Temporary Insanity

Hair's the Scoop

2012-01-23T22:50:00.000-08:00

It was the week before Christmas. I was making a list of things to be done before the holiday, trying to make the house presentable, and figuring out how to feed a newborn a bazillion times and still keep to a normal schedule. I glanced over at the Beast and added another thing to my list - cut that boy's hair! He (and the Spud) were getting dangerously close to mullet territory, and while I may allow my children to run around sporting Spiderman costumes and gaudy tie-dyed T-shirts that don't match anything, I draw the line at redneck hair. :)

I dreaded actually completing that item on my list. The Beast is terrified of getting his hair cut, and every time I do it, I pray that the neighbors don't call CPS on us. He panics, screams hysterically, and I usually end up cutting it as fast as I can. (which has basically meant a buzz-cut every time). I promise his favorite TV show, ice cream, candy, a combination of all three - but it doesn't lessen his fear. (He has sensory issues related to his autism).

So. To recap, I had just had a baby, Christmas was on the horizon, the lower level of our house had flooded, and my kids were driving me crazy. (Oh, I didn't mention all that?) The impending haircuts were sure to add a lot of stress to that dynamic. Then dear Nerd suggested that we take all three kids to this hip little kid salon, Little Clippers, and pay whatever astronomical fees the kiddie stylists demanded. I was dubious as to whether some stranger would be able to handle the Beast and his haircut meltdowns, but hey, I was more than willing to let her try!

When we first walked into Little Clippers, we were greeted with an assortment of video game systems, motorized kiddie cars, play houses, and lots of toys. Our kids were immediately directed to a folder where they got to "sign out" the DVD they wanted to watch while their hair was being cut. Each of the offspring chose a fun vehicle to sit in, and they happily munched lollipops while staring at the TV. Well, all except the Beast, of course. However, he was not screaming or panicking - he was just very anxious and tense. The stylist assured me that she worked with kids like him all the time and would spend as much time as needed with him to get a good haircut. She was amazing - not only did she produce a nice layered haircut, but she also managed to convince the Beast to let her use scissors (something he would never let me do!) The Drama Queen also got to choose glitter and little clips for her new bob. It was such a stress-free experience that the Nerd happily shelled out the $16 per kid (I know, crazy right?!)

No, this is not an advertisement for Little Clippers - although if you have one in your area, as a mom friend, I would definitely recommend it. Nope, I was just thrilled to have someone else be able to work with my autistic boy and do so well at it.

That, and I was just a bit jealous that my salon didn't offer all those amenities. Maybe, if I were sitting in a sparkly pink car, eating my favorite candy and watching some reality TV, I wouldn't feel so awkward and obligated to make polite conversation with my stylist.

Just sayin'.

Sibling Love

2012-01-17T23:34:00.001-08:00

Angry Birds Cake Pops: A Quick Tutorial

2012-01-17T22:59:00.001-08:00

We made Angry Bird cake pops for the Drama Queen's sixth birthday. They were my first attempt at cake pops, but I thought I would share how I decorated them for any Angry Birds fans that wanted to make their own. I had plans to make all the different birds as well as the pigs, but as the night wore on, it became clear that that wasn't a realistic goal. So I settled on making the yellow bird, the red bird, and a pig.

First, I made the cake balls. It's super easy - you just make a cake mix in a 9x13 pan and then crumble it into fine crumbs when it has cooled. Then take a can of frosting (chocolate fudge for us!) and mix about 3/4 of it into the cake crumbs. Combine it well and make sure to not add too much frosting, or the mixture will be too soft. Then mold the mixture into nice round balls for the pigs and red birds. Mold some of the mixture into flattened triangles for the yellow birds. Put all of your balls and triangles on a parchment paper covered baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours or freeze for fifteen minutes. You don't want them in the freezer for too long or they will be too cold, causing the candy coating to firm too quickly.

For the yellow bird, I melted vanilla candy coating and tinted it with yellow candy coloring. I inserted a lollipop stick in the coating and then into the base of the triangle cake ball. I dipped the triangle ball into the coating completely and gently tapped off the excess. The eyes were made from vanilla chips with the tips cut off to make them flat. The eyebrows were simply orange sprinkles, and the hair and wings were cut pieces of black licorice. I made the beak with melted orange coating on parchment paper. All decorations were attached with more melted candy coating used as "glue", and the pupils on the eyes were done with black decorator gel.

The pig was dipped just like the yellow bird, only this time the candy coating was tinted with green candy coloring. The snout was made from a lifesaver hard candy dipped in green candy coating and the ears were made from smarties candy dipped in green candy coating. His eyes were also made from cut vanilla chips and decorated with black decorator gel.

The red bird was dipped in red candy melts and had a beak made just like the yellow bird. His eyes were the same as the pig and yellow bird, but his eyebrows were made from cut pieces of black licorice as well as his wings.

I ended up making six of each character, and my daughter (and family) loved them. Be warned that they do take quite a bit of time to make. Since candy coating does not stay fluid for long and tends to firm up pretty quickly, you do have to have time to work uninterrupted. Unfortunately I had a very cranky baby that night and tried to both decorate Angry Birds pops and soothe the poor baby. (picture me rocking her in her car seat with one foot and balancing a bottle in her mouth while trying to precariously attach a sprinkle eyebrow at the same time. yeah. not so fun.)

On Crazy Kids and Angry Birds

2012-01-17T22:34:00.000-08:00

The Drama Queen turned six on Friday. Six going on sixteen, if you ask her. Suddenly my little girl wants to be treated like a grown-up. Still, she did not hesitate to put her new rainbow hair clips in and jump around in a circle to show me how high the curls could bounce...

She requested an Angry Birds cake. I had received a Cake Pops book from my mom for my birthday and had wanted to try my hand at them for a while now, so we decided on Angry Birds cake pops.

As usual, I ended up staying up way too late to try to make them perfect and agonizing over every crooked eyebrow and beak askew. The Drama Queen liked them just the way they were and gave me her Angry Birds face in approval.

We took the cake pops to John's Incredible Pizza and happily ate a variety of pizza and pasta while watching Curious George and Inspector Gadget in the cartoon room. And of course, our Drama Queen was showered with gifts from us and her grandparents.

Then we braved the noise and crowd chaos of the game room, playing game after game and trading in our tickets for silly little prizes. Totally worth it when a beaming, not-so-grown-up-after-all face looked up at me and said, "That was the greatest birthday ever, Mom!'

One Month

2012-01-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I forgot how much a newborn changes the routine and schedule of a family. I forgot how many times I have to stop whatever activity I'm engaged in to feed her and change her. Homeschooling and housework and kid time have to fit in around her schedule. So suddenly, computer time is not so much a priority. Still, I have to find time to make sure all the important moments are recorded. So, a week late, I present to you our one-month-old:

Like her big brother Spud, she is very much a morning person and quite cranky in the evenings. She is already developing her own personality, amusing and delighting us with the cutest facial expressions. Little Sprout weighs a little over ten pounds at one month old and is filling out 0-3 month clothing well. Sadly all the newborn outfits have been already tucked away.

I am trying my best to relish every moment of the "littleness" as I know it will fast be replaced by toddler chubbiness. :)

Six

2012-01-13T11:39:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I posted the birth story of our newest addition to the family. Today I am thinking about the time six years ago that we headed into the hospital to have our first baby girl.

It was the day I first became a mother and the day I truly realized what deep unconditional love was.

Today we are celebrating our firstborn's sixth birthday. She is incredibly excited!

She woke up to find a bunch of Hello Kitty balloons from her daddy tied to her breakfast chair and a whole set of Disney Princess school supplies from mommy.

She chose rainbow sprinkle pancakes for breakfast and played happily with her brothers all morning. ( no school on your birthday in this house!)

Tomato soup is her all-time favorite food so it starred for lunch.

The afternoon promises some fun at Grandma's, and the evening will be spent at John's Incredible Pizza with several varieties of gourmet pizza, Angry Bird cake pops, and lots of arcade games.

This girl is so grown-up lately. Sometimes she amazes me with her maturity and profound thoughts. She surprises me often with her offers to help and her "second mommy" role in our household. She has become Daddy's favorite video game buddy and my favorite artist and crafter. She still retains a lot of child-like enthusiasm and giddiness over the smallest of things, and for that I am grateful.

May God bless this next year with our beautiful daughter!

Hosanna Joy's Birth Story

2012-01-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it took me a while to get this posted - a month after the sweet baby girl was born, in fact. But here it is - the story of the arrival of baby number four to our family.

When my estimated due date came and went, I posted this picture on Facebook. I was so ready to have that baby! The nights were miserable with painful Braxton Hicks contractions, and the days were endless. I had not been able to make any firm commitments to attend any of the various Christmas functions we had been invited to since we had no idea when Little Sprout finally would make her appearance. The day after my due date, I attended a Ladies' Christmas Ornament Exchange Party for my church and stopped counting how many people asked, "Oh so you haven't had that baby yet?"

On Friday evening (December 9), after doing several laps at the mall and Target and only ending up with swollen ankles and an aching back, I saw online that there was going to be a lunar eclipse in the early morning. Not only that, but a full moon was scheduled for that Saturday night. I'm by no means superstitious, but both of my boys had been born during a full moon - so I was hopeful. Unfortunately, it was entirely too foggy in our area to view the lunar eclipse that morning. I had even set my alarm for 4:00 am to see it! That morning, I could barely move because I was experiencing some intense lower back pain. I had had this pain off and on during the pregnancy. I was bummed because I wanted the pain to at least be productive contractions! We decided to go out with the kids for a little while, but I was exhausted and hurting. The back spasms kept coming and I just wanted to go home and sleep. Our Sunday School class had a Christmas party scheduled for that evening. We had not planned on going because we thought Little Sprout would have arrived by then. I didn't really feel like going but thought it might be distracting and help keep my mind off the whole "when is this baby going to come?"

While dropping the kids off at childcare before heading to the party, the back spasms started getting much more intense. I could barely breathe when they came, nearly doubling me over with pain. A friend suggested that I might be in labor, but since I had never experienced back labor with my other babies, I was reluctant to think this might be true. I was also really tired of false labor! At the party, everyone was merrily eating and talking. I could barely take a bite before I would feel that "stabbed in the back" pain, and I would have to sit there and force myself to breathe through it. The Nerd convinced me to start timing the back spasms, in case it really was labor. They started becoming very regular, about ten minutes apart and lasting forty seconds to a minute. I still insisted on staying at the party for the gift exchange :) At this point, I was having trouble focusing on anyone or anything. We left the party and went to pick up the kids. Although I was against it, the Nerd called the hospital to let them know I was in labor. By this time, the contractions were 8 minutes apart, but I was sure the nurse was just going to tell me to wait it out until they got closer together before coming in to the hospital. However, she told us to come in right away.

My in-laws came and got the kids, and we headed in to the hospital. While walking to the labor and delivery floor, I had to stop every couple of minutes and work through a contraction. I remember thinking that I had never experienced such painful contractions in either of my previous deliveries. I looked out the window while we were checking in and noticed the full moon. It wasn't long before the nurses had me settled in a room and hooked up to the monitors and IV. The Nerd started setting up his cot and letting people know I was in labor. We knew from previous babies that my labors were long, so there was no need to rush things. The midwife came in to check my cervix and announced, to my great shock, that I was 8 cm dilated and would be delivering the baby within the next couple of hours! Everything started happening so quickly at that point. I asked if I could still get an epidural to help with the back pain. The anesthesiologist told me that he could give me an epidural but that it wouldn't be able to take full effect since I was so close to delivering. It took him two tries (ouch!) but he finally got it in. At that point, any relief from the back pain was welcome! Apparently Little Sprout was positioned right up against my tailbone and the pressure was causing the back spasms. At midnight, I was ready to push, and after 45 tiring minutes of pushing, this adorable little girl came into our lives and stole our hearts instantly:

I wasn't able to hold her right away. Her lungs had a lot of fluid in them; so she had to lay flat in the warm bassinet for a while in order for her muscles not to work so hard to breathe. But oh! When they finally placed little Hosanna Joy in my arms, my heart swelled with happiness as I looked at my brand-new daughter.

She looked just like a girly version of our Spud. Her head of dark hair amazed and delighted us.

The Nerd was instantly smitten - another Daddy's girl has joined our family!

When the siblings were able to come visit later that morning, the Beast would not leave her side. The others got distracted by flashing buttons and curtains and nurses that gave them ice cream. The Beast held his little sister with great pride and showered her with kisses.

The Spud was pretty excited too! Look at that face!

We had an amazing stay at the hospital - our nurses were wonderful and everything went so well. But we were more than ready to take our newest addition home that Tuesday morning. She fits into our family like a glove - now just a month later and none of us can imagine our family without her.

Welcome, Hosanna Joy! Our family was not complete until you arrived, and now our lives are even more full of joy. :)

Newborn Sweetness

2012-01-05T23:21:00.000-08:00

Sometime between one sleepy feeding and another stealthy diaper change last night, I looked down at our sweet Anna and realized that the newborn look was starting to fade away. At that moment, I groggily determined that I would find some time the next day to capture that "new baby" look before it disappeared. (Now if only there was some way to capture that new baby scent!) After a long morning nap, Hosanna was in a good mood; and I quickly pulled out the camera for a photo session:

I honestly can't get enough of her! She has been kissed and cuddled endlessly by all the members of our family, although I am pretty sure Daddy would win the prize for person-most-infatuated-by-the-new-baby. I am so glad I was able to catch some of those cute little newborn expressions on camera!

Best. Christmas. Ever.

2011-12-29T11:24:00.001-08:00

This Christmas was definitely a little chaotic. But I consider it our best Christmas ever. (so far, of course.)

Because the kids took such care in making and selecting their cookies for Santa. And because I got to watch them anticipate the magic of Christmas in a way that only a child can.

Because they posed in their new Christmas jammies. (And because this year I think we got the cutest ones yet!)

Because we were blessed with an abundance of loot. :) And because it helped wile away the last days of pregnancy by choosing the best wrapping paper and eagerly anticipating the kids' reactions to all the gifts we chose just for them.

Because we could take time to sit down and remind ourselves of the real reason behind Christmas. And because it's such a powerful story - I can read it to the kids all year long and remind them that although Santa's a lot of fun, Jesus changed the world that night!

Because we got new matching Christmas stockings for the kids this year. (see Hosanna's peeking out behind the Spud?) And because I got to see the simple joy on my kids' faces as they pulled out Christmasy chapsticks and "grown-up" electric toothbrushes.

Because, this year, the Spud really "got it." He ripped into each present with great excitement, screeching what it was at the top of his lungs. Because he was the first to check to be sure that Santa had eaten his cookies and drunk his Pepsi.

Because my sweet girl showed genuine appreciation for each gift. ( and took this cute little fellow to bed with her that night!)

