Progress... in small bits ...

I was really struggling to make progress this morning when I realized at 10:20 that I'd never eaten breakfast so ...... Rachel and I sat on the couch, ate leftover Asian noodles with edamame and watched Jimmy Neutron. It was nice break and I love that Rachel likes grown-up food. It makes me laugh to see her sucking out the beans in her edamame. The older kids were at the library, Ben and Jacob were on the computer, Timothy and Anna were at Jaylee's and Elizabeth was napping. It was a sweet time with Rachel.
But, sweet things end quickly and once the big kids returned from the library we started in on the books.

Mary and Josiah sorting ...
Luke fishing out all his Chess books to take back to his room ...

You may wonder why or how we have ended up with so many books. Well, when we lived in Texas our sole source of entertainment was going to Half Price Books on Friday nights after eating pizza. My kids also spend any money they earn or get as gifts on books (unless they can get the same book at the library ... I won't let them buy it if they can read it for FREE!) We really don't buy books much anymore as there is not reasonable place to buy them from in Ft. Collins (this a good thing for our budget) but we have a great collection for the younger kids. We have the entire series of Hank the Cowdog, Love Comes Softly, Little House, Narnia, The Black Stallion, Encyclopedia Brown and on and on and on. Most of which we bought for .50 or less while in Texas. We're so blessed.

The project is far from done. When our new school books come for the fall I'll have to figure out how to get those squeezed in somewhere apart from the kids pleasure books. When Mike travels I try to have the house back in order before he returns but that is not going to happen this week. His flight was delayed by a few hours which is so sad for me but will give me a bit more time to work. I'd like to razzle dazzle him with my progress when he gets here ... we'll see.

Tonight Mary has dance and then we'll go to the final Foxes baseball game for the season. I don't think I've ever posted about this before. We go to City Park, sit under a big tree, eat dinner or snacks and watch the Foxes play ... it's a lovely time. Ben stands right behind the fence the entire time hoping to catch a ball ... which has yet to happen but maybe tonight it will!

And now to tackle the school room ...

There are laws that rule the universe like gravity but one law that has yet to be defined by scientists is one I call "While the cat is away ...". This undefined, universal law involves the delicate balance of order and chaos. If a mother of 9 spends an entire day in the basement with 2 boys leaving 7 other children upstairs the basement becomes orderly and tidy while the upstairs becomes chaotic and messy. Hence my predicament today. A mere 12 hours since finishing our clean-up, the boys room remains clean but elves did not come in the night to remedy the upstairs .. humpf.

Today I need to figure out where to fit the gazillion books I brought upstairs from the boys room. In my perfect, Kathryn world I would have them organized by subject or author or series neatly on shelves that all matched in our school room. In reality I will attempt to find room for them all on 4 odd sized bookshelves and hope when the time comes we can find the books we are looking for by skimming shelves randomly. I will keep our school books separate and put a special force field around them to protect them from little hands but other than that all books are fair game around here. I can't expect the kids to love reading if I covet and guard our books. The biggest dilemma is protecting books from 15 month old little paws who enjoy unloading whole shelves at a time or 6 year old little paws who think large books are for making ramps for trucks. Oh, and 12 year old girls who fill the heaviest books with dried flowers and 14 year old boys who "need" 57 books to read before bed each night. Ok, so maybe it's a hopeless endeavor but I will try ... here are my before pictures...
At last count I have 8 shelves left for these books but will have to find space for the odds and ends that will be displaced by the books. Hmmmm ... I do not have the luxury of knick knacks at this stage of my life.

And so it begins ...

Waiting for the Interview ... Jacob's Date ... Cleaning the Gorilla Cage a/k/a The Boys Room ... Practicing Dance

I took a few pictures of Mary and Kyla as they waited for their interview yesterday ... what nervous girls and what an exciting environment. There were tables set up throughout the 4H building with judges interviewing kids for all different topics. We didn't realize that the judge would actually "judge" their projects during the interview.
I brought all of the little kids with me and had them sit patiently in the folding chairs while we waited. It was good practice for them.

Rachel and Anna ... waiting ... patiently ... silly, goofy little pixies.

