You know it's a bad when...

You wake up sick.  And I mean SICK.  Fever, cough, runny nose, OD on Nyquil type sick.  I walk out of my bedroom and a certain 4 year old is lying on the floor outside my door.  He only ever does that when he's sick. "oh no, Trouble #3 is sick.", say I.  "Yeah.", states Trouble 1 and 2 sitting in the family room watching TV.  "He puked".  Puked?  Oh no, "where?" I yell.  In his bed.  Ok, containment, that's good.  I strip the sheets, start the laundry, cancel therapy, rearrange my day.  Now I have to go to the market now,as opposed to after therapy.  I tell the kids to get ready for co-op and I run to the store.  Ginger ale, rice, gatorade, chicken broth, salsa.  Stuff for sickness.  Come home kids help carry in bags.  Babe is running around outside with just a diaper.  Get her inside I think as I shoo with my foot holding all my bags.  I hear glass breakage behind me. "Oh oh" says sufer gal.  Deal with it after Babe is inside.  In the kitchen Trouble #2 is screaming, yes screaming, something about she needed help, it was too heavy, yada, yada.  I see the problem.  She carried in the apple cider I had just bought as a surprise.  The gallon of apple cider.  Apparently a gallon of liquid is too heavy for her to carry and she just dropped it.  On the floor.  Too which the cheap plastic split, spilling said apple cider all over kitchen floor.  Let's refresh...I'm sicker than sick, puke upstairs, salsa on driveway, apple cider in kitchen, baby in a diaper, running late for co-op.  Awesome.  Some days you just need a do over.   Then you have a hurricane 4 days later and lose electricity for 4 days.  Sometimes the whole week need to be a do over.


Just to clarify, the glass did get picked up, salsa washed off driveway, kitchen floor got scrubbed, diaper changed, kids got to co-op, I bought new apple cider and salsa, had chicken soup for dinner, and everybody got to bed early. It was a 24 hour puke virus that was contained to one kid.  I went to the Dr..  It was a learning experience...be grateful for the little things. :)

I am a very bad blogger.

There, I got that out of the way.

 

School's back in session.  I don't know why I always say, "life is so hectic right now."   I really think that this business is just our new normal...and I'm in denial.  Gone are the days of sleeping in, going out, watching TV shows at their regularly scheduled times (thankful for DVRs, I do have a few favorites).  And I'm OK with that, most of the time. 


School is busy.  Science fairs, drama plays, costumes, field trips, Mina projects, reading, reading, reading, notebooking, math pages, how to write your last name, reading.  Then there is laundry.  Oh, the laundry.  Sometimes I just need a break, a time to sit back and just be.  Just be quiet with Jesus.  I struggle with that.  I need to intentionally be with God in quiet, more often.  Life will still be warp speed, but God's speed is so much calmer than my speed.  No matter how fast it is.

Lazy days of summer?

Surfer dude surprised me one morning with these delectable niblits. Cherries dipped in CoolWhip and sprinkled with mini choco chips.  Mmmmmmmmm.  Isn't he the sweetest?!

One cute kid.  One proud papa scorekeeper.

This picture proves that one can still be incredibly cute even though we are very sick and have really bad hair

Whoever said lazy days of summer?  That person obviously did not have children.  Nothing is lazy about summer.  Except maybe my cooking.  I tend to cook a lot less, and when I do, it's a lot simpler.  We have been so busy with Surfer dude's travel baseball team.  Tournaments almost every weekend, practice every Tuesday, and a scrimmage, or two (or three) thrown in there when ever they could.  It's been fun watching him learn how to play better baseball.  Games can be INTENSE!  Too intense sometimes for this momma.  The kids on both teams play hard.  My little boy is growing up fast.  August he turns 13.  Teenager in the house!  Our  first.  Eeeek! Behavior wise I feel sometimes as if we are turning a corner.  Then again, sometimes I don't. Mornings are still tough, but I feel as if our battles are fewer, albeit they may be a bit stronger at times.  Him pulling away from mom.  Mom trying to hold on tight.  I've been learning to loosen up my grasp.  As hard as it may be.  I have 5 years to help guide his heart.  I remember someone at one point asking me why we home schooled, and what were we going to do about a prom.  Lord, help me.  We have also been struck with the pneumonia bug.  The babe had pneumonia and double ear infections and was down and out of commission for a few days.  Almost had a trip to ala hotel CHOP.  She is a strong chickie though and amazed everyone with her quick rebound.  She is now walking.  I mean she is a walker.  No more crawling, even on grass, stones, driveway....  You name it.  Man, girlfriend gets around.  I should be thin.  I have however tried to intentionally, through all this craziness, slow down and look at and enjoy more of my children.  Tousle their hair, kiss the tiny feet, and hug all of them.  Let them get dirty.  Enjoy water play, with them.  Tell them I love them.  Tell them Jesus loves them.  Go barefoot.  Paint tiny toenails.  Eat popsicles.  Summer is almost over.  It's been a good one. :)