Because my kids spent the entire day experimenting with their new toys, taking baths so they could try out their new bath sets, and cheerfully playing together. Those are picture-worthy moments!

But, most of all, because we received the best Christmas present of all this year - the present of a new family member, who just so happens to be cute as a button. We are all thrilled with this gift and thank God that He saw fit to bless us with such a wonderful bundle of joy.

Christmas 2011 was a blessed day for us! I hope your Christmas was equally full of joyful memories!

Wordless Wednesday - Hosanna's Church Debut

2011-12-28T16:04:00.000-08:00

She's Here!

2011-12-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

And I am so thrilled, so blessed, so insanely happy to be posting this picture today. (Although 41 weeks was technically last Wednesday, but hey cut me some slack, I just had a baby!) :)

I have lots to share about the wonderful birth experience and the amazing bundle of joy that God chose to bless us with, but those will have to wait until a later date. Right now, I am just trying to soak up all these first moments with my family, to get adjusted to life with a newborn again as well as balancing four kids, and to enjoy this Christmas season with my man and kiddos.

And here she is - introducing Hosanna Joy, who arrived very early on Sunday morning (December 11th). She weighed in at seven pounds fifteen ounces and measured 20 inches long. She looks so much like my newborn pics of the Spud. Of course, she has the Foster blue eyes, but she was born with the darkest hair of any of my kids. It is already starting to get a little lighter though - I am sure she will join our ranks of blondies.

Our family is full now and completely blessed. Eeny, meeny, miny, mo - whichever you choose, they light up my heart and make me smile. :)

Thirty-Eight Weeks/Thirty-Nine Weeks

2011-11-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this post is a whole week late, but hey, here it is. Contractions and stomach flu sweeping through the house have not made the past week easy, especially since it was Thanksgiving week.

Sweet Baby Girl is doing well, although she has one enlarged kidney. My doctor thinks that the kidney will return to normal size after she is born. She is really crammed in there and hopefully is ready to come out soon!

I am extremely uncomfortable - everything is a chore these days. I am dilated almost 2 centimeters but contractions aren't making any progress yet. I really thought she would try to be a November baby, but it doesn't look like she will come until December. We are all living in a holding pattern, waiting for baby and not making too many definite plans for anything in the next two weeks or so.

WE are all just so ready for her to be here already! Everything is set up and in place for her, and Mommy is tired of watching Biggest Loser marathons on Netflix while "resting" and waiting. Come on baby girl!

thankful

2011-11-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

short and sweet today.

The Drama Queen was helping me make a "so grateful" book today, and it reminded me of the innumerable blessings, small and big, in my life.

so grateful for:

grilled cheese for lunch on a cold rainy day

sibling love

imaginative play

online shopping

surprise gifts in the mail

supportive friends

the last weeks of tummy kicks :)

the excitement of waiting for Little Sprout to make an appearance

funny things my kids say

libraries

the comfort of God's Word

the anticipation of leftover turkey sandwiches

spending time with my littles

spending time away from my littles (recharge the batteries!)

coffee. oh yes.

Art Project #5 - Thankful Turkeys

2011-11-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

This week's project is in preparation for Thanksgiving coming up next week. You should already have all the materials on hand, and the steps are super easy!

Project Title: Thankful Turkeys

Materials Needed: white paper, crayons, scissors, glue stick, pencil or pen

Purpose: To practice coloring and cutting skills as well as express the things one is thankful for.

Aren't these just the cutest turkeys?

First, you will need to trace your child's hands and one foot on the white paper. (The photos show a turkey made from an adult's hand and footprints; of course a child's prints will be smaller.) Have your child color the foot shape brown for the turkey body and the hand shapes in multiple colors for the turkey feathers. Assist them in cutting out the three shapes.

Make the other shapes needed to complete the turkey. Three triangles colored yellow will serve as a beak and feet. Two skinny yellow rectangles will be the legs, and don't forget to cut out two little eyes and a wattle. (Googly eyes would be cute too if you have them on hand).

Using the glue stick, have your child glue the two hand shapes together as shown. Cut off the thumbs - they won't be necessary for the project.

Then, help your child glue the rest of the turkey together. The foot shape comes next as the turkey body, glued on top of the hand shapes. Next, glue the facial features to the turkey's head. Finally, glue the legs to the back of the turkey body and glue the feet on the ends of the legs.

If your child is old enough to write, have them write down eight things they are thankful for. Cut out the words and glue to the turkey feathers. Write "(Name) is thankful for" on a small circle of white paper and glue to the turkey's tummy.

Then of course, don't forget to display the resulting cute turkeys for your Thanksgiving celebration! Save them afterwards, as they will be permanent reminders of the size of your little one's hands and feet at this age. :)

Thirty-Seven Weeks

2011-11-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

The Baby: Little Sprout is pretty firmly wedged in there now. Her movements are more rippling and rolling and wriggling than kicking. She is the length of Swiss chard now (ha, love these food comparisons) and making Momma's tummy stick out further and further. At this point, everything is fully developed so she can make her entrance into the world at any time.

Me: I am just patiently waiting for her to come - really not in a rush except at night, when I am a lot more uncomfortable. My maternity clothes are getting tighter, and I am just about ready for this pregnancy to be over. Otherwise, I feel pretty good and am trying to use what energy I have to get ready for baby and enjoy the holiday coming up.

The Siblings: My family and friends just threw a nice baby shower for the Sprout and me, and the house is now full of cute baby things. With all these reminders lying around, the kids are now constantly talking about the coming baby. The Drama Queen and Beast are very excited and can't wait to help out with Little Sprout; while the Spud is adamant that he doesn't want a new baby and that she can just stay at the hospital when she is born. Poor little guy - I know he will come around, but it's tough when your position as youngest is being usurped. :)

The Plans: As I said, I was blessed with a wonderful baby shower the other night. Little Sprout now boasts a wardrobe more stylish than her momma's! I am grateful for the gifts of diapers, bibs, wipes, blankets, and other essentials for sure. One thoughtful lady even gave the Nerd and I some money for a date night. Super sweet and super thoughtful! I didn't expect a lot of people to come - after all, it is baby number four for us; so I was humbled and amazed by the great turnout. My mother-in-law and my friend Dawn worked hard to make it a big success.

The guests all took turns sniffing a variety of diapers to guess what melted candy bar was inside.

It was so fun to talk and catch up with friends.

Three teams worked to decorate their "baby" with toilet paper - the one with the drinking problem on the end was the winner!

The little guests had fun too - maybe a little too much cake!

We're ready! Come on, Little Sprout, you can come any time now!

My View

2011-11-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

So.

I can't see my feet. Which is probably a good thing, since I am well aware that my last toenail polish job is sadly in need of help.

I can't put on any shoes that require tying laces by myself.

Heaven forbid I drop something on the floor. Fortunately I have three eager young helpers to pick it up for me.

I get extremely winded climbing the stairs to our front door.

Probably three-fourths of my maternity clothes don't fit anymore.

I sang with my ladies' group in the morning church service today and almost passed out from lack of breath.

Still three weeks to go. Unless Little Sprout decides to come a bit earlier. Momma wouldn't mind at all!

Thirty-Six Weeks

2011-11-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

The Baby: She is growing and becoming increasingly more uncomfortable for mommy. :) At an estimated six pounds, she is big enough now for a safe delivery, which means momma no longer has to be on bed rest. Praises! We are all eager to meet her but want her to stay in for a while yet to grow and develop as much as possible.

Me: I am getting a little antsy for sure - all the baby weight is solely in front which puts a tremendous strain on my lower back. Now that the bed rest has been lifted, the nesting instincts have kicked in and I have been cleaning like a mad woman. My back is not thanking me for that! I went in to see my doctor a few days ago and was tested for the group B strep. Today I got the call that I did indeed test positive so I will have to be on antibiotics during the labor and delivery process. In my doctor's words, "Now we just wait for the labor to start - it could be tomorrow, or it could be another couple of weeks."

The Siblings: Unfortunately, I was not able to get a babysitter for this last doctor's appointment; and all three kiddos got to come along with me. That prompted a lot of questions about how the baby gets out of mommy, etc. I did my best to answer the questions without giving out too much information. I heard the Drama Queen explaining to the Beast today that "when the baby is ready to come, Mommy's body will know and will know how to get it out safely." Nice work, kiddo.

This is definitely the hardest time of pregnancy. It's hard to focus on other things besides the upcoming arrival of Little Sprout. But we are excited, knowing that she will be coming soon. And then we'll be a family of six! Amazing!

Thirty-Five Weeks

2011-11-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

(yes, I know I look like I am about to pop, and yes, I still have five weeks before this baby is due)

The Baby: She is firmly in there, with little room to move around. Still she manages to keep me up at night with her kicking and punching, making my ribs ache and my belly sore. Her size this week is comparable to the weight of a honeydew melon, and her job now is to just keep putting on more weight so she will be fat and happy when the day comes to change our world.

Me: The days seem interminably long at this point. I remember this point well from previous pregnancies. Because I am not sleeping well at night, it feels like the time is ticking by so slowly. Still, I am grateful that Little Sprout stayed in place for another week and am hoping that despite all my discomfort, she continues to stay in there until she is fully grown and developed. I am so thankful for my mother-in-law, who has come over several times to help with the housework. She also took the kids out for a few hours the other day so they could get out of the house and so I could get some rest. My good friend Dawn has been faithfully taking the Beast to and from preschool and helping out in any way she can. Friends at church are helping to cover my responsibilities in children's church; so I feel deeply blessed.

The Siblings: I think they are all ready to get Mommy's lap back! Also, I am pretty sure they are tired of the "Momma can't pick you up, remember, she's carrying a baby" and the "Sorry honey Mommy needs to rest". I made them special shirts to wear to the hospital when Little Sprout is born.

Whew! I'll just keep plugging along until this baby makes an appearance.

Iphone Photo Phun - Holiday Fun

2011-11-02T09:44:00.001-07:00

It's time for yet another edition of Iphone Photo Phun. I didn't remember taking very many photos with my phone this week, but when i checked my album, I was shocked to see over fifty new photos had been added! A quick perusal showed that a certain little someone who was supposed to be playing Angry Birds on Mommy's phone may have been taking a few extra photos as well. I would share these masterpieces, but they are mostly shots of knees, hair, and really dark objects.

So it's back to the few I actually took this week.

Even though I am laid up and cannot take the kids anywhere by myself, I still wanted to make Halloween a fun-filled day for them. We had these pumpkin pancakes with sausage and scrambled eggs to make dinner a little more special.

Lunch was fun too - ghost toast, jack-o-lantern carrots, and hairy hot dogs dipped in ketchup blood made up the menu. The Spud promptly dipped his ghost toast in the ketchup and declared it his "bestest snack ever."

On Sunday morning, a helicopter was supposed to fly over the fields next to our church and drop candy for the kids. Fog and rain thwarted the helicopter flight however; so the Nerd and several other miserable-looking men took buckets of candy and spread the candy out on the field by hand before the kids rushed in to claim their sweet treats. The kids were soaked!

All the Spud cared about at the Fall Festival that evening at our church was eating his hot dog that he had roasted over the fire pit.

And this big ole pumpkin needed to rest; so I basically just watched from the sidelines while Grandma, Grandpa, and Daddy took the kids around to the different Fall Festival attractions.

I can't believe it's November already! Never fear, there will still be pumpkiny activities in the future for us. . .

Recent Culinary Adventures

2011-11-01T10:28:00.001-07:00

There's just something about fall that gets me much more motivated to produce satisfying and creative meals for my family. Well, it's probably not just the season but also all the wonderful ideas I see on Pinterest. My family benefits from this of course and we have found some new dishes to love.

First, I decided on a whim at the grocery store one day that we all really ought to try couscous. I had seen it many times before on various cooking shows but had never tried it. I had all three kids help me make it (this always seems to make them want to try new foods better) with butter and a little salt. I loved it - so yummy and easy - and was shocked to see my will-only-eat-cereal-or-crackers kid wolf it down.

Then I saw this recipe posted by a friend on Facebook and decided that its Mexican flavors certainly sounded appealing to this preggo lady. These taco chicken bowls simmer in the slow cooker all day and are fantastic. The Nerd raved about it and told me that I would definitely need to make more for the freezer for when baby comes. The kids were a little hesitant to try it, but we will bring them around!

While purchasing my couscous that crazy day at the grocery, I also bought a bottle of 7-up because I had seen the recipe for those 7-up biscuits over and over again. Posters raved that they were the best biscuits they had ever tasted - so I figured they were worth a try. Only a certain hubby of mine and his children decided to drink the 7-up, but I caught them in time to save enough for the biscuits. And oh. my. word. "Best biscuits ever" does not even begin to describe these delectable creations. As the Nerd ate his, his eyes widened and he emphatically stated that this was the only way I was to make biscuits ever again. Yes, they are THAT good.

And finally, the Beast wanted me to make something for his class on Halloween. Normally I would have made adorable cupcakes or cookies, but I had no energy for such creativity. So we made this candy corn bark instead. It's super easy - you just melt a bunch of white candy melts, pour them into a wax-paper-covered pan, and sprinkle the melted candy with candy corn and pretzels. When it hardens, you simply break into pieces and serve. Well, that is, until you get to school and find out that they no longer accept homemade goodies for parties and birthdays. Oh well, we just waited until after class to hand them out.

Now I'm hungry for lunch!

Happy October 31st!

2011-10-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins have been carved. The Spud helped make a cute spider while the Beast insisted on carving his own "bat house." The Drama Queen drew out instructions for her pumpkin, and Daddy kindly did the carving for her.

Avast me hearties! These scalliwags had fun at the fall festival last night.

Our future veterinarian paused to pose before insisting that we make her a surgical mask to wear "in case she had to operate on her puppy."

Even Little Sprout got dressed up as the sweet little pumpkin she is! And her momma posed as a pumpkin smuggler.

The Beast's costume got double duty today since he got to wear it to preschool today! It's been a weekend of silly fun and family memories. Despite being homebound today due to the modified bed rest, I am doing my best to make it an exciting day for the kids. They are eating their lunch of ghost toast, carrot jack'o'lanterns, and hairy hotdogs now. . .

and linking up with:

Thirty-Four Weeks

2011-10-27T14:53:00.001-07:00

(isn't it ridiculous how that maternity shirt doesn't even begin to cover my belly?!)

The Baby: The fruit/vegetable comparison for weight this week is a cantaloupe. Little Sprout is already head-down and moving around like crazy. When I was in the hospital on Tuesday morning, the entire time I was strapped to the monitors, the baby would not keep still. She was very annoyed at the weights resting on my belly and did everything in her power to dislodge them. Her heart rate was crazy high, with the highest being 198 beats a minutes. She was clearly very agitated.