I also took Jacob on his date last night and we had a great time. He had a little money to spend and so he bought this costume. It's some sort of Star Wars guy ... a Clone Soldier or something. He's happy in it. We also went to McDonalds which he thought was wonderful. He's such a sweet kid to be with that I was sad when it was time to go home.
Today we cleaned the boys room. Whew! I took before and after pictures much to the boys horror. I will preface the pictures by saying that I had the boys dump all of their drawers on their floor before we started. I've never been one who believed things called "junk drawers" should exist. Everything should have a place even if it's the trash can. We also cleared out the closet which was full of winter gear for the entire family. Once cleaned out we moved their dressers into the closet. I moved all of their books upstairs to our school room since 90% of their mess seems to be books ... thank you Mike and Grandpa for instilling a love of books in my children!

BEFORE

AFTER #1 (Beds and Josiah's Desk)

AFTER #2 (Luke's Desk)

I did splurge and buy them foot lockers. Josiah's is full of his CAP things and Luke's is full of his Chess things. They are both very pleased with these. I am going to purpose to inspect their rooms every morning when I wake them up (instead of hollering for them down the stairs ... yes, I holler ... especially after both of their alarms have been going off for 30 minutes!) and every night when I pray with them (at least I don't holler when I pray ... usually.)

The closet with Josiah's CAP uniforms in the middle.

And, finally, Mary and Kyla practiced dance. They have a big competition on August 9th in Highlands Ranch but have been so eaten up with 4H they haven't had much time to focus. So I promised them, even though I REALLY needed Mary's help, that they could practice today. Cuties ... how can I say no to them?

The cross is so they can practice the Sword dance. They both need new ghillies which is why they are barefoot. The new ghillies came in the mail today ... very exciting ... and expensive.

Ok, finally, finally, Timmy wants me to tell the world he has his first loose tooth! He's beyond excited! And, my confession for the day, I ordered pizza for dinner and it was delicious!

The Letter "T" and Mary's 4H Project

Well, we survived yesterday and Mary finished her project. In 20 minutes we leave to drop off her project and she will be interviewed. She's very nervous!
Mary's project included a 150 page workbook plus records of her year including how much money she's spent, how many hours different projects took, what she enjoyed and so on. It is beautiful and she gets all the credit as I didn't help her at all. I'm so proud of her.

Earlier this morning we visited Tooth Zone as a field trip for the letter "t". Jaylee and Shayla weren't able to go so it was essentially a Stephens Family Outing. We toured the dentist's office and the nurse demonstrated what would be done at an appointment. The nurse gave each child a goody bag and then they were allowed to play video games and climb in the playland for as long as I could stand. Our kids love this dentist, Dr. Oberman. He is a very nice man and says things to them like "you rock, Ben" and "be cool" but I find his office more like a three ring circus! I have to say though he pulled two of Ben's teeth and Ben never felt a thing so I am eternally indebted to him. (Those of you who know Ben will understand my thankfulness.)
Tomorrow will be a catch-up day after such a busy beginning to our week. I need to fold laundry and the older boys and I will be tackling their room. I'm considering patterning their room after a gorilla cage at the zoo ... 2 hammocks, a tire swing, a drain in the floor and a hose ... just kidding! Their room is in the basement and I am not diligent with inspecting it and they are not diligent with cleaning it. I'm trying hard not to roll my eyes as I imagine the mess but it's hard. They have been assigned duties to accomplish while I'm gone this afternoon and tomorrow morning the rearranging, cleaning and dumping will begin. We will simplify and remove all unnecessary items from their room ... they get beds and clothes ... that's it. Again, I'm kidding, but that's not far from the truth. We're off to the 4H building ...

A 4H Hiccup, A Sick Baby and A Traveling Daddy

On Saturday I sent an e-mail to Mary's 4H leader asking for specifics about her project ... when/where/how her book needed to be submitted, when she needed to be at the fair ... that kind of thing. We'd searched her book but couldn't find specifics. Well, yesterday afternoon we got a response. Oh, my! Apparently Mary needs to submit her book (which she's already finished), have a presentation board (which we didn't even know about) and have an interview all by tomorrow! Eeeegads! Mary and Kyla have been so "into" their demonstration project we've really neglected this part of 4H. I should have read through the manual weeks ago and not counted on Mary to relay the information. Ooops. So today will go down in history as 4H Day ... we will be diligently preparing, coloring, writing and practicing. Her project has to be dropped off between 8:30 and 10:00 tomorrow, we have to be at the dentist at 10:00 to learn about "Teeth" for the letter "t" and then Mary needs to be at the 4H building for her interview at 2:00. Whew.

