The New Normal

Well, we have started life at home with our four beautiful children. It is so nice to be home; all together. The New Normal.

And it is the old normal. I got the two older kids to school - both on time! :-) Unfortunately it was pouring down rain in the afternoon to pick up the kids. I haven't been out in that hard drenching rain for quite some time. (My shoes were not adequate for the rain and had water running through my toes, eww!) Good thing I had both the car seat and the stroller to protect Baby Might Mouse from all that rain! But I do see I need to ScotchGuard both canopies.

Grammy left around noon today, sob. She got lunches ready then had to catch the ferry. Big D was at work all day today catching up after getting home from Seattle, but all was well with the kiddos and baby so the day went well. I am feeling extremely tired right now and am hoping to go to bed after the 7pm feeding/8pm meds.

Still, I am feeling "ahead", I guess because I am coming home with a 10 day old baby instead of a 2 day old baby. That is nice. We were able to get good feedings right away at the hospitals without interruptions (read: refereeing the other kids, etc.) He is already on a fairly good schedule - approx. 3 hours between feedings, except after the meds at 8pm where he does get pretty sleepy and goes more like 4 1/2 hours between feedings - fine with me - more sleep time!!

I wonder what tomorrow holds? (Maybe some picture posting... no promises.)

School Starts... Blogging Stops?

Is this how it works? I was wanting more "schedule" in my day, but is this it? Is there really a schedule? Ummm, where does blogging fit in???

Maybe I'm just not there yet. I was having the B man get his shoes on a whole hour before we were supposed to leave to get the H girl yesterday... totally messed up on time. (Granted it takes him a while to get them on, but a bit extreme in this case!)

I am not settled into a routine for sure. The kids are getting closer to it, though it has been a transition for B to go to school on different days than last year (M,W,F instead of T,TH). He gets confused with that. H seems to like going everyday.

And they are so tired! This PM kindergarten/preschool stuff is hard on us! The kids need naps still, but doing them when we get home is too late, too close to bed time - not that they would do it at 4PM anyway... And after being babies they have not napped before lunchtime so that is out of the question now. A couple times I have gotten B to sit with me for some quiet time on the couch with his blanket before lunch, but never H.

So we are working on it.

It just seems like we are spending our mornings just waiting for lunch to come around so we can go to school. There isn't yet any real defined activity times that we do things in the morning except the TV goes off by 8/8:30 depending on what time we are done with breakfast... then get dressed and then free playtime with a small snack around 9:30 and then lunch around 11:15/30 (so we can get toys put away, ready to leave for school around 12:05.)

So writing it out here, it looks like I could (if I really wanted to/had the energy to/really obeyed what I should do...) put in some kind of Mommy&Kids activity between 9:30 and 11:30. I have thought of a "chore jar", or some Christian homeschool curriculum (just something light and fun since H is in public school now not Christian preschool anymore), or some other form of activity.

Here are some thoughts now that I am sitting in the quiet (yes, older two are quietly playing together and lil'D is napping...) and thinking...

Maybe one day is "game day" to play board games or outside together (Monday?);
another a "learning day" for worksheets or special Bible reading, etc. (Wednesday?);
maybe two days of the "chore jar" (Tues/Thurs);
and what for another day?? "Art", "Kids choice"? ...hmmm, those scare me a little! :)

(I would love to hear some more ideas from anyone here...)

Not to mention filling in the time with the things I need to be doing like dishes, laundry (I have already noticed that I am not hanging out the laundry as often because of the time crunch...bummer), other cleaning, figuring out dinner.

I have already been able to determine I am not going to get through this (hmmm...life?) without a meal plan for the week, and I am not going to be able (usually, depending on the meal) to get away with "starting dinner" after the kids get home from school (3:30-4 ish.) There are too many needs/wants the kids all have during that time that I just can't focus on the kitchen stuff...which is usually a disaster by that time anyway. I feed the kids a small snack when they get home and we talk about their day, but with lil' D being awake also, he isn't willing to sit for as long as the other kids, and then "the chase is on."