Me: I am on modified bed rest, which is kind of crazy for a mommy of three. I am doing my best to refrain from much physical activity, but it is hard. I sit as much as possible while homeschooling the girlie, and I am blessed to have a hubby that is willing to do dishes, laundry, vacuuming, kids' baths, etc, in his evenings as well as some outside help (read: superwoman mother-in-law who cleans the house and entertains the kids and lets me rest). Basically any physical activity can trigger contractions, and we want this baby to stay inside me for at least a few more weeks.

The Siblings: The kiddies have been taking turns being my buddy while I rest. I'm not sure if they completely understand why Mommy has to rest so much. I am hoping these next few weeks go by quickly! Meanwhile, I am currently being served by the cutest little wait staff ever. :)

The Plans: After the little scare with all the contractions over the weekend, I made sure that all the hospital paperwork is in order and that the hospital bag was packed!

Iphone Photo Phun - Bed Rest

2011-10-25T21:03:00.001-07:00

I just have a few photos to share today, since my view is a bit limited. After two days of contractions and general discomfort, I went in for my regular ob appointment and ended up spending quite a bit of my day being monitored in the labor/delivery ward to be sure that preterm labor wasn't happening. Long story short, the doctor was able to confirm that no active labor was taking place. However, since even light activity seemed to be stimulating contractions, she put me under strict orders to severely limit my physical activity and to sit/lie down whenever possible. Ha ha, says the mother of three incredibly active children. However, I really don't want this baby coming too early; so I am trying hard to rest when I can.

A wonderful friend was able to take the older two to burn off some energy at the pumpkin farm for the afternoon. This little guy got to spend the afternoon in bed with Momma. Thank goodness for Little Einsteins episodes on the internet.

And don't I look thrilled? In theory, putting my feet up and getting some rest time sounds great, but it's only been a day and it's already getting old. :)

Well, at least I can still blog. . .

Art Project #4 - String Pumpkins and Gourds

2011-10-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

One of my earliest school memories is doing a project in which we wrapped string dipped in glue around a balloon in various patterns. When the glue dried, we popped the balloon and had a hollow string sculpture to display. While exploring Pinterest the other day, I was reminded of this simple project and thought it would be the perfect platform to make some pumpkin and gourd decorations for our home.

Project Title: Pumpkin and Gourd String Art

Materials Needed: orange and yellow cotton yarn or string, school glue, a shallow pan such as a cake pan or pie pan, several balloons, and glitter (optional). For finishing, you may want some green ribbon and decorative silk leaves.

Purpose: To work with the basic premises of sculpture and 3D art; to understand importance of structure to a 3D work of art.

First, gather your supplies. Blow up your balloons until they are a nice round or slightly oval shape, being careful not to make them too big. (If you want ornament-sized pumpkins and gourds, use water balloons.) Blow up a few extra balloons to entertain the 3-year-old.

Next, cut your string. Measure around your balloon with the string, leaving a little extra for overlap and cut. Use that string to cut many more pieces of the same size in both yellow and orange. Then make your glue mixture. The recipe I used called for one part glue to two parts water. I think it certainly could have used more glue - I would do one part glue to one part water next time. If you are a glitter lover like myself, whisk in some sparkly glitter into the mixture. This is a good opportunity for everyone to get a chance to "help."

After covering your work surface abundantly with newspaper or an old tablecloth, begin covering your balloon with string. Dip one string into the glue mixture until the entire string is completely soaked. Wrap the wet string around your balloon, making sure that the ends overlap a little. Continue wrapping soaked strings around the balloon, making sure to cover large spaces so there will be no big holes in the sculpture. I found that my young ones, including my kindergartener, struggled with this. They all wanted to bunch up the yarn or toss it haphazardly across the balloon. This is a good time to explain why it needs to be tightly wrapped and spaced out in order for the structure to survive. It is also a good time to help so that frustration doesn't last. Art is supposed to be fun!

Keep wrapping your balloon until you are satisfied with the coverage. If you are not sure, "overdo" it!

Here is a good example of what your balloon should look like, although I would have covered some of those holes even more. Leave the balloons on the newspaper to dry. When the strings on the top of the balloon feel dry, turn the balloon over so that the underside strings have a chance to dry also. We did ours on a Friday afternoon, and they were completely dry by Saturday morning. Next, carefully pop the balloons and remove the broken balloon from inside your string sculpture. Three of our sculptures didn't make it - they collapsed into a stiff pile of string due to inadequate coverage or too much bunching. Also, I think the glue mixture was a little weak, as I mentioned before.

Tie another piece of string to the top of your gourd or pumpkin sculpture for hanging. We then used a short piece of green ribbon and a decorative silk leaf tied to the top to make them truly look like pumpkins and gourds. I think they would be just as cute with just the green ribbon or perhaps some green felt leaves glued on.

And then be sure to hang up your creations! We are definitely going to revisit this project again at Easter time and make pastel eggs to decorate our home. By the way, if you insert a small wrapped candy or prize inside the balloon before you blow it up, your sculpture will have a fun surprise center!

Thirty-Three Weeks

2011-10-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Baby: Little Sprout is weighing the same as an average pineapple now, and I swear she is just as scratchy! It's as if she is trying to claw her way out of my tummy! All her bones are hardening and getting ready for birth. The child is sitting (or jumping, or kicking, or somersaulting) directly on my bladder.

Me: I am doing well. The last few days I was fighting a cold, which is always interesting when one is pregnant. Of course the hubby was sick too; so that made for a fun family dynamic. Three extremely healthy and exuberant kids plus two sick, tired, and grumpy adults is an equation for disaster. But we muddled through just fine. I am struggling to find clothes that stretch all the way over my baby bump. I certainly don't want to go out and buy anything though so I am trying to figure out how to make the current collection of maternity clothes/hubby's shirts work.

The Siblings: All of the kids have been excited about feeling the baby kick in the past few days. They giggle hysterically and demand that I "make her do it again, Momma!" Of course, I am not able to do that, but I have found that just "popping my belly out a little" satisfies them just as much. The Beast discovered a manual breast pump among all the baby things and has subsequently had a lot of questions about "milk machines" and boobs in general. Joy.

The Plans: This coming week, I think I will go ahead and get my hospital bag ready. I just have this feeling that Little Sprout is going to be a bit early. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. :) We still don't have a place set up for her to sleep yet; so I'm putting that on hubby's to-do list this weekend.

I am hoping to find some time later today to sneak in a little nap. Dinner is in the crock pot, and if the kids cooperate, I might be able to squeeze one in. Just seven weeks to go!

Iphone Photo Phun - Mallrats

2011-10-18T21:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I missed out on my Iphone Photo Phun post last week. Certainly it was a very busy week, but when I actually thought of it, I weighed my options of fishing out the phone cord, downloading the photos, and writing an legible post on my blog or I could go to bed. Sorry, peeps, the bed won. And the bed (or couch, or somewhat comfortable corner of the living room floor, or the kids' bed) continues to win out in many of the blogging vs. sleeping battles I've had lately.

Anyway. So there's a bunch of photos this week:

In Oregon, when you have three children screaming like banshees and racing up and down the stairs at breakneck speeds, you get a desperate need to take them to a park or playground. Only it's fall in Oregon, which means rain, rain, and more rain. So I take them to the mall for exercise. And while I'm waiting for the Spud to screech that he's done poopin' in the potty, I decide to take a preggo photo.

We like to start out our mornings with coffee and the newspaper.

We have to settle for wet leaves around here. We'll take what we can get!

Big jump for a kid with sensory integration disorder!

The Beast tests out one of many ridiculously awesome mustaches we purchased at the dollar store for Halloween fun.

The new winter hats at the Children's Place are to die for. Seriously, how cute are my three little raccoons? Like the frugal shopper I am, I am waiting for a good sale and may even pick up a tiny baby one for Little Sprout. :)

The kids are valiantly holding onto a giant Burmese python at a reptile show we went to at our local library. I am staying a respectable distance away, thank you very much.

The Beast is going to be a pirate for Halloween this year. He has no idea who Jack Sparrow is, but he sure loves this getup! Too bad he will be a short-haired pirate with an uber-fake mustache.

Hurray for the temporary Halloween store at the mall! We can go in every time and marvel at how shiny and fast-looking Lightning McQueen is. We can also hurry by the racks and racks of costumes that really ought to be reserved for the bedroom, if you know what I mean.

happy Iphone photo phun!

Three Little Pumpkins - Soon to Be Four

2011-10-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

We made our annual visit to the local pumpkin farm last weekend. The day was cool but surprisingly not rainy; so we had to take advantage of the weather. There are dozens of pumpkin farms to choose from in our area, but we started going to Lee Farms when the Drama Queen was just a year old and have made it a tradition. I love that most of the activities are geared towards younger kids, but let's face it - the real reason we love going to Lee Farms is to eat their phenomenal pumpkin and apple cider donuts!

It just so happened that on that same day, Old Navy was running one of their "one-day-only" sales on their puffy vests. Since the kids needed some new winter wear anyway, we stopped there first and scored cozy vests for the whole family.

The Spud got his tractor fix.

The Drama Queen was sweet and helped her brothers find pumpkins before she chose hers. She is getting so grown-up these days!

The kids eagerly anticipated their apple cider donuts.

I enjoyed waddling all around the grounds, watching the kids excitedly choose pumpkins and run through the hay maze. It will be really fun next year with four kids!

We have the kids pose here every year. Mr. Beast is catching up to the Drama Queen in height and has already passed her in weight. Makes me want to stop time for just a little while. . .

Face painting was a first this year. The Spud decided half-way through that he was finished; so his pumpkin looked a little funny.

And this is my absolute favorite photo of the day. It was such fun to see the Beast enjoy himself without getting overwhelmed or having a meltdown. It is usually really hard to get him to pose for a photo anyway, and I love this candid shot of my little man.

So pumpkin carving will be in the near future for us. We can't do them too far ahead of time because here in rainy Oregon, carved pumpkins rot much more quickly.

Thirty-Two Weeks

2011-10-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

(happily unbalanced)

The Baby: Little Sprout is moving around like a little crazy woman. Now the size of a large jicama (3.75 pounds), she is certainly making her presence known. Complete strangers have stopped to stare at my shape-changing belly, and a few have even asked if they can "feel it." Um, no. It's crazy enough when you're sitting in church and your friends are pressing on the side of your belly to make the baby dance. Babycenter tells me that I should be gaining about a pound a week now, with half of that going directly to Little Sprout. At that rate, we will no longer be able to call her "little"! If all goes according to previous pattern, she will be my biggest baby. The Drama Queen weighed in at 6 lb 3 oz (she was three weeks early though); the Beast was 8 lb 8 oz at birth, and the Spud was 8 lb 12 oz.

Me: I am doing way better this week emotionally than last week. For the rest of this pregnancy, I am sure I will be putting "tired and hurting" as my status; but it is not too bad. Despite the much cooler temperatures now, I still run our air conditioner every night to stay comfortable. Whatever that is. Insomnia has also kicked in - so Netflix and my Kindle have been keeping me company in the wee hours of the morning. Well, that and the ever faithful bathroom. We are good friends lately.

(me playing around with our three-way mirror in the bathroom and avoiding the kid knocking on the bathroom door and shouting, "Momma, are you peein' in there?")

The Siblings: The Drama Queen is really ready for her little sister to come join the family. She has a baby dolly named "Jennifer" that she takes with her everywhere, stopping frequently to change her diaper, bathe her, and feed her. Last night she informed me not to worry if she was up a lot during the night because Jennifer wasn't sleeping through the night yet. Looks like I am going to have one awesome helper!

The Plans: I finally retrieved our infant car seat from a friend who had been borrowing it. It makes me feel better that that is ready to go. I also spent some time this week thinking about all the details - where the kids will go when all the action starts, what vehicle we will use, etc.

As of today, I technically have 54 days to go. It sounds like a lot still, but with the thousand and one activities we have going on at this time of year, I know it will speed by. After all, thirty-two weeks have already flown by! (and speaking of thirty-two, a certain momma will be turning that number just a few days before her due date.) hmmm.

What Do Water Striders Eat?

2011-10-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

"Mom, what's this?"

"Um, that's a mosquito, baby."

"What do mosquitos eat, Momma?"

"They eat blood."

"Yeah, they suck your blood."

"And what's this, Momma?"

"Um, that's a horsefly."

"What do horseflies eat?"

"Garbage and yucky stuff."

"Cool. What's this one's name?"

"That's a praying mantis, baby."

"And what do praying mantises eat?"

"Um. I think they eat other bugs. And sometimes the mommy praying mantis gets cranky with the daddy praying mantis and eats him too."

That's just a small snippet of the daily conversations I have with the Beast. His copy of World's Weirdest Creatures is well-worn, and I have learned far more about bugs and other creepy crawlies than I have ever desired. Due to his autism, the Beast has developed an obsession not necessarily with insects, but in general of "what eats what." I have answered questions about what polar bears eat and what penguins enjoy eating, and I have also frantically googled the answers to such questions as "What do fireflies eat?" and "What do hornets eat?" He will often ask the same question throughout the day if he is fascinated with the answer. I try to change the subject, but he is very persistent. Every week, I peruse the library for other interests that he might enjoy, but for now, the kid is fixated on animal eating habits.

And while I certainly do not claim to be Jeeves, I am becoming quite the expert on the subject. . .

Round-Up Sunday

2011-10-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

Rainy day. Dark day. The Beast tossed and turned all night. His noises and crying kept the Drama Queen awake. I had to drag both of them out of bed at 8:45 am in order to get the Beast to school in time. One look at the Drama Queen's tired, grumpy face and I knew that homeschooling would be futile. And that's okay - we all need a break now and then. I've got 150 white chocolate truffles to make for a ladies' conference anyway. And stacks of laundry are awaiting folding and sorting. Not to mention that a certain preggo momma that got up several times during the night with the Beast wouldn't appreciate a nice nap.

So with that, I leave you with some pics of the family all dressed up in our fanciest Western duds for Round-Up Sunday at our church.

Foam/suedeish hats from the dollar store. Matching plaid outfits were bought last year at Crazy 8 for our visit to the pumpkin patch.

The Beast

The Drama Queen

The Spud

Momma and all four kiddos - Little Sprout made it impossible for me to button up my shirt all the way, heehee. Believe it or not, this is the best pic we got of all of us.

the not-so-little baby and I - love that little man!

Yeehaw! Off to pretend I'm being productive. . .

Art Project #3 - Pointillism Apples in a Bushel

2011-10-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Project Title: Pointillism Apples

Materials Needed: white paper, school glue, glue stick, craft paint, q-tips, sticks/twigs, leaves, brown crayon, scissors

Purpose: To teach students about the art form of pointillism. Also is helpful in cutting and gluing practice.

First, gather all of your materials. For the bushel basket, I printed off this image here and cut it out as shown (minus the apples). For the apples, I printed off this image here and traced it six times on a sheet of white paper. The kids helped me gather small leaves and twigs for the project.

