken a moment to look at this face,

they would have purchased it right away. But thankfully they finally did decide to buy it (whew!) and I got to play with it the next day.

I'm not sure what my favorite part of my new toy is. The mirror makes me laugh, and I think the animal rattles are adorable. I could just eat them up! (and I try to, on a regular basis...) My brothers and sister love to watch me pound out a tune on the piano with my feet, no doubt wishing they had such talent. Oh, and when I accidentally roll over? My mom can just lay the mirror and toys down and I get some valuable "tummy time,"' whatever that is.

So thank you for saving my desperate parents and for giving me something that is actually fun to play with. (Yes, I know I'm not supposed to end my sentences with prepositions, but give me a break. I'm only three months old!)

Keep up the great work!

Sincerely, the Drama Princess

****no, I was not contacted by Fisher Price to endorse/do a review on this product and certainly was not compensated in any way (although, FP, if you're interested, I really want that musical dino!). We simply want other desperate parents to know there is hope out there. And it is worth every dollar.****

Tres Cute

Well, the Little Sprout officially turned three months old yesterday. Don't ask me where the time went, but our little sweetheart seemed to turn into a "not-very-newborn-anymore" overnight! I am trying to enjoy every second of this all-too-brief phase in her life.

She weighs in now at a little over twelve pounds; so she is still mostly sporting clothing in the 0-3 month range. The sweet knitted cape in the photos was made especially for her by a dear lady in our church.

We have many pet names for our newest family member, but lately I've taken to calling her "Fuss-Bucket" and "Chunk-Bucket." She can be quite the cranky one, especially at 5:00 pm and following. A few mild cries will quickly turn into wall-shaking screams if she is not attended to immediately. She really isn't happy unless she is surrounded by family that is paying attention to HER. We may have to rename her the "Drama Princess" for blogging purposes. As for "Chunk-Bucket," the poor babe spits up. A lot! She eats and is hungry an hour later because she spit up most of what she ate. We have been having to supplement with formula to help her with this. It took several brands, but apparently Similac Sensitive is doing the trick, at least for now.

As I mentioned in the last post, Little Sprout is now rolling over and doing it all the time. Many times it is to get some toy she can't quite reach. The girl loves her toys, in particular a giraffe rattle and some musical car keys. Although, she is currently shaking her fist at the giraffe and screaming, so I am not sure if that happy relationship will continue.

I love this age, even with the extra fussing and spitting. The smiles and constant baby chatter make it all worth it. happy three months, Fuss-Bucket!

Mind Rush

It's Saturday night. The insanity has settled down. Three deliciously sweet children are curled up in tight corners of their beds. One especially stubborn baby is swatting at the cheerful frog on her new play mat while simultaneously rubbing sleep from her eyes.

I am sitting crisscross applesauce on my bed while gathering children's church materials and planning curriculum for the next several weeks. I am having trouble focusing on the tasks at hand as my mind busily runs through the past week's activities. Around here weeks fly by so fast that sometimes it's hard to be aware of what exactly went down.

I got my hair cut this week in an a-line cut. It's easy and chic and gasp! age-appropriate, AND I still like it several days after the cut, so that's saying something.

Little Sprout startled me one day by rolling over and getting quite a distance across the room in this fashion. I don't remember my other littles doing that before three months old. The Beast keeps asking me now to "make Baby Bean do her special trick."

A dear friend moved all the way back east this past week. We had one last girls' night while our kiddos played together and ate spaghetti. I miss her already but am so excited for her and this new directions in her family's life.

Miss Suzie, the Beast's speech therapist, and an autism specialist came over to our house on Friday morning to conduct an observation and evaluation of our Beast. The results of that evaluation will determine whether or not we will be eligible for more special services. I was a bundle of nerves before they came but thankfully the ladies were able to put me at ease. The whole thing went rather well, considering I had to stop and feed the baby in the middle of it all.

Time to take a deep breath and put the swirling thoughts in my head to rest for another day. I'm thankful for a baby that finally gave up the fight against sleep. I'm thinking I should take my cue from her and get some shut-eye too. good night world.

The Craft Nerd Needs Her Mojo Back

I joined the Pinterest craze last summer in the midst of the nesting phase of my pregnancy. Within the first two weeks of joining, I had already tried several crafts, sewing tutorials, and recipes from my boards.

Then. Well, I got larger and larger and less and less motivated. My kids were lucky to be getting fed those days, let alone with some fancy recipe off Pinterest. At the peak of my largeness, Little Sprout finally joined our family and we entered a new era of crazy. I have changed my outfit three times today due to that darling little child's spit-up and other body fluids. I have not counted how many times I changed her outfit. I explored the territory of root words and suffixes with my first-grader while simultaneously nursing the baby and imploring the boys to just clean up their room already. Pinterest has dropped way down on the priority list.

So. I am determined to rediscover some of the things that originally captured my attention and do them. It might take me several weeks to accomplish them, but hey, creativity needs to make a comeback at this house. I actually started one project already (two weeks ago), and the second my hand touched the paintbrush, I did a giddy little dance of excitement. Yes, I am that crafty-nerdy.

Here's a couple of things I am hoping to try soon:

Source: kingarthurflour.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: simplesimonandco.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: daydreamliving.blogspot.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: bystephanielynn.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

cheer me on!

Figuring Out the Puzzle

Key words appearing in my Swagbucks search engine recently:

homeschooling an autistic child

how to make a weighted vest for autism

spiderman toys for gift ideas

how to help your autistic child adjust to new baby

My not-so-little Beast has been on my mind a lot lately, probably because he has evaluations later this week and because my little man is turning five in a month! It can be so overwhelming, treading the territory of "autism spectrum" and relearning everything you thought you should do as a parent.

I am so thankful I serve a God that is never overwhelmed and can guide us through this new stage in our lives. Psalm 32:8 is testament to that: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye."

The Drama Queen Learns to Jump Rope

I love her little jackrabbit hop!

Smile for the Camera

Ever since we brought Little Sprout home from the hospital, the struggles with the Beast have significantly increased. More meltdowns, more "off" days, and an increased sensitivity to everything have become a part of our daily routine. In addition to dealing with all of that, I now have a baby that is waking several times a night as well as an almost-five-year-old that is not sleeping well at night. In fact, some nights the kid does not sleep ALL. NIGHT. LONG. And let me tell you, an autistic kid that hasn't slept all night plus a mom who therefore has also not slept all night is not a good combination.

It is certainly stressful and hard as we try to help the Beast navigate this new part of life. It always helps to have a sense of humor along the way. A few weeks ago, our Beast was having one of his sleepless nights. The Nerd and I were trying to tune out his noisy chatter over the monitor so that at least one of us could sleep. Suddenly our bedroom door flew open, and there stood the Beast in full Spiderman attire holding his biggest Nerf gun:

In a deep voice, he commanded: "Smile for the camera!" After recovering from the near-heart-attack I had when the door opened so suddenly, I just started laughing. Laughing until tears came and the Nerd joined in.

Yes, I was extremely tired the next day. I had so much to do and so little energy for it. But somehow, the whole day seemed better after our encounter with Spiderman the night before.

P.S. It looks like I need to start shopping for a bigger Spiderman costume!