Another kink in our week is that my little Lizzy is sick. She has a fever and seems to need to be constantly held. When Mike left for New Jersey this morning she cried and cried for her Daddy. Heartbreaking! Last week Ben was sick with what I thought was the tail end of the Hand, Foot, Mouth Virus but now I'm suspicious that it was something new and improved. Only time will tell.

I am also in the throws of preparing for our school year. I need a 4 year plan for Josiah so that I can track transcripts and I have lots to buy. As the kids get older I'm feeling more of the cost of homeschooling. Josiah's Biology class requires a microscope, dissecting supplies (ew) plus books. His language curriculum is awesome but crazy expensive. But I think I'll set that all aside until later in the week.

So, now after a few minutes to catch my breath and read my e-mail, I'm off to begin the week. The good thing is I work well under pressure ... I kind of like it in a weird way. Unfortunately Mary does not share this aspect of my personality. Poor Mary. She's a planner like her Dad which most of the time is a real blessing.

Friday Chores, Baseball with John and Sprinklers!

Can I tell you how much better our Friday Chores get done when I am home and fully engaged?! Wow! The previous 3 Fridays we had various interruptions which forced me to put much of the work in the hands of the kids or just set the job aside. But yesterday I was able to tackle it all with gusto and it feels great to have things really well cleaned.

In the afternoon Uncle John came with baby Winston and played baseball with us at the ball diamond up the street. The girls, Winston and I only lasted 10 minutes before the heat overwhelmed us and we came home. John is a great uncle to stay out in the heat chasing baseballs with the boys. Because everyone was so hot when we got home we set up the little pool and the sprinkler and played in the water. After 45 minutes of play we had nine exhausted, soggy children; nine dirty, wet towels; nine swim suites to wash; two tubs and a shower full of sand and grass; and a mucky backyard. So, we came in, collapsed, ate pizza and watched a movie.

Anna, Timothy, Rachel, Jacob and Ben
(Luke is the monkey swinging from the play structure in the back!)

Today (Saturday) has been a pleasant, relaxing day. Josiah handed out water with CAP at a Race for the Cure in City Park. We had a nice picnic lunch in the back yard (and grilled our first garden zucchini ... yum) and a rousing game of kickball with the neighbor kids. The boys won 13 to 12 against the girls. We're calling it Kathryn Kickball because I was the referee and made up my own rules (mostly to make it more fair to the little kids.) Honestly, I'm not sure I even know the real rules of kickball.

"S" is for Super Socks and Surprise, Silly Snack

For the letter "S" the kids decorated Super Socks that made them into Superheroes. I also snuck out to the store to get a silly, surprise snack. Josiah came with me and I told him "shhhh" it's a secret! Haha!

Anna, Rachel, Jaylee, Timothy and Shayla decorating their Super Socks
Josiah unveiling the surprise!
SNAKES in soggy sand!
(ok, gummy worms in chocolate pudding ... I'm taking creative liberty here ..."

Baby Powder and Little Girls

Rachel, Anna and Elizabeth got into the baby powder while I was making dinner ... I have to confess that I thought it was pretty funny even though it was pretty naughty. They were pretending to have beards so they could look "really, really old". Ha!

Above Rubies, Wednesdays and Accountability

The most recent copy of the Above Rubies magazine came a few days ago and it is spectacular. Two articles in particular caught my attention. The first is called Powerful Parenting and is filled with wonderful Scripture but ultimately details John 17 and how it applies to parenting. Nancy Campbell lays out 8 ways to pray for our children based on this chapter:

(1)That they will know God (v.3)
(2)That they will have joy (v.13)
(3)That they will be kept from evil (v.15-16)
(4)That they will be sanctified (v.17,19)
(5)That they will be one (v. 11, 21-23)
(6)That they will behold the glory of the Lord (v.24)
(7)That they will experience God's love (v.26)
(8)That they will be prepared and ready to face the battle of life and declare God's glory to the World (v. 18)

Of course the article goes into much more detail but I felt that the 8 ways to pray were powerful in themselves.

The second article that struck me is very short and called "What is Missing in your Marriage?" and is based on Proverbs 9:1 which says, "Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out seven pillars." The Scriptures don't say what the seven pillars are but the author, Val Stares, lays out the seven she has found true in her long marriage:

(1) Love your husband.
(2) Obey your husband.
(3)Intimately linked with your husband.
(4)Adorned as a bride for your husband.
(5)Building a family with your husband.
(6)Please your husband.
(7)Reverence your husband.

Mrs. Stares goes on to share how she had conquered the first 6 pillars but felt that something was missing in her relationship with her husband. After prayer she realized that she was not reverencing her husband as she should. With her questioning him and the words she was choosing she was not showing him respect. What a great reminder to me!