Next, set up the painting station. I used a divided plate for our three colors - red, green, and yellow, and gave each child three q-tips. I should mention that although it is not pictured, I did end up setting everything out on newspaper to protect the table! :) (If you have older kids, you can teach them how to mix red with various amounts of white to make different shades of red for their apples, and so on.)

Demonstrate how to dip the Q-tip into the paint and then make a dot in the apple shape without dragging it around like a paint brush. Have your child fill up the apple shape with as many dots as they can without blending them together. Your child may wish to do two or even three colors on their apple to make it more realistic looking. Explain that pointillism is painting with tiny dots so that they become blended in the viewer's eye. You can even demonstrate that putting a bunch of blue and yellow dots close to each other will make it appear green from a distance.

Once your child finishes painting her apples (or gets tired of it!), set them aside to dry. Have your child glue the bushel basket to the bottom of a blank sheet of white paper and then color it brown.

Next, use the school glue to make thin lines on the bushel basket and attach the twigs. Break the twigs to a smaller size if necessary. Remind your child that this glue does not dry instantly; thus they must be careful not to bump the previously placed twigs on their basket.

When all glue and paint has dried, give your child a safe pair of scissors and instruct them to cut out their apples. This is good practice for following a curved line with scissors. Help them if they get frustrated.

Use the glue stick to glue the apples wherever the child chooses in the bushel basket.

Finally, squeeze large dots of school glue to the top of each apple and gently set the stem of each leaf in the glue dot. Set the whole project in a place where it will not be disturbed until the glue has dried.

My daughter chose to write "A is for Apple" on her project, and we hung all three projects up as pretty fall decor when they finished.

I say "A is for Adorable"! :)

Thirty-One Weeks

2011-10-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

(yeah so I missed the thirty-week mark. no pics. nothing to record.)

The Baby: Her weight this week is comparable to the weight of four navel oranges. (3.3 pounds) Now's the time she will be gaining weight like crazy while still driving her mother crazy with her twists, turns, and painful kicks to the ribs.

Me: Well, I think I covered this in a previous post, but the past two weeks have been the hardest emotionally for me. Tears fall often and for no discernible reason. Hopefully this will pass soon, and I will get back to my usual cheerful self. The thoughtless comments, which previously would have just made me laugh, are cutting deep. I feel ridiculous reacting the way I do, but I can't seem to help myself. One woman at church commented to me after asking how far along I was that she could not remember a person ever being so big at "just" thirty weeks. I seriously wonder where her filter was. Anyway, I'm over it.

The Siblings: They are starting to get very excited again about the arrival of Little Sprout, especially when they found out that they will get to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for a little while when Momma does end up going in to the hospital. My belly gets lots of hugs and kisses from all three littles!

Every kick and every hiccup just make me want to meet Little Sprout sooner! I know it'll be a while yet, but I am so looking forward to making her a part of our ever-growing family. She has no idea how much she is loved already!

Iphone Photo Phun - Goggles!

2011-10-05T11:32:00.001-07:00

First off a big thanks to all of the encouraging comments on yesterday's post. :) It is certainly nice to not feel alone in this. I had a good cry last night and am doing much better today. It could be in part thanks to these adorable faces:

This is what happens when you get into Mommy's makeup and try on her mascara. Believe me, he wasn't smiling when I had to scrub the waterproof stuff off.

Quite by accident we discovered on a random trip to Home Depot that they were hosting a kids' workshop. Everyone got to wear giant goggles.

And we got to play with real hammers.

And we may or may not have had a little trouble paying attention to directions.

Still all three managed to build their own helicopter with minimal help from Mom and Dad, receiving special certificates and pins for their aprons. The Drama Queen has mad hammering skills - she can get a nail in straighter than I can!

Tired

2011-10-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Tired. Tired because the little acrobat inside me won't let me sleep at night. Tired of the massive heartburn that occurs no matter what I eat. Tired of whining and the "But why?"s and the complaining (ironic I know) and the general non-attention of my children. Tired of all my extra responsibilities that yes indeed I know I brought upon myself so I have no one else to blame. Tired of washing the same little pairs of underwear with Thomas the Tank Engine staring back at me because a certain little boy has decided that he no longer wants to use the potty anymore. Tired of the demands of three picky eaters at dinner time, not to mention the one who pretty much refuses to eat dinner at all. ever. no exaggeration. Tired of looking all around me and seeing the 101 things that still need to be accomplished and just aren't getting done.

Not just tired, but overwhelmed. Wondering how on earth I am going to manage this when the baby comes and demands a lot more of my attention.

I guess I just need some encouragement right now. I love my family and the coming baby, but I am struggling with loving my life right now. :(

Yikes. I sound like a major complainer. Truth is, it's reality though and not everything is positive all the time.

And I've got two hyper boys screeching and racing each other up and down the stairs. My little "woe is me" moment is over. . .

Iphone Photo Phun - short and sweet

2011-09-28T16:46:00.001-07:00

As I am a little late in jumping on the Iphone Photo Phun bandwagon this week (don't look at me like that - I am thirty weeks preggo and a bit busy!), I'll try to keep the captions for this week's photos short and sweet.

Little Miss 5 1/2 finished her first reading book yesterday - all 126 pages of it! She must have a pretty awesome teacher.

While these two did break a lamp and my favorite Coca Cola drinking glass today, there are moments of sweetness and love. They may be few, but they do exist.

I discovered this week that I have two chicken lovers in my house. As in, "Please Mom can I have another drumstick? I promise to eat all my vegetables too" while stuffing face with broccoli and corn.

Cutest dinner dates ever!

The kids got to spend some time at their great-grandparents this weekend. :)

Time to get some dinner on! Sorry kiddos, we've had chicken enough this week - looks like it's going to be savory sausage soup.

Recess

2011-09-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Blogging during recess. Now there's a new one for me. But it's either that or trying to fit in some blogging in the evening. And although the evening does give me some "free time"(time to fold laundry, clean the kitchen, work on children's church curriculum, work on baby stuff, work on lesson plans, clip coupons, etc), it is fairly safe to say that at this point in the pregnancy, my brain has completely checked out at that time. Completely. So much so that I am not remembering conversations with the Nerd during this time. Unless of course he is making it all up just to torment me.

Anyway. Where has life been leading us lately?

1. The Nerd went away to nerd heaven (aka computer conference) all weekend. He had a fantastic time. I counted the minutes until he returned.

2. There was a big rat on our deck last night. It came right up to the sliding glass door and stared at us. I may or may not have freaked out. The Nerd was an idiot and opened the door. Thankfully the rat had enough sense not to come in. Thanks for all the crazy dreams, rat! (and Nerd!)

3. It is finally fall here in Oregon. The temperatures dropped from 85 to 60 in one day, and the rain has been making us all sleepy.

4. Speaking of sleepy, all three of my children slept in until 8:30 am today. I did find evidence in the kitchen that the Spud had been up earlier for a little cereal snack, but apparently he went back to bed and they all slept soundly until I had to wake them up. Did you hear that people? I HAD TO WAKE THEM UP. Unheard of around here!

5. I am contemplating going to the "no-poo" method for washing my hair. I have read a lot about it and am considering it, not to save money necessarily but to help my hair get a lot healthier. Have any of you tried it? It is supposed to be really great for people with curly frizzy hair (aka me) and people with dandruff issues (aka Nerd).

oh here come the kids. I have to hide the candy corn before they see it. til next recess!

Art Project #2 - Dyed Rice Flag

2011-09-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Project Title: Dyed Rice Flag

Materials Needed: white poster board, crayons (red and blue), ruler, pencil, 4-5 cups rice, food coloring (red and blue), rubbing alcohol, school glue, mini marshmallows

Purpose: To teach students to explore different textures in art.

(I chose to do an American flag with this project since we studied it in history class and also since this art class closely followed the tenth anniversary of September 11th. The technique in this project however would be perfectly suited to any design or shape.)

First, gather your materials. You will also need two bowls and spatulas for the dying of each color of rice.

Then, dye your rice. For the red rice, we put two cups of rice into a large bowl. We added two teaspoons of rubbing alcohol and stirred it until all the rice looked wet. Then we added several drops of red food coloring and stirred until we were happy with the red color we achieved. For the blue rice, we used one cup of rice, one teaspoon of rubbing alcohol, and considerably less food coloring.

Spread each color of rice on a cookie sheet or pan with edges to dry. I put our trays on top of the stove and turned the oven to low to speed the drying process. The color on the rice dried very quickly.

While the rice was drying, I had the Drama Queen color the red stripes and blue field on the poster board flag I had drawn up the night before. The flag I made measured 13 inches by 22 inches. Each stripe was one inch wide, and the blue field measured 7 inches by 9 inches.

Now, it was time to add the rice. I squirted some school glue onto the blue field first and spread it into an even layer with a paint brush. Then we took handfuls of the blue rice and pressed them into the glue, covering as much of the area as possible.

We did the same thing with each red stripe. We found it was important to press the rice in firmly and put more rice on than you would think was necessary.

As the blue and red areas dried, I used another clean paint brush to carefully sweep away any rice that had fallen into the white stripes.

Finally, we added the white rice in between the red stripes. Don't stress if some white or blue rice makes it into the red stripes - you can remove those later with tweezers or just let it be. :)

When the project was completely dry, I tilted it up on one end and let all the loose rice fall off. ( I saved it all in a container for my autistic son to use in his sensory activities.) The Drama Queen helped me arrange the marshmallows on the blue field before I hot glued them in place. Before I could get the camera to take this last picture, however, the Spud managed to swipe a few marshmallows from the flag.

I haven't decided yet how we will display our flag - I probably will spray it with some sort of adhesive to make it more durable and then hang it in an area where a few grains of fallen rice here and there don't really matter.

The Drama Queen's favorite part was dying the rice*; so we plan on dying more colors of rice and making a big sensory box for the kids to dig and play in.

*You can also use this dying technique with any kind of pasta. Just be aware that the pasta takes much longer to dry than the rice does.

Twenty-Nine Weeks

2011-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

(me and my current favorite ice cream flavor - Breyers Heath Bar Explosion)

The Baby: So Little Sprout is getting a bigger head now to make room for all those brains that run in the family. :) Her vegetable or fruit comparison of the week is a butternut squash, completely fitting for the season. I am supposed to be upping my intake of calcium to help baby's skeleton get stronger and harder. As you can see, I work hard on that every day with a big bowl of ice cream.

Me: I'm fine - just tired as usual and not inclined to do much of anything outside the realm of necessity. I have been happily eating my fair share of food these days, taking full advantage of the fact that I am pregnant and can eat whatever I want. Well, of course that's a myth but no one is going to argue with a preggo lady or try to take her food away. That would be extremely foolish.

The Siblings: I think the Spud is definitely getting more of a sense of what is happening. He is extra-snuggly and asks, "hold me like a baby, momma." It is certainly going to be a time of upheaval for him. I probably should try to wean him a little from this baby-like behavior, but selfish me eats it up and relishes it as much as possible because I know it won't be the same once Little Sprout arrives. The Beast has also made it quite clear that he does not appreciate having to sit next to Momma to read instead of on her lap due to my burgeoning belly.

The Plans: Nothing new this week. I am starting to realize how quickly December is coming and how busy the fall months will be for us; so a sense of urgency is beginning to develop. I still have to make a space for baby in our bedroom. I need to get our infant car seat back from a friend and have it ready to go. I have to fill out a lot of hospital paperwork. I need to figure out items I still need before baby arrives.

And just typing that list of things to do is exhausting. :) I would go take a nap, but three littles are not showing any signs of slowing down today. . .

Iphone Photo Phun - In Which I Show Favoritism

2011-09-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

So I missed out on participating in Iphone Photo Phun last week. You would think that was due to the insanely busy schedule we are now keeping, with homeschooling and an ever-exhausting pregnancy. Nope. I couldn't find the cord that hooks my Iphone up to my laptop to get the photos off. I didn't find said cord until this morning. I take it as a good thing though. I mean, I could have lost one of the kids. Although I probably would have tried harder to find them if I did. Lose them, I mean.

Anyway, here's the past two weeks in all Iphoto glory (and no I don't love the youngest more than the others - he's just a lot more willing to pose for photos without shutting his eyes or making ridiculously cheesy grins. Also, he is pretty cute, I must say.)

We showed our patriotism on the tenth anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th.

Screams of delight always greet my announcement of "breakfast for dinner." Apparently pancakes, french toast, sausage, and eggs are in high demand around here. This particular evening, even the eggs seemed excited about it.

I took a quick photo here of the little scholar busy doing her Letters and Sounds page.

The Spud had his three-year-old well-child visit to the doctor. He was pleased to find out he was old enough to wear the little hospital gown and up-to-date on his shots.

The little man is getting more independent every day. Putting his own shoes on is his newest accomplishment, a feat that couldn't have come soon enough for his poor preggo mommy.

I bravely took the kids to a library story time last week. The theme of the day was "Getting Dressed." The Beast paid no attention to any of it until underwear was mentioned. Then he felt the need to announce to the whole class that he had special underwear, underwear with a "door" in it. The Spud chose a book about underwear to take home and has been giggling hysterically at it every night at bedtime.

We managed to get a bike ride in while the weather was cooler. By bike ride, I mean only the Beast rode his bike the whole time. I spent most of my time steadying the Drama Queen's bike and assuring her that she would not fall. the Spud mostly pushed his bike around and pedaled it only occasionally.

And with that, this preggo lady is going to bed. :)

Vintage Curls

2011-09-19T12:29:00.001-07:00

Has anyone else tried getting vintage-look curls in their hair using a headband? I've seen several versions wandering around on Pinterest and decided to try it a few weeks ago. I must admit, I was skeptical that anything that did not require heat or hair product would actually hold. I followed the instructions on this video and found that the headband was surprisingly comfortable to sleep in.

And they turned out great! That Sunday morning, all I had to do was take out the headband, fluff out the curls a little, add a flower, and I was ready to go. I've done it several times since then and liked the results every time.

Just wondering if anyone else had tried it. I am tempted to try it on the Drama Queen's hair, but her hair is fine and thin, the opposite of mine. I wonder if it would hold on her hair too.

Art Project #1 - Fingerprint Art

2011-09-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

The whole homeschooling thing is in full swing now. The Drama Queen takes her basic classes like Reading, Arithmetic, Spelling, Language, and Writing every day, and we have sprinkled in some extra classes as well. Mondays and Wednesdays we learn about American history; Tuesdays and Thursdays we explore science. Fridays are reserved for Health class and Art class.

I love art and believe that not only should the student create something wonderful that she is proud of, but also it should teach some basic principles of creating art. I hope to keep record of each art project we do this year, not only for memories' sake but also for ideas for others looking for simple, fun projects to do. Keep in mind that I am creating each of these projects with a five-year-old in mind, but many of them can be easily adapted to other age groups.

Here is our first project.