What was once old, is now new again

Ok, I admit I watched Mr. Rogers every day growing up, and I loved him.  Surfer Dude watched him in his early years, before the show went off air.  We loved Mr. Rogers.  We miss Mr. Rogers.  They just don't have quality TV like this anymore.  This totally rocks!   I think Mr. Rogers would like it.  We need more Mr. Rogers, less SpongeBob.

heartache overwhelming

DOB: 2007

Diagnosis: irritated intestines, gastritis, epilepsy

Gemma was raised by her birth mother until she was 2 years old. At that time, she was placed in an orphanage where she received very little medical intervention or care for her development. She’s now almost 5 years old and weighs just 18 pounds. She is delayed in all aspects of her development and spends a majority of her time laying in a crib. Due to problems with her intestines, she often gets bloated after eating and possibly experiences reflux as well.

Reality sucks sometimes.  It is fact that this child was raised by her birth mother for 2 years before coming to the orphanage.  I don't know what that reality was like for her.  But, truth is, reality at the orphanage is that she is not, and never has, received the attention and medical intervention and just plain old every day care that she needs. 5 years old, 18 pounds.  Why is this ok?  When are we going to step up to the plate and say this is NOT okay?  When are we going to step out of our comfort zone and do something?  This child has 2 months for a family to step up.  Otherwise her file gets sent back, and she remains in a crib.  There are so many, just like her.  I am overwhelmed by the sheer greatness of heartache I have for these children.  www.reecesrainbow.org

Game Ball

It was a bittersweet day.  We had our last T-ball game.  We had a great team this year.  Our coaches were fantastical, and the team parents were a lot of fun to hang around with.  We really enjoyed the games.  The kids had a blast!  They are stoked for next year.  Every game a new player got a game ball.  The coaches were so good at picking out something special each child did that particular game as the "reason" they got that particular game ball.  By the end of the season every kid had gotten the coveted "GAME BALL".  Last game of the season, do you know what our coaches did?  They gave every kid on the team a "GAME BALL".  What a great group of guys.  My kids were so excited.

 As tiring as spending a day at the fields could be, we really enjoyed this baseball season.  I became quite good at making picnics for us to partake in, so we were not spending a fortune at the snack bar.  We had a bag of toys and a blanket for the babe to keep her occupied, as well as bug spray,sunscreen, and cases upon cases of gatorade and juice bags.  We won some, we lost some, we tied lots (t-ball and coach pitch don't keep score).  We ate dust, sat through rain, had our fair share of hotdogs, and spit sunflower seeds.  We cheered, we didn't boo, we clapped, we laughed, we bit our nails with suspense, we volunteered, we coached (even when we weren't supposed to).  It was a good time.  I am grateful for our little league.  Not all little leagues are like ours; I know; we've been in them.  But, we finally found a good one.  And I am so grateful.  It is filled with wonderful coaches, great kids, awesome parents, and wholesome ideas, and the snack bar serves a mean burger - hot off the grill.  Thank you Upper Providence Little League, for another year of fond memories.

Schools out...for the summer!

Well well well.  Another year done.  How we consistently make it through year after year of home schooling baffles me at times.  As my older kids get older and push away looking for that independence, schooling becomes harder and harder.  I want, no, I NEED to give them more independence with their schooling.  Yet, those initials...ADHD, ODD...well, they are naysayers.  They make "independence" a very.hard.word.  It reminds me of the Rudolph cartoon I watched as a kid (and I admit still watch, but now only because my kids want to - sure).  Rudolph and Hermie the dentist, off on their adventure, trying to be "independent".  They get themselves into a lot of trouble, and end up back at Santa's, all working harmoniously together.  My house is not harmonious however.  Homeschooling can and does affect the relationships I have with my children.  And it is not always positive.  I struggle every summer with what I should do in the fall...homeschool/not homeschool.  In the end homeschooling always wins, at least it has for the past 8 years.  Next year I will have an 8th grader, a 5th grader, a 1st grader, a kindergardener and a preschooler, and the babe continues with her 7 hours/week of therapy, that's school enough for a 2 year old.  I feel like we are hanging out here on the island of misfit toys, not yet back at Santa's working and singing and being all joyous and elf-like.  I'm the train with square wheels.  But that train eventually found his way to Santa's sack and made it to a little boy's house on Christmas Eve.  And I am determined to give my children what they need.  Whether that be by private, public, or home schooling method is yet to be seen for the coming year.  But gosh darn it we did it again!  We got through another year.  And my kids are smarter than when they started, and they are happy, and I am still alive, albeit greyer.  Independence is important, but family is what matters most.  We are not an A+ homeschool.  My kids will never be in a spelling B.  We will not graduate from high school at the age of 16.  But hopefully, my children will look back on this with fond memories.  As for now the dog days of summer are calling my name, along with a few hundred loads of laundry.

"Behold, children are a gift from the Lord," -Psalm 127:3