It is so hard not to turn on that TV and "plug them in" for awhile... but I am doing really well so far at not until I "have to" to get through. (Oh, yeah, yesterday was a bad day, I was quite a grouch from 3 'till 6 ish...headache, mean, tears, ask for forgiveness, etc..) :-{ So, when the older two are at school, I need to get any errands done while in town, then come home, entertain lil'D (because he rarely has a nap after the morning one... ...gee, he has a bit of a strange schedule, but it seems to work for him), give him some "Mommy time" - he loves sitting and reading books then- and trying to get what I can going for dinner while chasing an 18 month old out of the kitchen. Fun, fun! :-)

And, looking at it all from this vantage point, it is fun.

Or at least like mostly fun,
should be fun,
except the tough parts,
and that is my call to reach out to God for help.

I am reading a great book right now, really inspiring, called Passionate Housewives Desperate for God and it is really helping me to see God's vision for women/mothers. It is a quick read; unless you want to look up every verse referenced for context, and then it will take you f-o-r-e-v-e-r! There is a lot of Scripture packed in there - it would be a great book to pass along to young Christian wives/mothers, maybe for Christmas? It is far from being about perfectionism - since there is only One who is perfect! But real. Written from the vantage point of real women who have been there, who are there, who have lived to tell about the blessings.


So, as it goes, we are working on it. I am working on it. A life in process. Hopefully progress!

For I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you
will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

Houseguests, yea!! :-)

Well, this week we are having "Aunt Shay and Uncle Z" here with us up from Nevada (Hi Shay when you read this!) :-) Actually they were in Hawaii directly before coming here and since it was raining here yesterday and in the low 60's they aren't feeling the "weather love" right now! Good thing they each brought one pair of long pants and a sweatshirt!

We had a relaxing day yesterday; well as relaxing as a day can be with a super hyper/excited 5 year, 4 year, and 17 month olds can be!! They were so excited to see their aunt and uncle that they were just off the wall crazy. And seeing as Aunt Shay and Uncle Z don't have kids yet, they were a little overwhelmed. Uncle Z told Nana they were having a week of future birth control while they were here. (I'll have to remind him that they don't usually come 3 at a time and they don't even need to have that many, although they really are a blessing, really. A blessing!) They may never visit once we have four! :-(

Today it is beer-making day for the guys. D has had this kit forever and has never gotten around to using it. We will see how it goes. Brewing update later this week, beer update in a couple months...

I have been making Raisin Cinnamon bread in the machine - YUM! It dissapears rather quickly, though! I still haven't tried the wheat bread from Angel yet, but it is next on the list.

Probably less posting this week because of guests. Talk to you again soon! May the rest of your week be blessed!

Family IS important - by actions

I have an awesome extended family.

We went to Kent this weekend to celebrate a surprise 70th birthday party for my Uncle. It was a blast. There were over 50 relatives there, some driving from over 8 hours away. Uncle was totally surprised, he thought he was just coming over for a game/cards night to his sons house and then after he came in we all filed in from the back deck and he was so surprised everyone was there, too. (Glad there was no heart attack involved!)

There were same age cousins for our kids to play with as well as Grammy and Papa and older cousins in their 20's that couldn't help but play with all the kids. It was a little cold and drizzly off and on, but that didn't stop the festivities. There were tent canopies and propane heaters that kept us comfy outside and a fine space inside for conversing and meeting the newest cousin baby Abby - 2 weeks old over from Olympia.

I just love that we can be teaching our children that family is important, not by saying it, but by showing it. By going to these functions, having people over, but mostly, just by making the effort that is required to do this now that everyone is spread out. I wish we were better about hosting functions, but I guess we are a little "out of the way" out here - you know, anything North of Everett must be in Canada! But we have done a couple things since we have been over here and the kids loved having everyone at their house.

Something in me (probably the grown-up me after being an only child) really loves having family around. I love seeing everyone and talking. I love the business of it. I love having those people out there that you love and know love you back. Of course, I still like my hermit time at home and the quiet time I used to have as an only child. Maybe because I was "alone" growing up (and I'm sure loved it then, but it is different as an adult not to have any siblings) I love having this extended family now that is so "close". I am also blessed to be part of a loving in-law family. I now have a sister and brother and the in-laws that go with them. It is great.

If you love your family, show it. Go there, do that trip. Take the time. Be involved. They're not? Host a party. Have a game night. Go watch Jeopardy with the older ones. Most of all, make the effort. You only have a limited time. Don't regret it later.