Project Title: Fingerprint Art

Materials Needed: white paper, ink pad (for stamping), black ink pen or fine tip Sharpie

Purpose: To teach students to take basic shapes and create more with them; to inspire students to take something ordinary and make it interesting.

(I also chose this project for our first because we had been learning in science class how every person in the world is unique. We examined fingerprints of all the members of our household and found that no two were alike.)

This is a very simple project. I made up this idea sheet the night before to help the Drama Queen with the creativity process. Then, when art time came, I gave her several sheets of white paper folded into greeting cards for her to decorate with fingerprint masterpieces. We experimented with different ways to make fingerprints - lots of pressure, roll the finger, use the pinky for little creatures, etc. and enjoyed making our own designs.

The Drama Queen made this card for her grandma. For the dog, she did two thumbprints, one vertical and one horizontal, before adding details like ears, snout, and legs with an ink pen. The long-eared owl (her words, not mine) was made with one vertical index fingerprint and decorated with ears, eyes, beak, and feet.

I only had a few dollar-store ink pads in blues and blacks - these would be a lot of fun to do in different colors, especially the frog made from a green fingerprint, the pig made from a pink fingerprint, and so on.

For more ideas on fingerprint art, you may want to try Ed Emberley's book Complete Funprint Drawing Book. I remember having an Ed Emberley drawing book as a kid and probably some of my little doodles are from those memories.

Twenty-Eight Weeks

2011-09-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Baby: Little Sprout has been supremely active lately. Last night the Nerd was watching in amazement as my belly suddenly sprouted mini-mountains due to the little ninja's fists or feet or elbows or who knows what. "What does that feel like?" he wanted to know. I don't know - like a crazy little alien inside of you is punching your guts out? Maybe like that. Anyway, since she is a walloping 2 1/4 pounds now and measuring up to a Chinese cabbage in weight, she certainly is bulking up for her journey outside the womb in just a couple of months. Her mother is also bulking up, due to the advent of candy corn and pumpkin spice lattes.

Me: I now claim a kinship to one of the seven dwarves - Sleepy! I feel as if everything I do these days wears me out. Yesterday I needed a nap so desperately that I bribed the kids with candy corn and some Tom and Jerry with instructions to keep it down and don't get into anything while Momma naps for a few minutes. It didn't work - the Drama Queen and the Beast kept filing in and out of my room to tell me what the Spud was doing. Today I managed to get a twenty-minute-nap in during "recess" which helped tremendously later in the whole haul-the-crew-to-the-library-for-story-time event. I am relieved that the weather has cooled down significantly, enough that I am not turning our bedroom into an ice cube trying to stay comfortable. The Nerd is thankful as well - I have noted that he has not had to pull out the extra quilts in the past few nights.

The Siblings: The Drama Queen loves to point out to each and every person we meet that "Momma is having a baby soon - that's why she's so fat and tired." It seems that the boys don't think about it that much - except at prayer time, when they all clamor to be the one to pray for the baby.

The Plans: Last week I purchased what we enjoy referring to as "amazing grace." (pacifiers) I also did some research on breast pumps and checked out some local stores for their pricing on these. We took advantage of the Babys R Us Great Trade-In Event, in which you can trade in any used car seat, stroller, crib, or other baby equipment and get 25% off your purchase of a new one. The only stroller we had was this old, dirty, cheap umbrella stroller that we had been using to corral the Spud when we went on day trips like the zoo or the mall. I'm pretty sure we only paid $12 for that thing brand-new. By trading it in however (sippy cup stains and all!) we were able to save $20 on the purchase of the Graco LiteRider Stroller in Pippin. It is by far the nicest stroller we have ever owned - all our other children rode around in Craigslist finds that worked well for us then. However, this one has cupholders. Awesomeness. And it folds and unfolds literally with one flick of the wrist. Also awesomeness. It has a large basket underneath for everything that can drop down so the baby won't be disturbed when you're getting out the diaper bag or purse. The Nerd likes that it rides on a suspension system, and I am pleased that our infant car seat can snap right into it, if we need to do so. And it doesn't hurt that the stroller is done up in an adorable green and brown elephant theme. :)

I finally remembered to take pictures of the bibs I made for Little Sprout using scraps of material from Great-Grandma:

Aren't they cute? I adore oversized ric rac! I used a soft fuzzy pink fabric that I found on clearance on the back of the bibs - they are reversible. The pattern was super easy to follow and you can find the tutorial right here.

And it's on to the third trimester!

Time for

2011-09-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

well. It's going to be fun working the blogging in along with the homeschooling thing. I used to blog first thing in the mornings, and now that school occupies that time space, I will have to figure out when I'm going to get me some bloggin' time.

Until then, here's some tidbits and pieces of what's been going on around here.:

1. I won my first fantasy football game of the season, 106 to 64. And that was with Peyton Manning as my main quarterback, who of course is injured for pretty much the whole season. I had to play my back-up QB, who basically just held down the questionable title of quarterback with a lousy seven points. Thankfully the rest of my team carried me through. Go Fightin' Frogs!

2. I just spent my evening reorganizing my coupon notebook and planning a couple of grocery store trips for tomorrow. Yes, I have a coupon notebook. Go ahead - call me a grocery geek, if you will. I am NOTHING like those extreme couponers on TV but let's just say I keep our food budget pretty low. :)

3. Yesterday (September 11th)'s significance provided me the opportunity to have some very deep conversations with the Drama Queen. Today our history lesson just happened to be on the significance and meaning of the American flag. I was able to link the two things together and really start teaching our daughter the meaning of being patriotic. The Drama Queen changes her mind daily about what she wants to be when she grows up, and it was very sweet of her to tell me, "When I'm bigger, I want to be a missionary to New York and help all those hurting people."

4. We found out at the Spud's doctor appointment today that he may have allergies which cause his heavy breathing and constant stuffed sinuses. I am hoping this is the case - if it is, he will just need to take some allergy meds to keep his breathing clearer. However, if he does not have allergies, it looks like his tonsils/adenoids will possibly need to be removed through surgery. Ick. Both the doctor and I are definitely hoping to avoid any surgery for the little guy if possible.

The lesson plans are waiting to be set out for tomorrow. I guess that's it for now. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Twenty-Seven Weeks

2011-09-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

The Baby: So Little Sprout (I am dying to use her name we chose for her but I promised the Nerd to keep it a secret!) is almost two pounds now, the same as a head of cauliflower. According to BabyCenter, she is taking turns sleeping and being wide awake now, practicing for her sleep patterns when she joins us. Whatever. I am pretty convinced that child never sleeps, given the amount of time she uses my ribs as a trampoline.

Me: I am finding the need to sit down a lot more lately, as these poor legs and ankles get tired and swollen rather quickly. Thankfully that works out well with the whole homeschooling thing. Chasing little boys, however, is not helping. Also, although I am grateful that both boys seem to really be hitting their stride with the whole potty training thing, I do wish they would be able to hit the toilet more often. Getting down to scrub up all their "misses" off the floor is not on this preggo lady's list of fun things to do.

The Siblings: The Beast asked me to lift him up at the playground the other day so he could reach the zipline. I reminded him that Mommy was not able to lift that kind of weight right now. He said, "Oh yeah, I forgot. You can't pick me up cuz you're too fat!" (This said in a very loud voice - the Beast has only two volumes: loud and very very loud!) Sighing, I contended that it was not that Mommy was too fat, but that Mommy was carrying a baby in her tummy and didn't want to do anything to hurt the baby. "No, mom." he insisted. "It's cuz you're way too fat." Thanks kiddo. Self-esteem is now just soaring through the roof.

The Plans: I got nothin. Well, actually, if you count switching three rooms around in the house and doing way too much manual labor to give ourselves a bedroom with more room for baby, then I guess the plans have been going on as usual. I wonder if she would like sleeping in a dresser drawer?

I am just about ready to head on in to that third trimester. To all those who have made the kind remark of "Haven't you had that baby yet?", no and I am pretty sure you will know when I have. What? Do I look that big?

People. . .

Homeschool - First Day

2011-09-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we took the plunge and started our year of homeschooling the Drama Queen on Tuesday. This decision to homeschool our daughter did not come without its share of inner turmoil, fears, anxieties, and general "What-if?"s. Still, I know it is the absolute best thing for our family this year, and I looked forward to the first day almost as eagerly as our little scholar. I was nervous about time management and little-boy-wrangling on the side, though.

The Drama Queen started the day off by posing for a bunch of first-day photos and exploring the writing instruments and shiny new textbooks in her desk. Although she is technically in kindergarten, her academic skills are far beyond that of a kindergartener; so I purchased first grade curriculum to teach to her this year.

I wrote out some rough lesson plans for our first day for each of her subjects, not knowing how much time it was going to take to teach one child each of these things. I am used to planning out lessons for classes of 15 or more students! During our first day, I recorded how much time it took for each subject to use for future lesson planning. Disregarding sibling interruptions and other distractions, actual class time was about 2 1/2 hours - much faster than I anticipated. We made time for a "recess" break and a snack as well. The Drama Queen soaked it all in, especially science class, which is her favorite by far.

We set up a large white board in the dining room for the teaching times. I have always enjoyed "board work" as a teacher and would take hours in the evenings to set up my boards for the next day of school. now I get to do that again - on a much smaller scale of course, but it is so fun to see the Drama Queen's reaction when she comes out for breakfast in the morning and sees the exciting things we will be learning that day.

Of course, we don't want to leave the Beast out of all of this. As I mentioned before, he has been approved for a blended class at the local community school this semester (a mixed class of both "normal" kids and kids with autism or attention deficit disorder.) He started his first class with his new teacher, Miss Alison, today. He went right into the classroom but then the shyness and nerves took over. He headed straight for a chair in the reading corner and hid behind it. When I picked him up two hours later, he kept hugging and kissing me and asking me to hold him. I tried to talk to him about what he actually did in school that day, but as usual the vague little man left me hanging. All I know is that there is a class pet turtle.

In the meantime, the Spud tries to horn in whenever he can. I caught him singing today, "A,E,I,O,U, I can sing my vowels to you." I do try to include him in Bible time as well as art time and other activities as much as possible.

Of course, we are in the midst of first-week-of-school-euphoria. I am fully expecting a stubborn Drama Queen to melt down at some point in the future, crying that she can't do it, and also anticipating that this growing-ever-more-tired-by-the-day preggo momma will have a day or two when I just don't want to do it. Welcome to real life, peeps!

And with that, I had better get some rest. We are facing basic addition in arithmetic tomorrow!

Iphone Photo Phun - Food (And Other Stuff)

2011-09-06T20:59:00.001-07:00

Amidst all the busyness of the past week or so, I must have managed to pull out my Iphone a time or two to snap a quick photo. Here are the few photos that somehow try to convince you that all we did was watch movies and eat. A lot. I assure you that it's not so, but who takes pictures of all the hard work? I don't - I'm too busy eating to regain my strength for the next endeavor.

The kids decided to set up a "movie theater" one day as they watched Tangled twice in a row. Kindly disregard the pantlessness of the boys. It is the norm these days as we continue our potty training endeavors. I do not regret all the popcorn I had to vacuum up after this episode, but I am sorely wishing that that "At Last I See the Light" song from the movie would leave my head. Permanently.

More TV watching - this time at Grandma's house. Tom and Jerry never fail to amuse and fascinate my offspring.

So my Beast is obsessed with having things on his hands and arms. When gloves are not available, socks will do. When Grandma purchases new socks for everyone, they become even more enticing, especially the ones with pink heels. And did I mention it was 90 degrees out that day?!

One year at Christmas, the Nerd and I had this brilliant idea to buy each other restaurant gift cards at a discount (read: Costco) to ensure some fun date nights in the future. Recently we discovered one of these cards, which had somehow fallen behind our memo board. It was an occasion to celebrate; so we dumped the kids at their grandparents and went to McCormicks and Schmicks. The food was AH-MAZING. Naturally I had to get pictures of the yumminess. The Nerd calmly kept eating his Kobe beef burger and pretending that he had no idea why the crazy lady with him kept whipping our her phone to take pictures of their food. Above is my order of Parmesan-encrusted calamari with marinara dipping sauce.

My entree was Dungeness crab bisque - divine! We ended up sharing a fantastic creme brulee for dessert, but I had no time to take pictures as we were sharing and I certainly didn't want him to get more than me.

And if you were to whip out your phone right now and take a photo of me, um I guess it would be all about the food again. Candy corn and pumpkin lattes, to be specific. I'm just trying to will fall to get here a little faster, that's all. . .

Hyperdrive

2011-09-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hyperdrive. That's what life was been like lately.

Due to a number of reasons, the main ones being the impending arrival of another little one and the fact that the boys are now able to escape their room at any time of the day or night, we decided on Sunday afternoon that some major room switches needed to be made. As in, we were going to move all our stuff from our bedroom downstairs to the boys' room. The boys' beds were going to be moved into the Drama Queen's room while her newly-painted bed was constructed in the same room. All their belongings and toys were to be moved downstairs to our old room for a playroom. Oh, and since we only came up with this solution on Sunday afternoon, we had a day and a half basically to get the majority of the work done. Thankfully my father-in-law came over and pitched in with all the heavy lifting and carrying, which I myself could not do due to the giant belly jutting out in front of me. My mother-in-law took the kids all day yesterday to get them out of the way and give us the focus we needed to get it all done. I'll tell you one thing - I have not been this sore or this tired in a very long time!

And today was the first day of school for the Drama Queen. We made the decision to homeschool her this year. The dining room is decorated with educational Busytown posters, a big white board, and various other schoolish things. I think our first day went amazingly well, and despite my exhaustion, I had a great time teaching her today. I'll share more about our homeschooling in the next post, accompanied of course by "first day" pictures and all the hoopla. Tomorrow, the Beast begins his fall semester in the blended class at ESD.

Oh yeah and the Nerd is going out of town with his dad this weekend for a Men's Conference. Life is not showing any signs of slowing down! And although this preggo lady is craving naps more and more often, I still wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Melty Crayon Awesomeness

2011-09-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

Last week I pinned a melting crayon art project on my Pinterest boards with plans to use it sometime this year as an art project for home school. It looked so fun and easy, and I knew I had all the materials to do it. Eager to try it, I gathered all the kiddies at the kitchen table for a science/art lesson. First, we discussed rainbows - how they form, when you see them, etc. Then we learned ROYGBIV - the order of the colors of the rainbow. Using this new knowledge, I set the kids to organizing our crayons in rainbow order. We used two boxes of Crayola 24 crayons, and I took away the black, gray, brown, and white crayons since those colors do not appear in rainbows.

When the kids (mostly the girls) had carefully selected where each crayon should go, I hot-glued them in place at the top of our canvas. (Our canvas was 16" by 20", because that's what I had). We decided to keep the color name of each crayon facing outward so that they would all look uniform. Then the fun part started.