I have two extra copies of this latest edition if anyone would like me to send one to them. The other articles are also good. People have written in sharing their ideas of what to do with littles while you school older kids. There is also a section about the blessing of caring for aging parents. I could go on and on. I am often tempted to try and host Nancy Campbell for a Colorado retreat but am overwhelmed at the prospect. I know it would be a huge blessing to many people so I need to pray about that. Maybe just a day long seminar instead of a weekend retreat? Hmmmm? Of all the contributors to this latest magazine I noticed 3 different women had written in from Colorado. In that she sends this magazine to 140,000 women I felt that was pretty interesting. In fact, I met my friend Gina after seeing her name in an Above Rubies magazine.

Ok, back to the mundane. Wednesdays. Ugh. Lizzy awoke at 5:30! Why? I have no idea but it was early. I did have some nice time alone with her and decided to make a huge batch of Swedish Pancakes not considering how long it would take me to cook them all. They are thin and spread so I can only cook two or three at a time. It took me until 9:30 to cook them all. Bad decision. My older boys used up all the hot water and since I was up to my ears in pancake batter I didn't get an early shower. By 8:30 the boys had already managed to hit a baseball onto the neighbors roof after barely missing a window ... oh, my poor neighbors. They live next to a three ring circus. All that to say, it was rough start to our day. The older boys are out mowing and if they do a good job may redeem themselves after leaving me with a cold water shower. Susie is teaching the letter "r" today which is a nice reprieve and is allowing me to post.

Finally, my word for the day is "accountability". I will be repeating this to myself all day until it sinks in, "My children need me to be their accountability and will not miraculously do a good job without my inspection and correction." No matter how much I want Josiah and Luke to be able to do their morning chores perfectly they will not do it unless I inspect and correct. Maybe when they are in their 30's but I strongly doubt it. I will now apologize to their future wives ... they are boys ... they don't see details, they are easily distracted and they really just don't care if they live in filth. Now I am off to inspect the mowing ... pray for me ... and my dear neighbors! Ha!

Ring Around The Rosey

Yesterday Mary taught Elizabeth how to play Ring Around the Rosey. It was tough at first because all sweet Elizabeth wanted to do was "all fall down" and didn't really get the idea of walking in a circle. But now that she has it mastered she is really getting into it. The boys even joined in and they had me rolling on the floor laughing! I thought Mike would appreciate these pictures especially ...



She's so good at the "all fall down" part she just spontaneously falls down through out the game!

An update on our "Behavior Modification System". It is going very well. The little kids are REALLY into it and it just takes the word "sticker" to get them to change their attitudes. I do have a few issues to figure out: (1)there are two kids who aren't earning stickers because they weren't having issues to begin with so I'm having to make up things for them to do to earn stickers (2)I need to make sure that the lollipops are truly a treat by not giving them any other treats just for fun and (3)I need to not let it become a competition with who has more stickers by keeping their charts for my eyes only. I may need to tweek my system a bit but it seems to be helping.

"Q" is for Quiet, Quarterback, Queen and Q-Doba

Today we are learning about the letter "Q". After our letter practice and craft (making queen's crowns) we took a field trip to Q-Doba dressed as quarterbacks and queens for snack time. During our craft time we practiced being very quiet.

Anna, Jacob, Jaylee, Benjamin, Timothy, Rachel and Shayla
Queens, Quarterbacks and a Queen's Assistant (Shayla)
Shayla is my helper when I teach... she plays with Elizabeth and helps with the crafts. I appreciate her so much and she is a sweet young lady.
Timothy, Jaylee, Anna and Rachel

Our new behavior modification charts ....