We propped up the canvas on a chair that I had liberally covered with newspaper. Using a hairdryer turned on high heat, I aimed it slightly downward at the purple/blue section of our crayon rainbow. The kids were delighted that immediately it began to melt and spray all over the place.

Each of the kids took turns making their own crayon wax splatters and using the "paint gun." (the Spud's words)>

We had a lot of splattering going on - I forgot to cover the side of our kitchen table with newspaper and soon it was speckled with various colors. In all the links I've seen, the artist managed to get their crayon wax flowing downward in straight lines. I think perhaps that's because they used a lower hair dryer setting or a different angle on their canvas.

Also, they probably didn't allow three-year-olds to man the hair dryer. :) I personally love the splattered look.

We then turned our hair dryer to low for a short while to blend our colors just a bit.

Here's a close-up of the colors all blended together. I'm not gonna lie - I was probably as excited or even more than the kids at this development. We still had quite a bit of blank canvas, and the girls suggested that we sign our artwork. I got the idea to trace each person's hand with their favorite color (with crayons from another box) and write their name with black sharpie in the center.

The kiddos posed proudly with their work (by the way, the crayon wax dries super fast so you don't have to wait forever like you do with paint.)

And then this pleased momma found a place in the dining room to hang it on the wall. The kids love to look at it, touch its interesting textures, and talk about ROYGBIV. Me? I'm planning our next masterpiece, perhaps in greens, grays, browns, and blacks for a camouflage effect for the boys' room.

Twenty-Six Weeks

2011-08-31T21:53:00.001-07:00

(posing here with the baby of the family. Poor little guy will not get to hold that title much longer!)

The Baby: Little Sprout is growing more and more, measuring the length of an English hothouse cucumber and weighing close to two pounds now. She is quite the gymnast, turning somersault after somersault and moving in ways that make her momma very uncomfortable. She can also definitely hear my voice now as well as the Nerd's - by the time she is born she will be well-versed in computer technology and the family budget. :)

Me: I am doing well, although the little girl certainly likes to keep me up at night. There are nights when I feel as if I don't sleep at all, and other nights when I drop off to sleep at 9:30 pm and sleep soundly into the morning. Those are the nights I have very vivid dreams of the baby. I am starting to feel huge - everything is tighter and more awkward to wear.

The Siblings: The other day we visited the dollar store to pick up some things, and the Beast asked if he could spend his dollar on something for his "little baby sister." That definitely made me smile. The Spud got to feel the baby kicking today. He kept giggling and shouting, "Do it again momma! That funny thing with your tummy!"

The Plans: Last weekend, our church held their annual parking lot sale. I went and walked around in the 90-degree heat for a little while. I spotted a cute jungle animal fold-up baby swing at one of the booths and managed to snag it for $5! The same vendor also sold me a box of baby girl clothes - $3 for the box! I barely glanced through the box, figuring that $3 was an awesome deal no matter what was in there. Later I went through all the contents of the box and was surprised to discover adorable outfits from Children's Place, Baby Gap, and Gymboree. There was even the cutest tiny swimsuit and matching hats for some of the outfits. While we were out at the coast a couple of weekends ago, Grandma Myrna gave me a whole pile of scrap fabric to use to make bibs and burp cloths and the like. So far I have managed to make three bibs using an easy tutorial and pattern - and they are reversible! I will share pics of the cute things in a future post.

Tomorrow I get to do the whole glucola test and waddle around in the doctor's office. It should be fun. Then I get to go to the store and buy some - ahem - larger undergarments. Also fun.

Who am I kidding?

Iphone Photo Phun - Don't Be Fooled

2011-08-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

I am making the switch from Wordless Wednesday to Iphone Photo Phun, hosted by Taming Insanity. (No there are no coincidences in the fact that we both have the term insanity in our blog names and we both are currently preggo!) This is much more fun because let's face it - I ALWAYS have my life, er Iphone, with me and thus record a lot more of our family's shenanigans with it than my beautiful, expensive, large-and-doesn't-fit-well-into-any-purse-I-have DSLR camera.

We went to the coast a couple of weekends ago to visit grandparents. The Drama Queen rejoiced in the sand beneath her bare feet.

The boys bravely took to the water, which was body-numbing cold.

I took this self-portrait when I got bored of watching the kids do the same old cute things. Don't be jealous if you can't get that same wind-in-your-hair look. For some of us, it just comes naturally. . .

We enjoyed hamburgers at the Nerd's company picnic on Saturday. Never mind that the hamburgers were larger than the Spud's head.

Here is a shot of the "Chair Lift of Terror" I talked about in my previous post. How I had the presence of mind to ever pull out my Iphone and get this picture will forever be a mystery.

The kiddies got to drive around on mini-go-carts. The poor Drama Queen crashed into the siderail at every turn, hitting the gas instead of the brake. She is destined to be as great a driver as her mother. (and by the way, the Nerd gets to teach her how to drive when she turns sixteen. I'm not getting in the same vehicle as her when she starts driving!)

Here's a photo in which I tried to persuade the kids to pose sweetly together in front of Mt. Hood. yeah, don't come to this blog if you're looking for stunning family photography.

Free pony rides!

The Spud was a pro - "Mom, I don't need you! I can do this myself!"

And that was our week or so in Iphone photos. Of course I didn't take photos of the Spud stealing cheese from the fridge and placing several bitemarks in said cheese before returning it to the fridge. I also did not choose to capture a photo of the boys shredding a wet diaper and then strewing it all over the living room. Nor did I wish to record in picture form the memory of the boys smearing glue stick all over the living room furniture. Just in case you were fooled by the photos above and thought we were a "normal" family. . .

Scaredy Cat

2011-08-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

I will confess it now. I am pretty much a scaredy cat. A total wimp, if you will. At least when it comes to certain things in life.

I like to feel as if I am in control of things, and when I don't feel that, I get very scared.

Take our honeymoon, for instance. We were traveling across the United States on a road trip, stopping at various attractions and enjoying our time together. In California, we visited Universal Studios. I willingly went on every roller coaster and ride because in my (warped) mind those were carefully crafted machines and the operator had full control of what was going on. Then we came across a Van Helsing exhibit, which the Nerd thought would be a lot of fun. I was skeptical, having never seen the movie and certainly not interested in doing so, but I figured it would be like any other ride in the park. As we got to the front of the line, I realized that this was not a ride. It was a walk-through haunted house of sorts. Terrified, I looked for a way to escape but it was too late. It was our turn to enter the ride. I am surprised that I didn't leave scars in the Nerd's arm considering the way I gripped it like a lethal vise. I screamed and cried every time any thing or anybody jumped out at us or moved. Poor Nerd moved us through that house as fast as he could drag me. By the time we reached the end, I was shaking and crying, and no amount of Shrek, Spongebob, or any other cute fun stuff could erase that horrible, out-of-control experience from my mind for the rest of the day. (By the way, I am so grateful for a man that did and said all the right things even though he could not comprehend my irrational feelings and behavior.)

So this past Saturday the Nerd took the family to Mt. Hood Ski Bowl for his company picnic. We all received park passes as part of the picnic perks (wow, was that a lot of p's or what?). After thoroughly covering the kids with sunscreen and making the mandatory restroom visit before going through the park, the Nerd and I examined the map to see what would be appropriate for the kids. We quickly realized that all the little-kid-friendly stuff was at the opposite end of the park, and the Nerd concluded that the only way up there was the chair lift. I stared at the very long and very steep chair lift. Was there another way to drive up there? Could we possibly hike up to the top? Was there anything we could do to avoid the chair lift? No, apparently the Nerd felt that we should use the chair lift. That same stupid panicky feeling started to rise up in me, but I tried to squelch it when I saw the excitement on the kids' faces. Logistically though, it was going to be a nightmare. The chair lift was just two chairs across, and there were five of us. We decided that the Drama Queen would go with me and that the Nerd would take the two boys, holding the Spud on his lap. As we waited in line, I started thinking about the Beast. How would our autistic child, who can't even handle being on a playground swing, handle this? What if he had a meltdown or panic attack right when we were forty feet about the ground? I needed some reassurance here. "There are seat belts on these things, right?" I asked, sure of the answer because of course the sign wouldn't say Ages Three and Up if there weren't. (I know - stupid question people but I have never been skiing in my life and really had no idea). The Nerd looked at me as if I had grown an extra head and shook his head. "No, there's just a bar. We have to be able to jump off quickly at the end, you know." A growing terror rose up inside me. All sorts of visions of the Beast freaking out and then falling out of the chair lift invaded my mind. By the time we got up to the chair lift, I was a basket case. I was trying desperately not to show it in order not to frighten the kids. The Drama Queen looked up at me. "Will you hold my hand, Mom? I'm a little scared." I reassured her that there was nothing to be scared of (hypocrite!) and together we boarded the chair lift. Immediately the Drama Queen relaxed and leaned forward to get a better view of the scenery. I grabbed her arm and held tight, trying to relax. Next to Van Helsing, it was the most terrifying experience of my life. I just knew she would slip and fall at any second. Behind me, the Nerd gripped the Spud with one hand and held onto the Beast with the other but looked like he was enjoying the experience. We finally got to the drop off and got off. My legs were shaking, but I was so relieved to be off that lift. Then the Nerd realized that we had made a mistake in our map reading. We were not at the right place! He went over to talk to the chair lift attendant and discovered that we had not had to be on the chair lift in the first place! Apparently there was a shuttle that takes park visitors to the other end of the park. Now we had to get back on the chair lift, go all the way up to the top, and then come all the way back down to get on the shuttle to the other end of the park. The Drama Queen was thrilled that we "got" to get back on, but her momma surely wasn't! I spent the whole ride babbling about anything and everything to keep my mind off the fact that any of our kids could plummet to the ground at any second.

We finally got off the lift at the bottom of the mountain. I was never so glad to see firm ground in my life. As we walked toward the picnic area, the Nerd said to me, "Okay, that pretty much tops my list of most stressful things I have ever done in my life. Never again will I take a three-year-old and an autistic four-year-old on a chair lift by myself!" Ha! It wasn't just me then.

I have to say though that all three kids were stellar chair lift riders - they sat still and didn't whine, cry, or try to climb on the lift.

Still. It hasn't cured me, you know. When it comes to those situations, I will always be a scaredy cat. (That night I had a reoccurring nightmare that the Beast had fallen from the chair lift).

Yeah. Now you know.

Tutorial: Goomba Iphone Case

2011-08-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

So. As I mentioned in a previous post, for the Nerd's birthday he usually chooses what he wants for his birthday and then I go get it for him. This year it is apparently something Xbox-related. However, I always like to give him a little something else - usually something from ThinkGeek.com - something he would not expect that shows his wife actually pays attention when he talks on and on about his computer and gaming adventures.

This year, I didn't think of it until the day of (gulp! such a procrastinator) and after perusing the internet for ideas, I finally decided to make him a fun little case for his Iphone (or for whatever he wants to use it). I debated over favorite game and TV characters and came up with a Goomba (from Nintendo's Super Mario Bros) since it has "manly" colors and has a shape that works well with a phone case.

Want to make one too? Here's a tutorial to help you speed through the process as fast as I did (remember I made it on his birthday!) Since I was in a a bit of a hurry, there are a few changes I would make and have noted them along the way. If I were you, I would read through the tutorial first - switching steps #3 and #4 would have made things a lot easier, just sayin'.

1. First gather your materials. You will need felt in these colors: dark brown, medium brown, white, and black as well as some embroidery floss to match the felt colors. You will also need some velcro for the case closure. Tools needed are an embroidery needle and a hot glue gun.

2. Now cut out all your felt shapes. For the main case, cut one white rectangle (4.5" by 10"). For the head, cut one medium brown rectangle (4.5" by 5.5") The shoes are cut from dark brown felt and measure 1.5" by 1.75" with curved edges, as shown. The mouth is cut from black felt and measures 4.5" by .5". The other pieces do not have measurements. Cut the whites of the eyes first - 2 tear-drop-shaped pieces of white felt. Next cut the pupils of the eyes from black felt - 2 oval shapes that are smaller than the whites of the eyes. Measure the tops of the whites of the eyes and cut black eyebrows slightly larger. (I made my eyebrows one piece and folded it in half before cutting to get uniform-looking eyebrows.) The teeth are cut from white felt and are just small triangles.

3. Fold your main case piece in half so that the folded edge measures 4.5" across. Thread your needle with all six strands of white embroidery floss and blanket-stitch around the sides and bottom (folded edge) of your case. Leave the top open. (If you need help with blanket stitching, here is a great tutorial).

4. Now thread your needle with medium brown floss (all six strands again) and use a running stitch to stitch it to the back side of your case only. Do not stitch through both pieces of white felt. (this is why it would have been better to do this step first). Notice in the diagram that the brown piece is placed two inches down on each side before stitching.

5. Now blanket-stitch each side of the case flap (the brown felt.) You do not need to stitch across the top as that will be covered by the mouth.

6. Now attach your velcro pieces - one to the case flap and the opposite piece to the main case, as shown. It was hard to see the white velcro on the main case so I outlined it in pink for you :). I used hot glue to attach the velcro, but after several eager little hands opened and closed the case multiple times, the velcro on the main case came loose. I would take the time to use a few strands of embroidery floss and sew those suckers on tight!

7. All facial features and shoes should then be glued on, in the order shown in this diagram. Use hot glue and make sure your glue gets close to the edges of each piece so that it will stay firmly in place. (Don't burn yourself - use tweezers to place pieces!)

Now you have a little Goomba just ready to protect your Iphone. The measurements for the case given were for an Iphone 4, but you can certainly modify it to work for any electronic device you want. I was also thinking this little guy would make an awesome gift card holder.

I wonder what other characters would make a cute case?

Twenty-Five Weeks

2011-08-24T23:00:00.001-07:00

(sure hope you all are enjoying the view of our cracked bathroom mirror each week. classy)

The Baby: According to Babycenter, Little Sprout now weighs about a pound and a half. To demonstrate this weight, they use the comparison of a rutabaga. Oh yeah. I just was making something with rutabagas yesterday - so I totally get the comparison. Anyway, her skin is starting to smooth out, and if she will have any, her hair is growing too! All three of my other younguns were born with quite a bit of blonde hair; I think it's safe to say that Little Sprout will do the same. Unless she decides to be a redhead. There is a possibility of that.

Me: I certainly do not want to whine and complain, as this has been the "easiest" pregnancy I've had so far. However, this week was a bit tough with pregnancy migraines hitting me over the weekend and confining me to my bedroom for a solid day. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who took care of the kiddos and my children's church responsibilities and pretty much everything I normally do so that I could take that time to "sleep it off." Then, apparently summer finally decided to make an appearance here in western Oregon. The past few days, the temperatures have been in the nineties, which makes sleeping at night a little uncomfortable. We don't have any air conditioning in our bedroom downstairs - just a fan that blows all those wonderful allergens right to me. The living room does have an air conditioner - so I am claiming that as my bedroom tonight.

The Siblings: It is becoming increasingly harder for the kids to sit in my lap for story time or "ow I just got a boo-boo" time. The Spud especially is not happy about sharing his favorite place with this unknown sister of his and sometimes will stalk off in a huff when I ask him to sit next to me instead of on my lap as usual. The Drama Queen has been most aware of Momma's limitations lately and will remind me that I should probably not get on the floor to play with the kids cuz remember how hard it was to get up last time?!

The Plans: Nothing new. I am trying to get everything ready for homeschooling the Drama Queen this year; so that has been occupying most of my planning time.

Next week I get to go in and take the glucola test. Oh joy to my soul! And the weeks just keep marching along. . .

Wordless Wednesday - Thirty-One

2011-08-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

(Iphone photos - hence the blurriness)

a little fun at John's Incredible Pizza for the Nerd's 31st birthday!

more wordless fun at 5 Minutes for Mom. . .

Happy Birthday to my Man

2011-08-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today my man turns thirty-one. We celebrated with family on Friday night at John's Incredible Pizza - I don't know who had more fun at the arcade, the kids or the Nerd. :) The kids gifted him with handpicked cards and presents from the dollar store. That man is now the proud owner of several plastic sports cups, a ball gun, slime, and more. I am sure the cards - a Transformers one from the Drama Queen, a dinosaur one from the Beast, and a Dora the Explorer one from the Spud - are now prominently displayed in his cubicle.

As for me, I will buy the man whatever he wants for his birthday - he tells me and I go get it. It's verysimple and terribly noncreative or romantic - but it makes my man happy. And I am all about that. He also gets to pick any cake he wants out of my multitude of baking books. I am in the process of making a peanut butter chocolate torte for the man of the day. We are also looking forward to grilled steaks, rice, and corn tonight when he gets home from work.

Speaking of food, I founda super easy sliced baked potato recipe the other night whilst pinteresting (is that a word??) We tried it last night - amazing! Try it - it will change the way you make baked potatoes forever.

Tutorial: Fluffy Flower Headband

2011-08-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last week I mentioned in my weekly pregnancy post that I had finally completed my nursing cover. I had a few strips of fabric left over and decided to make Little Sprout a cute little flower headband for all her newborn fashion needs. I mean, how many other babies have hair accessories to match their momma's nursing cover? It turned out pretty well - so well in fact that I am pulling out some more fabrics to make her a whole set of these. And I'm thinking Big Sister and Momma wouldn't mind having their own modified versions of this flower headband.

For this fluffy flower headband, you will need: two coordinating fabric pieces (mine were just leftover strips from my nursing cover project - you won't need much!), a small piece of 1/4 " braided elastic, a sewing machine loaded with matching thread, a glue gun, a sharpie, and a soup can.

(Please excuse my model's look of disinterest. She has been around for 20+ years and has cheerfully taken all sorts of modeling abuse.)

So, first you are going to make the stretchy headband. Measure your baby's head (or the head of a doll reasonably similar to a baby's head) and double that to get the length of your fabric. Then cut out a strip that long and about three inches or so wide.

Next, fold your strip of fabric in half as shown with the wrong side out and stitch a 1/2 inch seam along the cut edges.

Using a safety pin, turn your tube of fabric right side out. Don't bother to press it - you will be scrunching it up soon enough.

Cut a piece of elastic that is just a little less than half the length of your fabric. Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and begin threading through your fabric tube. When you reach the halfway point, before the other end of your elastic disappears into the tube, sew down that end of elastic as shown.

Continue working the safety pin through the rest of the fabric tube until it comes out the other end. Scrunch your fabric until you like the way it looks, and sew down that end of the elastic/fabric as well. Make sure that on both ends, you have sewn through the fabric AND the elastic, so that the elastic will stay in place.

Match up the two ends of the fabric tube and sew together in a 1/2 inch seam. Trim down the fabric edges as shown.

Now, you are going to start working on your flower. Using a soup can, veggie can, hair spray can, or whatever you have, trace out 17 circles on the wrong side of your contrasting fabric. The larger your circles, the larger your flower will be. Cut out all 17 circles - you don't have to be too exact here. Just make sure to cut off all black marks as they will show in the completed flower.

Take one circle and fold in half and then in half again, with the right side of the fabric out, as shown.

Sew that folded circle in place on the stretchy band right where you stitched the two ends of the band together as shown. Sew diagonally across the triangular point of your folded circle.

Fold another circle the same way and sew it to the headband directly underneath the first folded circle, as shown.

Fold a third circle and sew to the headband directly next to the second folded circle. It should look like three-fourths of a circle, as shown.

Fold a fourth circle the same way and stitch in place. Notice that your stitches make a square or diamond shape. This is the first layer of your flower.

Now you will sew on the second layer of your flower in the same way. Place the first "petal" as shown in the photo above so that the petals will not be directly lying on top of each other. Continue folding circles and stitching them in place until a second layer is completed. (Four folded circles make one layer.)

Add a third layer of petals in exactly the same manner. Your flower should look like this.

Next, take another circle and fold it in half and then fold it into thirds, as shown.

Make a dot of glue with your hot glue gun at the center of your flower and press the point of this new folded circle into the glue. (use tweezers or the tips of your scissors so you won't burn your fingers!)

Do this three more times with the circles folded in half and then into thirds. Glue them in place with the hot glue gun.

Finally, take your last circle and fold it in half and then into thirds, as you did with the previous four circles. Place a dot of hot glue in the very center of your flower and press this last folded circle firmly into place.

And there you have it! An adorable, chic hairband for the equally adorable infant in your life.

In a future post, I will show you how to modify this headband to make it suitable for an older girl and even an adult. (my headband does not have as full a flower for example, and my daughter's headband has a removable flower.) Happy creating!

InstaFriday #2

2011-08-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

It's time for another Iphone photo dump, courtesy of InstaFriday from Life Rearranged and my everpresent phone to catch those little moments. So, without further ado, here's our week in grainy Iphone photos:

The Boy Scouts have been selling ice cream treats after church each week to raise money for their troop. For several weeks, we had been steadfast naysayers until the Nerd finally gave in this past Sunday, allowing the kids to pick whatever they wanted while I visualized my laundry detergent at home and fervently hoped it would erase any damage made by the popsicles.

I was very proud of Davey - although the ice cream cart advertised Spider Man popsicles, they ended up not having any. Instead of having a major meltdown, he very calmly chose another character and seemed pleased with his selection. (and in case anyone is wondering, the SpongeBob and Sonic popsicles taste awful! My kids didn't think so, but I ended up with a taste or too and they were disgusting. )

I managed to catch a few shots of party guests at our "Monkeyin' Around" bash on Saturday.

That's full-on party excitement, folks!

The birthday boy wanted me to take a picture of him and his cookie cake with my "funny phone camma." I obliged.

I have slowly been getting my feet wet in the whole couponing thing - this week I really managed to get some great deals without stressing myself out too much. With coupons and a quick trip to the local bakery outlet, I managed to get all of this for five dollars. Go me!

Surprise! They were serving up 25 cent bowls of ice cream at the splash park on Tuesday. This was a perfect scenario for me - eat the ice cream, get it all over yourself, and then go rinse off in the splash park. I call that a "win-win."

Halloween costumes have emerged from the closet as various little people around here have taken turns being Ironman, Spiderman, a shark, and Thomas the Tank Engine. Apparently the Shark likes himself a little TV time.

Library time is always a fun excursion for me. I take four kids and tell them repeatedly to be quiet and pick out their two books without disturbing the other patrons. The Spud always picks his books out in record speed because that leaves him more time to terrorize the library. Here he is searching for the key in a treasure chest "can you find?" book.

I scored some much needed girl time with my Rachels last night - no it's not a secret club; I just happen to have two close friends named Rachel. :) We hit up Panera Bread where I greatly enjoyed the above meal. The cashier had the nerve to ask me if I would like the pastry packaged up to take home later. I said to her, "Lady, look, I'm pregnant! Just put it on the tray with all the rest of the food!" We fully intended on walking through the mall or visiting the local bookstore after we ate, but conversation led us to stay firmly at that table until closing time. Ah yes. The food was very good, but the fellowship was far greater.

And that's it for this week. Now my phone is ready to capture whatever is in store for us this coming week.

Twenty-Four Weeks

2011-08-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

(my, the time is just flying by!)

The Baby: Little Sprout is the length of an ear of corn now and weighing over a whole pound. That means she gained about four ounces in the past week! (we will not discuss how much weight her mother put on in the past week). Her brain and lungs are continuing to develop and get stronger. This child is not really a kicker as much as she is a roller. At night, it feels like all she does is roll back and forth in my tummy. I can actually see her movement because it is so intense. Something tells me this little girl is going to come out rarin' to go!

Me: Just where did all that second trimester energy go? I have felt more tired in the last few days than I have in a long time. On Sunday, I made the mistake of wearing heels with ankle straps to church. I worked in children's church - meaning a lot of standing - and by the time we got home, my ankles were so swollen that the Nerd had to help me get the shoes off my feet. Today, my wonderful mother-in-law came over for a few hours to help out and cleaned house while watching the kiddos so I could get in a glorious nap.

Siblings: The Beast has been "practicing" putting a diaper on his Elmo doll so that he will be ready to help out with his little sister. :)

The Plans: I scored some more diapers for Little Sprout with an awesome deal I found on Amazon.com. Yesterday a tiny crocheted hat with interchangeable flowers arrived from Cute Kid Couture for the little one. She is going to be one stylin' little girl! Also, I finally finished my reversible nursing cover.(tutorial here) It was the most complicated sewing project I've taken on in a while, but I love the results!

There is boning in the top seam of the cover so I can still peek at baby and make any adjustments if necessary.

Its reversibility will help me not get bored, but more importantly, I will always have a clean side to use! :)

All these baby projects are getting me pretty excited about the arrival of Little Sprout. We still have a few months yet, and in just a week I will be busy with the start of school.

Hmmm. . .I do have a little of these pretty fabrics left. Something tells me Little Sprout is going to get a matching hair bow!

Wordless Wednesday - Sweet Sweet Sleep

2011-08-16T21:04:00.001-07:00

photographic evidence of a much happier sequel to yesterday's post. . .

more wordless fun at 5 Minutes for Mom...

Melatonin: A Cautionary Tale

2011-08-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago, our pediatrician introduced us to what we like to call "Amazing Grace." Its technical name is melatonin. The Beast's body does not produce enough melatonin on its own; thus before the discovery of melatonin, we had a little boy that was awake every night well past one or two in the morning. The first night we gave the Beast a small dose of melatonin was the most wonderful night as a parent I had ever experienced, after I got over the shock of him going to sleep so quickly. Since then, he has taken it every night, and we have had much better nights because of it. Every once in a while, the melatonin seems to have an opposite effect, in which the Beast becomes extremely wired and barely sleeps at all.

Yesterday was as usual a crazy day for us - Sundays always are! It is always a terrible chore to get the boys to nap on a Sunday afternoon, and we are rarely successful. However, on this particular day, the Beast had run off to do his business in the bathroom, and I could hear suspicious noises coming from his place of business. You know, the kind of noises that immediately make you jump up from your chair and bang on the bathroom door, demanding to know what on God's green earth was going on in there. When the Beast finally emerged, I could tell he was trying to hide the fact that he had just put something in his mouth. "What is that? Spit it out right now!" my not-so-calm self shouted. The Nerd managed to pry his mouth open and discovered that somehow the Beast had gotten hold of his bottle of melatonin and had eaten an entire pill. I was relieved - I knew it wouldn't hurt him, and we both thought perhaps this would be the thing to persuade the boys to nap. We gave a tiny bit to the Spud as well, and within minutes, both boys were snoozing away. Gloriousness! This meant a very tired and pregnant momma could get a nap in too!

Then bedtime arrived. After the usual routines of teeth brushing, bathroom going, and pajama clothing, it became very clear that the boys were NOT going to sleep. They became hysterical and giggly and very very LOUD. Every time the Nerd went in for a "visit" to help them remember what the meaning of bedtime was, they just giggled louder and rolled around on the floor. It was very LATE before the boys finally fell into a restless sleep.

Cue Monday. I woke up with the exhaustion that comes from birthday celebrations, over-excited kids, and children's church (now that's another story). The boys were already awake and in the same giddy mood with which they had gone to bed. They dumped all the clothes out of their dresser drawers. They ripped up valuable papers. They made the living room look like a hurricane had hit it in a matter of seconds. They hit their sister and screamed silly things at the top of their lungs. They threw their breakfast on the floor while laughing hysterically. They did all these things ALL DAY. I literally was just seconds away from listing them on Craigslist when the Nerd walked in the door. Dinner was a disaster as we anxiously counted down the minutes until the boys mercifully went to bed and FELL ASLEEP.

The bottle of melatonin is now on a shelf so high I have to use a stepladder to get it. Moral of the story? Never never never melatonize your children for a nap. Unless, of course, you thrive on having DEMONS terrorizing your home the next day. . .

How to Have a Monkey Party

2011-08-15T08:40:00.001-07:00

I debated a long time over the theme for the Spud's birthday party this year. He is an avid lover of cars, trains, and really anything with wheels; so any of these seemed natural choices for party themes. However, the Spud just happened to born at the same time as a bunch of girls in our group, and I wondered how many of his little girly friends would enjoy a car-themed party. I finally settled on a monkey party, since he wanted to have his party at the local park. (Plus, we call him "little monkey" all the time!)

The invitations were handed out a few weeks in advance, all tied up with monkey ribbon.

We asked guests to come join us at our favorite local park for some "monkeyin' around" at the playground and the splash park. All they needed to bring was some stuff to get wet in and a wrapped squirt gun or water toy for the gift exchange.

Food and treats were super easy to make for this theme. The monkey cupcakes were the stars of the show - made with chocolate-frosted cupcakes, nilla wafers, and marshmallows.

I used a simple styrofoam cone from the Dollar Tree to create a monkey lollipop tree. The little monkeys were hot-glued onto the suckers and then stuck into the tree for party favors.

The funky monkey leis made of froot loops and string were a big hit with the party guests. They could run around and play while carrying their snack with them wherever they went. These actually did not take too long to make, and as a bonus, the Beast helped me and got a fine motor skills activity in for the day.

The day turned out slightly cool and overcast - not ideal for getting wet. Still, friends buddied up quickly to tackle the slides and monkey bars and swings.

The Spud was overjoyed that his friend Pursy could come to his party. (Apparently summer birthday parties are harder than I thought - everyone is already on vacation or committed to something else when you invite them!) Pursy and Spud chased each other all over the playground, and that girl never let that balloon out of her sight.

Little friends hung out near the picnic tables with the grownups and waited patiently for snacks and cupcakes.