We have a few kids that seem to be struggling with a few behavioral issues so I've created a new chart system to help break the bad habits. One child sulks his shoulders and fusses when asked to do something, one has a tendency to say "no" as a first response to any question, one cries at the drop of hat and the bigger kids use expressions like "but Mom" or "I was just" when asked to do something. None of this happens all the time but enough that I was beginning to get frustrated. This is partially my fault because things are more relaxed in the summer and the kids easily slink into an entitlement attitude thinking that helping is too much of a chore. Little sinners. Everyone also is so much more tired in the summer ... staying up late because it's light and getting up early because it's light. Here is an example of the charts for the little kids:
If I ask Rachel to do something she needs to say, "Yes, Mam", then do it cheerfully. This will earn her one sticker. 5 stickers equal a lollipop and 10 stickers equals a mini-date. The basic, daily stuff like brushing teeth or clearing their place I'm not rewarding but things like putting a game away even if others played with you or carrying something to the storage room will be rewarded.
The older kids have a similar chart but they earn $1 per year of their age each month and lose a quarter each time they use the words "but Mom" or "I was just" or when they don't finish a job completely. For example, when cleaning the kitchen there is a check list of 6 things to do ... if they only do 5 they lose one quarter, if they only do 4 they lose 2 quarters ... plus they have to go back and do it right.
We also employ a more traditional, Biblical form of discipline that I won't go into for down right disobedience but with this I'm trying to break bad habits that I've let arise. It's interesting how easily it is for a child to get into a habit of responding the wrong way. I guess it's also easy for an adult.
The quarters I get from the older kids go into my "Caribou Coffee Fund". We began this in Minnesota where we had a Caribou Coffee a few blocks away. Unfortunately, it worked so well that I only got coffee for a few days before they figured it out and stopped whatever bad habits we were working on back then.

Lunch with Scott's Family

Mike is in New Jersey for the week so my parents and I took the kids to church in Castle Rock and then to have lunch with my brother, Scott, and his family. I wish so much Mike had been with us as he would have really enjoyed the day with us. We had a wonderful time both at church and at Scott's beautiful home. The sermon was wonderful and the worship was lovely. A refreshing way to begin our week. Scott's house is right in the midst of a National Forest in Larkspur! He and his wife has put countless hours into remodeling it and it is spectacular. When they bought the house it needed to be completely updated and they have done a beautiful job. Here are some pictures of our day.

Clockwise ... Scott, Grandma, Phyllis (Renee's Mom), Rachel, Grandpa and Renee
Scott, Mary and Baby, Harrison
Baby Harrison ... oh, my, what a cutie!

Not only is Scott great at remodeling, he is also a chef ... I mean he makes amazing food like these tarts!

Views from Scott's house.
Grandpa hiked up the mountain behind Scott's house and took these pictures for us. The boys even scared a baby fox out of his den but they didn't have the camera!
Oh, and Uncle Scott also has an X-Box which is pretty much like going to Disney Land for our kids. This is Jacob, Benjamin and Sabrina.

Today we need to catch-up on laundry (the story of my life ...), mow the yard, do school and finish Friday chores. I put the big kids in charge on Friday while I took 3 kids to the pediatrician and they managed the chores. You know how parenting books always say that if you give your child a chore and they do their best then the parent needs to not redo the work or say anything critical ... let's just say I will be biting my tongue today but we will be doing some touch up.

Cajun Red Beans and Rice

1 cup dried red beans, soaked and cooked or one can
2 14 oz. cans, diced tomatoes
1 onion
1 T minced garlic
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 pound Kielbasa/Polish sausage, cubed
2 t cumin
2 t cayenne
1 t red pepper flakes

Saute onion and pepper. Add garlic once they are soft and cook for a bit. Add sausage, tomatoes, beans and spices and simmer until melded well (or as long as it takes for your rice to cook or for you to give the kids baths or for your husband to get home from work ...) Serve over rice.

This is good. I only had Italian sausage so I used that which may seem weird to some but I find that if I don't stick to my menu and use what I have then I'm tempted to eat take-out with Mike and feed the kids PB&J. It was good with the Italian sausage but would have been better with kielbasa. We had left-over noodles that some of the kids chose instead of rice which was also tasty.

My Bread Store Bargains

I went to the Entennman's Bread Store in Loveland while Mary danced last night. I usually go once a month but haven't been in quite a while. Here is what I got for a mere $26:

9 packages of 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins
7 loaves of 100% Whole Wheat Bread
5 packages of 100% Whole Wheat Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns
5 Entennman Cakes (for "Donut Days")
5 loaves of Texas Toast (for French Toast)
5 loaves of Cinnabon Bread

I figure it works out to be .72 cents per item (which is cheaper than when I make my own). I don't usually get the sweeter stuff but it was really cheap so we'll save it for our splurge days. I don't know why this gives me such pleasure but it does. It's the cheap-skate in me.

The Letters "O" and "P"

"O" is for "oh" I'm so hot and "ouch" my throat hurts!

(And "octopus" which Anna made but Shayla had to make for poor, sick Timmy.)