I tried to make the snacks not only coordinate with the theme but also with the Spud's favorite treats. Besides the cupcakes, lollipops, and froot loop leis, we had "monkey munch" (chocolate animal crackers and marshmallows), peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and fruit snacks. The tables were decorated with red streamers, colorful balloons, and an inflatable monkey. (all from the dollar store - cha-ching!)

At one point, all of our monkeys were in a huge tree on the playground property.

The gift exchange went over well. Everyone got to open one wrapped water toy - we went from youngest to oldest. After all the gifts were opened, the trading commenced until everyone was happy with the toy they received.

Later, after everyone left and we had finished cleaning up our party area, the weather warmed up enough for our three kiddos to quickly change into their swimsuits and go play in the splash park for ten minutes or so. We ended our special day by driving over to the local Burgerville, where they were featuring "throw-back prices" for one day only. Three very tired and happy littles munched cheeseburgers and fries and slurped their chocolate milkshakes before heading off to bed.

Success! I still can't believe my little monkey is three! I must admit though that this preggo momma is exhausted from all the party planning. No more parties for a while!

Three Already

2011-08-13T20:13:00.001-07:00

Oh my sweet little man, tomorrow you turn all of three years old. It seems that just in the past few weeks you have grown up so much. You are becoming quite the potty pro and such a helper to your momma. :) It has been so much joy to be your momma and to celebrate this special birthday with you this weekend.

You requested mac'n'cheese and hamburgers for your birthday dinner, but you were way too excited about your presents to eat a single bite. Apparently your brother and sister were pretty excited too!

I knew you would be getting plenty of cake the next day at your monkey party; so we decided on a cookie pizza for our family celebration. You probably poked at the frosting at least a dozen times before dinner, with the excuse that you "were just looking at your cool cake." Your brother beat you to blowing out the candles, but I wasn't about to let you miss your moment. I made your daddy relight them so you could do it yourself, and you did it in one glorious breath.

The wrapping paper excited you just as much as what was inside. It probably helped that your brother and sister kept chanting, "Open it! Open it!"

The pirate ship was a big hit - not only with you but with your brother and sister as well. I guess you'll have to learn how to share it. :)

And Grandma and Grandpa knew just what to get our growing little man - a big boy bike (in a Cars theme of course!)

And apparently we can never go wrong with Thomas. You immediately begged to have your new track sets put together so you could spend some time pushing your favorite trains around the tracks. You didn't even want to stop so you could go over to grandma and grandpa's house for a sleepover.

I guess I can't stop you from getting older. But amid all the grown-up things you are trying to do, I still see bits and pieces of my little boy, patiently playing with his trains or snuggling up with Momma to watch a favorite Veggie Tales.

I love you, Spud! Happy Happy birthday to you!

Twenty-Three Weeks

2011-08-12T12:37:00.001-07:00

the Baby: Our Little Sprout now weighs the same as a large mango (about one pound) and measures about a foot long. She really responds to music now and loves to dance with her momma. Her cochlea is fully formed so she can hear the noises all around her. She's probably getting ready for the noise level that comes with three older siblings.

Me: I am outgrowing some of my maternity clothes already. This is not a good sign. A whole set of contractions yesterday caused me to do the whole"lie down on my side and drink a lot of water" thing until they settled down. I guess I may have overdone it a little this week (hello, nature hike, cleaning spree, shopping trips, anyone?)

The Siblings: The Spud has taken to "tickling" his newest sibling - that is, poking Momma's belly button repeatedly and saying, "I tickle the baby, I tickle the baby." The Beast still has long talks with her every day. The Drama Queen always reminds us at family devotion time to pray for the baby and is constantly cautioning the boys to "be careful - Momma's got a baby in her tummy, you know."

The Plans: I purchased Little Sprout's first box of diapers this week - got a good deal using some coupons and a store sale. They look so tiny! I also planned out a list of DIY projects to complete before the arrival of Little Sprout. The name is definite now, and I enjoy talking to her and calling her by her name. (when no one else is around, of course. We aren't even telling the kids the name until she is born.)

At the same time I am planning for Little Sprout's eventual arrival, I am also planning the birthday celebration of my baby Spud. I spend some time looking at adorable tiny outfits for Little Sprout and then wonder how in the world my youngest (right now anyway) made it to age three already! It makes me a little sad - but hey, we are going to celebrate with the wiggliest, happiest monkey party ever!

InstaFriday #1

2011-08-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well this is the first time I am actually participating in InstaFriday, hosted by the lovely Life Rearranged. This is mostly because I FINALLY uploaded the Instagram app to my Iphone, and I am in love. It is the simplest thing, but trying out all the different filters on my photos is a lot of fun. Anyway, here goes:

We've been playgrounding it a lot lately. I get bored with the same old, same old - so this summer I've been looking up different play areas online and trying to take the kiddos to as many parks as possible. This one had a couple of those old-fashioned metal slides that are really tall and rickety. Way to give your momma a heart attach, kiddo!

The kids' favorite game to play lately is Pirates. They run around the playground structures swinging imaginary swords, shouting "Argh" and "Walk the plank matey!" as often as possible while pretending to do piratey things.

On Monday, I took the kids on a "nature walk." (translation: I found the closest thing to "hiking" in our city and drove the kids there.) I gave each child a ziploc bag to collect their treasures. The Drama Queen was obsessed with the wildflowers, especially the daisies.

The trail ran close to the river so I kept an eye out for any kids who looked like they might be ready to take a swim. The Spud initiated most of the daring behavior, climbing rocks that I was sure held hidden spiders and snakes and reaching into the holes of tress.

The boys mostly collected a few rocks and several particles of dirt and cottonwood pollen (thanks, guys!) The girls filled their bags with a variety of flowers to be pressed later as well as interesting leaves, stones, and twigs. Although she didn't know it at the time, the Drama Queen also included a tiny inchworm in her bag - a worm named Lowly that now resides in a plastic cup in our kitchen. Please note the Drama Queen's French braid - she's been asking for them a lot lately. :)

And of course I tried out a self-portrait with the Instagram app. Pregnancy is making my hair grow like crazy, and I am letting it (for now!).

And now it's off to finish up the final party preparations for a little boy who is about to turn THREE! Where has my baby gone?

Doughn't Knock It

2011-08-10T23:00:00.001-07:00

until you've tried it!

On my "spend-more-time-with-the-kids-and-less-time-on-the-computer" agenda was the making of homemade playdough. The kids enjoyed adding all the ingredients to my mixer and watching the playdough form. Due to laziness and a great desire to see no fighting over colors, I decided to make all the playdough green. Hey, they mix the colors anyway, right? We spent hours making creations from our homemade concoction. I think it was a bit dry and salty in texture, but it worked well enough that I will just tweak it a little the next time I make it.

Despite several pieces of playdough that ended up ground into the carpet, I completely reveled in the time with my creative little people. These carefree, easy playtimes won't be around forever.

Wordless Wednesday - Introducing Lowly

2011-08-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

. . . we accidentally brought home a little visitor from our nature walk the other day. . .

more wordless fun at 5 Minutes for Mom...

Creative Endeavors

2011-08-09T08:23:00.001-07:00

I've been in a bit of a creative haze lately. As in, I am bookmarking DIY projects like crazy and planning out an insane amount of crafty things to complete before Little Sprout arrives. Last week was particularly productive in the creative arena.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I really wanted to try this flip-flop makeover. I found an old pair of flip flops that were ready to throw out two seasons ago, and with a little matching fabric, I transformed them into these cute ruffly T-strap sandals.

The Drama Queen saw my "new" sandals and wanted a pair for herself. She had no pair of flip flops (we tend to go the Crocs route for the littles around here) so off we went to Old Navy to score a cheap pair of the current favorite color - yellow. She chose some leftover Amy Butler fabric from my stash for her ruffly straps. I had enough left over to make her a matching belt. (the poor girl cannot keep a pair of jeans or skirt up without one!) Even at age five, though, she struggles to keep flip flops on her feet when she walks. I think it's because little kids don't have a deep enough crevasse between their big toe and second toe. Anyway, today I am going to sew on little elastic straps on the back to help those cuties stay on her feet!

The Drama Queen's best friend is at our house every day - so naturally she needed a pair too. We couldn't find her size at Old Navy, but my favorite store Target filled our need with a fun pair of pink flip flops. Little J. ended up choosing a fabric that matched the purse the girls had made in our "home ec" class, and I think they turned out super adorable. :)

On Friday, I was blessed to have my mother-in-law take all the kiddos for the day. I need a hair band to push my hair out of my face but couldn't find one that went with my outfit. Still in "I can sew" mode, I decided to make my own. I think it turned out rather well. The big flower was in part inspired by the ruffles I sewed on all those flip flops. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of each step of the process - so a tutorial will have to wait for a little while. I like it so much though that I am going to make it in a few more fabrics - hence an opportunity for tutorial photos.

The project currently on the table is a nursing cover for Little Sprout. I originally was going to make a very simple one, but once I saw the tutorial for this reversible cover, I was hooked. It is almost finished! Here is a sneak peek at the fabrics I chose.

We'll see how long these creative juices last. . .

Blended

2011-08-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Although school ended for the Beast on Thursday, it will only be a few short weeks before he goes back for the fall semester. Hopefully things go smoothly on these days that his schedule changes.

On Friday, I got an unexpected call from the Beast's main teacher. He told me that all of the Beast's teachers had been discussing his progress over the past year, and after a lot of talk, they felt that our Davey would be better suited to the blended class come fall. The blended class consists of some kids like Davey and also quite a few "normal" kids. It is run more like a classroom, with just two teachers instead of the several he's used to and with a structured curriculum similar to a kindergarten class instead of the one-on-one help he has been getting.

I am very excited for him - this means that progress is being made! On the other hand, I am a little nervous for him. Being in a blended class means he is going to have to work a lot harder to meet the same goals as his peers. It will challenge him in ways he hasn't been before. And most importantly, it is going to be a big change for him, and the Beast does not always handle change very well.

All the same, we are encouraged at this "promotion" and look forward to our Davey learning and growing even more!

Thinking Back

2011-08-06T21:02:00.001-07:00

A year ago, I was blessed to take my daughter on a fun mommy/daughter trip all the way to Ontario, Canada, to visit my sister, her husband, and her new baby girl for two weeks.

We snuggled up on the airplane while the Drama Queen talked about anything and everything . And I got to listen - and revel in this time I had to devote to just one child. I had no idea that within a year she would no longer be my "only daughter." It makes me doubly glad we splurged a little to take this special trip - just me and my girl.

The time I got to spend with my tiny baby niece and the time that my daughter got to spend with her tiny baby cousin was priceless. It makes me excited to see her interact and bond with her baby sister in just a few months.

The relationship of a mother and her daughter is so precious. For a long time now, it has just been the Drama Queen and I, holding our own in a house of boys. Although we are extremely excited for the arrival of Little Sprout, I want to treasure these last moments of "just me and her" before we add another girl to the mix. This past Thursday night I surprised her and took her to Movie in the Park for a mommy/daughter date, armed with homebaked chocolate chip cookies and a warm blanket.

Here's hoping for many more sweet moments like these!

Clara

2011-08-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, I asked my blog readers to please pray for my niece Clara. She had suddenly experienced a series of seizures that had caused her to go in and out of consciousness and had sent her to the hospital there in South Korea where they had been living. Since then, Clara has had seizures here and there and has struggled physically in some areas. The family moved to Florida last summer and has been seeking answers for Clara since then.

You may remember that this is the same family that lost baby Jack earlier this year. Life certainly has given them a lot to handle this year. Tom and Laura finally were able to get a diagnosis for Clara this past week - she has Rasmussen's Encephalitis, a rare inflammatory disease that affects one hemisphere of the brain and causes a lot of seizures, mental deterioration, etc. I am no expert on the subject so here's the link if you want to learn more about Rasmussen's Encephalitis. At any rate, Clara will have to have a brain surgery known as hemispherectomy, in which the surgeons will disconnect the side of her brain that is experiencing all the seizures. This is a risky but necessary surgery - it will probably cause partial paralysis in the opposite side of the body from the brain hemisphere they disconnect. She will also most likely experience some vision and speech problems. The surgeons are hoping that the surgery will stop or at least diminish the seizures so that eventually they can start trying to recover some of the lost brain cells. It is such a rare disease that scientists aren't even sure what causes it, let alone how to treat it or help it.

So I am asking that once again, you lift up my niece Clara in prayer. She has a lot ahead of her, and I know her family would definitely appreciate your prayers as they go through this together. They are thankful to finally have a diagnosis and at least some answers. God will answer the rest!

Twenty-Two Weeks

2011-08-04T08:16:00.001-07:00

The Baby: She is almost a foot long now - the length of a spaghetti squash. (incidentally a fact that sent my five-year-old into hysterics. Apparently the words spaghetti and squash together are one funny combination!) Little Sprout has tiny lips, eyelids, and eyebrows that are forming as well. According to the last ultrasound, she is measuring completely up to date in everything except head circumference. It's a week or so behind - meaning SMALL, and this momma would not mind a bit having a baby with a small head for once.

Me: I am feeling a lot more pregnant than I actually am - maybe it's the heat or crazy children constantly demanding my time. Obviously I changed my hair color again. It looks a little red in the picture, due to harsh, unforgiving bathroom lights - but it is really a deep chocolate brown. I love it, and it will probably stick around for a while. I think it will be an especially good color to have after the baby is born - easy upkeep and not so much root coverage needed. I also decided to grow out my bangs - yeah, that phase passed by pretty quickly. As always, when I work a week of VBS, I got a nasty cold. Ick - but my doctor approved Sudafed as necessary to help with the symptoms, especially at night so I can sleep.

The Siblings: The boys are starting to get a little impatient for Little Sprout's arrival. Reminders that she isn't coming until close to Christmas are not helping. Every day the Beast asks if he can help take care of the baby when she comes. So sweet. The Spud thinks we just have to drive to the airport to pick her up - a recent pick-up of the grandparents at the airport must have triggered that one.

The Plans: Nothing super new this week. I think we have settled on a name, although I reserve the right to change my mind at any time. :) We are going to wait until Little Sprout arrives to announce the name - it will be a fun surprise for everyone. It's going to drive my mother-in-law crazy, but hey, we all need a little fun here and there, right?

And just one week ago, my little nephew Callum Levi made his arrival safely into this world. My sister is now adjusting to life with two littles - haha she knows she can call me for advice or commiseration anytime. I am pretty excited about our growing family. When Little Sprout arrives, she will bring the total of grandchildren for my parents up to seventeen.

and that's about it for week 22...

Wordless Wednesday - Who Needs a Pool?

2011-08-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

. . . my little men spent hours on Saturday dumping pitchers of water over their own heads. ah, life's simple little pleasures. . .

(and did I mention that both of them HATE to have their hair washed and rinsed during bathtime?!)

more wordless fun at 5 Minutes for Mom. . .