"P" is for Pioneer People. The kids have been working on a play called "The Oregon Trail" for months and were dressed up practicing. Poor Timothy felt awful so Mary pulled him around in the wagon until he couldn't take it any more and crashed on the couch. We ate popcorn, pretzels, pistachios and pickles for snacks.

Friday Chores, Jacob's Stiches and Elizabeth's Shots

I only have a minute. We've had a rough start to the day with tired, grumpy kids (ok, and maybe a tired and grumpy Mom, too.) I didn't drink enough water at the park last night and my head is aching ... I never learn. But anyway, I'm taking Jacob to get his stitches removed, Elizabeth to get her catch-up shots and Rachel (so she isn't underfoot at home) to the pediatrician. I've written what the other children need to work on while I'm gone on my dry erase board. This seems to really help my kids stay on task.
I need to update the letters "O" and "P" on my Letter People page and can't wait to share my amazing deals at the Bread Store yesterday. But, I need to go ....

Psalm 63:1-8

O, God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Psalm 63:1-8

I was awake very early with poor Timothy who was hot and miserable. I like getting up early, drinking coffee, reading God's Word, writing in my prayer journal ... but, every time we have a new or nursing baby I get out of the habit and it takes me a while to get back to it. I think this time it's been harder to re-motivate myself because Lizzy was sick January through April (flu, colds, flu, colds ...) and I was exercising every day and therefore was exhausted. But this morning reminded me of what I've been missing.

I love to read the Psalms and think about what was going on in David's life when he was writing. Isn't it interesting that when he was being chased and hiding in caves he clung to God but when he was living in the palace reaping his rewards he became complacent. It hits a little close to home ... it's so easy to cling to God when we are in the midst of trials but in the midst of the mundane and daily chaos we forget to seek him. "My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you ..." - wow, shouldn't we feel that every day as we reflect on God's great mercy and grace towards us? Something to ponder today.

I will be teaching the letter "P" to just Jaylee and Rachel (who is now feeling MUCH better). Popcorn, pretzels, pickles and pencils? I haven't taken pictures with Anna's letter "O" projects yet because she came home from Jaylee's, laid down on the couch, fell asleep and awoke with a fever. I even checked her throat before I sent her to Jaylee's yesterday and she was fine! Sorry, Susie, if your kids get sick! Maybe "O" should be for "ouch" my throat hurts!

Tonight is Mary's dance class and C.A.P. is hosting a Family Picnic. I'll take whoever is healthy to the picnic. The little boys can oooo and ahhhh at the cadets in their B.D.U.'s.

Dear Elizabeth was so miserable yesterday she only wanted to be held. Mary took this picture of me making lunch with Elizabeth on my back. It was a short-lived solution but worked long enough for me to get lunch on the table. Today she seems to feel much better and it should be easier to get things done ....

The Key to Contentment .... Being Flexible

Ok, so I had planned to have a "normal" week. I planned my menu for normalcy, I planned my days for normalcy, I even planned to catch up on some sleep .... ha! But, with sickness in the house, it's time for "Plan B". With 4 kids now sick (Timothy and Anna are the latest to fall) I've adjusted my menu ... anything red or spicy has been eliminated and the recipes have been cut down since sick kids won't eat much. I've decided to catch up on cleaning next week when Jacob's stiches are gone and, hopefully, we have no more fever or tummy troubles. I've readjusted my expectations so that when I'm up all night with miserable kids I'm not frustrated because I'd planned on a good nights sleep.

I am so very thankful that this is a week when Mike is home and not traveling. It is so much easier to care for sick kids when you have an extra set of grown-up hands. Poor Mike might even be looking forward to a week in New Jersey after this ... hehe. I'm blessed to have a man who isn't afraid of throw-up and doesn't mind cleaning.

Being the middle of the month, when I do my huge Sam's run, we are out of everything. So last night I placed my Click 'n Pull order and am planning to take Josiah to pick it up. I also have to run to Walmart and Vitamin Cottage. Anyone who hasn't taken advantage of Sam's Click 'n Pull has to try it. You place your order on-line and it's waiting for you when you arrive. Saves time, saves money, saves my sanity when I have to take a bunch of kids ... really, it's amazing.

Now it's back to reality after a little splash of on-line escape ... (I'm actually printing off coloring sheets for Rachel and Timothy while I type so I'm not completely wasting my time!

Hand/Foot/Mouth Virus, The Letter "N" , Well Check Visits and so on ....

Following in her sister's footsteps, Elizabeth is now sick. When I went to check on her at 9:00 last night she had thrown up IN HER SLEEP (ewwww) and was covered in "used" vegetable soup and rice. Ick, ick, ick. I held her, Mike scrubbed her and Mary took the sheets off of her bed. She also has the fever plus awful little blisters on her mouth and ulcers on her throat. She, Rachel and Luke already had appointments scheduled today for their annual Well Check so I took them in to the doctor. We cultured their throats just to rule out strep but it looks more like Hand/Foot/Mouth Virus. I remember when we lived in Katy, TX, Mary, Josiah and Luke getting this 3 times and actually forsook (is that word?) McDonald's playlands for years after. The playgroup we attended at the time would meet at the playland on really hot days and within a day or so they'd get sick.

While at the doctor, Timothy and Anna went to the Box's house to learn about the letter "N" ... noodles, necklaces and noisy noses. The picture below is of the kids wearing the noodle necklaces they made. It is also Jaylee Box's birthday so while Rachel and Elizabeth napped at home with Mike, the Box's took the rest of us swimming! We had a great time and the kids went to Jaylee's after swimming for cupcakes and presents. We are so blessed to have the Box family for neighbors.

Tonight is Luke's date night and Mike will be taking him for Greek food at the mall and to play video games. As a surprise, Mike will also take Luke to Target to get a Narnia action figure. He will be so thrilled ... he loves the entire Narnia series. In fact, it has encouraged him to read some of C.S. Lewis' other books.

And, finally, this is our cat, Molly. A completely random picture at the end because Anna wants me to show everyone in the world our wonderful cat. She lets Anna adore her to the point of torture and sleeps at my feet, purring every night. Simple pleasures.

And so it begins ...

I went to bed last night reveling in the feeling that we would have a normal, regular, non-busy, non-interrupted week this week .... ahhhhh, the feeling of normalcy is comforting. And then .... at 10:30 Rachel awoke crying. She was burning up with a high fever. I brought her down to the couch, gave her Tylenol and ice water and snuggled her as we waited for the Tylenol to kick in. Around 10:45 she began vomiting all over the couch. So as I stripped the cushions off the couch, Mike bathed Rachel and set up a bed on the floor of our room. All night she whimpered and cried. Poor little thing. So now we wait ... who will get it next? I've warned the kids what's coming and have pleaded with them to race to the bathroom at the first sign of tummy distress! Hopefully the fever will precede their sickness as well ... or, maybe, by the grace of God, no one else will get sick! Only time will tell .... my apologies to anyone we may have contaminated last week!

A Sabbath Rest

Rachel was all snuggled down next to Mike watching a movie and fell asleep. Mike moved over and she slept like this for over an hour! And, no, this was not due to Pastor Allison's sermon ... he was out of town! (Hehe!)

This was as she awoke! I think she woke up on the wrong side of the couch ... grumpy!

I've update my Schedules and Chores section to include more of what we do and how we do it for those of you who are interested!

A Lazy Saturday At The River

Timothy, Benjamin, Rachel, Elizabeth, Anna, Josiah, Mary, Luke and Jacob

Notice Jacob's hand in a plastic bag to protect his stitches (kind of funny).

After a busy week we decided to picnic at the river today to relax. Taking 9 children anywhere isn't really relaxing but it sure is fun. Grandpa grilled hot dogs while the kids played kick ball. The weather was cool and breezy and the river was low enough that we could skip rocks and wade. The water is still freezing cold and I had to laugh at the rafters and tubers in their skimpy bathing suits. I'd really like to take the older kids tubing on a hot day when the water is fairly low. It looked relaxing. Here are some pictures:
While not a great picture, it does illustrate Elizabeth's excitement over throwing rocks. If we hadn't watched she would have walked right out to the middle of the river!

Jacob, Rachel and Anna

Giant Cookies Eaten By Rowdy Boys

We've had a great day with the Peters boys! Our time at the park with the Mohrs was a nice treat and, thanks to insight from Rebecca, we all got free 7-11 Icees on the way home. After such a busy week, everyone is very tired and our afternoon was spent resting, watching a show and decorating the giant cookies Aunt Marcy gave us.
Jacob learned it is unwise to play sword fighting when you have a handfull of stitches and Lizzy learned that the scraps of cookies kids drop are just as tasty as the one she had in her high chair.
The sweetest thing I saw today was Kyle (neighbor boy-age 11), Luke and Jareth playing with Elizabeth in the yard ... pushing her on the swing and helping her down the slide ... all done with a plastic sword in one hand. What nice guys.

I talked with Jodia. Baby Falyssa is doing well but will be in the hospital through July. Jodia should come home on Sunday. I'm sure it will be difficult for her to go home without Falyssa so be sure to keep her in your prayers.

Several requests have been made for me to post my daily schedule so that is next on my agenda. I need to figure out how to post a link to a spreadsheet. I am NOT computer savvy but thankfully Mike is ... we'll see what I can figure out this weekend.

Mary and Kyla Win 1st Place!

Last night was Mary and Kyla's 4H Demonstration! They have been preparing and practicing since April to present "Let's Talk Horses!" They did a beautiful job and won 1st place. The judges couldn't believe that the girls didn't actually own a horse and that it was their first year with 4H. They also won Best Display and received a Michael's gift card. Now they will go on the State competition at the State Fair in August. Very exciting!

I took this just before they began. The name of the horse is "Alfred". On Kyla's side they had examples of both English and Western riding outfits. On Mary's side they had both English and Western Saddles. Notice their matching shirts. The backs of the shirt had a picture of a running horse and said, "Got Horse?"

The winners with their beautiful, purple ribbons!

On the ride home they joked, "now what are we going to do with our time?!" Although, Highland Dance season is approaching so I'm sure that will be their new obsession. The State Fair is August 23rd and is 4 hours away ... we'll have to see how we work that out ...

My friend, Jodia, had her baby, Falyssa Rose! Continue to pray for Jodia as she recovers from an emergency c-section and for Falyssa as she matures to the point of being able to go home. I will be taking her 3 boys to the park today for a "boy day". We will be meeting the Mohr family with their boys and beautiful baby sister Summer. It will be a good day!

The Letter "M" and Jacob's "M"onsterous "M"edical E"m"ergency!!!

Jacob and Luke

Notice Jacob's right hand ....

Our day began with an exciting trip to the doctor where Jacob received several stitches in his right hand. He, being a stellar son, was taking the trash out and cut his right hand very badly. We wrapped his little paw in a cloth and raced to the doctor where he bravely endured his stitching without a single tear! His big brother and best buddy, Luke, was by his side the entire time and even held Jacob's arm above his heart while we drove.

While we were gone "M"arvelous "M"ary and her "M"agnificent friends, Kyla and Shayla, taught preschool to the littles without skipping a beat. They made the letter "m" out of mini-marshmallows, made mice out of rocks and ate M&M's for snacks. They did all of this without any direction from me as I was stranded in the doctor's office. Great kids!

Girlie Day with the Peters Girls

Today we had the Peters' girls over for a "Girlie Day" ... I have no idea if that is how one would spell "girlie" but it is how we are spelling it. I picked the girls up around 8:15 and for the first little while they just played. Kianna and Mary dressed up like Pioneer women and "mothered" all the kids. They even taught school at one point which is great because with all or guests and activities lately I haven't been getting much summer schooling done. While they were playing I made a surprise dessert for our tea party .... Pink and White Russian Tea Cookies.

At some point someone got the idea to go have a picnic by "Sherwood Forest" (a/k/a an old farmstead in our neighborhood with huge pine trees) and pick cherrries. Since we had so many littles I decided to load everyone in the van to transport them to the path .... this proved to be a wise idea because it was hot and humid and after a few minutes of cherry picking the littles really wanted to come home. Once home we ate lunch and cooled off. The older girls made cherry syrup with our small stash of cherries. It is delicious.

After lunch we opened our spa ... Spa Stephens (said with a very French accent). I set up my foot bath and the girls lined up all of the nail polish in the neighborhood (ha!) and we began. What cuties! They all look beautiful but you would not believe the color of the water after 9 foot baths even though I did refresh the water! Ewww!

Kianna having a foot soak while her nails dry.











Mary and Kyla painting little girl nails. Luke is in the background using the hair dryer to dry Anna's "piggies". What a good brother!







While they were "spa-ing" I set up the tea party with my Great, Great Aunt Bertha's tea cups. We had mint or peach tea and cookies. Very delightful. One tea cup did lose a handle though ... but why have them if you don't use them, right?


Rachel, Kileena and Portia eating cookies and drinking tea.








Kyla, Jaylee and Anna having tea (I think Kyla's feet were soaking, too!)












Shayla, Mary and Kianna drinking tea.







To finish our day Uncle John will be coming which will re-masculate the boys after having to suffer through so much girliness. And I desperately need to get some cleaning done ... a lot of feet have trampled these floors this week!